Mobile & offline
Track time on mobile with a docked timer bar, or queue timer actions during a brief connection loss in the web app and Chrome extension.
Time tracking works on the move. On mobile you get a docked timer bar. An already-open web app can queue timer actions during a connection loss, subject to the limits and conflict checks below.
On mobile
A docked timer bar appears at the bottom of the screen on mobile so the timer is always within reach. It works the same as the top-bar timer on desktop: tap to start, pick a project (and optional task), and tap to stop. See The live timer.
Tracking offline
If you start or stop a timer in an already-open app while offline:
- The web app writes the action to a user-and-workspace-scoped local queue in IndexedDB, with the original click time and expected timer. Hoursmith for Chrome keeps its workspace-and-device-scoped timer queue in Chrome local storage.
- The timer shows optimistic state — it looks and behaves as if it started or stopped normally.
- The web app shows a WifiOff badge; the extension status bar says Offline and shows its selected connection's queued count.
Offline reopening is different: the web app caches only build assets, not personalized pages, API responses, or private files. Offline navigation shows a neutral page; reconnect to load your workspace. This is not a full offline workspace.
The web queue is bounded to 500 commands, with replay accepting up to 30 days of history and five minutes of forward clock skew. These web limits do not replace the extension's separate offline rules.
Syncing when you reconnect
When you're back online in the matching account/workspace, the queue replays to the server. The web app shows a confirmation like "Synced N queued timer actions"; the extension moves from Syncing back to Online.
A matching durable server acknowledgement is required before a web command is removed. Multiple tabs coordinate replay, and unchanged retries reuse the existing result. Rejected commands remain visible for retry or explicit discard; older unscoped commands require review and are never silently assigned to the current account.
During replay, Hoursmith re-checks the usual rules on each entry, including the chosen under-5-minute action and the 8-hour keep / trim / discard guardrail.
So an offline timer is held to exactly the same standards as an online one. Learn the rules in The live timer.
Because your running timer is read from the server whenever the app loads, it reappears after a refresh with internet and shows up when you sign in on another device. Queued local actions are not confirmed server state until replay succeeds.
Tips
- Keep the web app open while working offline so it can detect reconnection promptly. The Chrome extension's bounded queue persists with the extension connection.
- After reconnecting, glance at your timesheet to confirm the synced entries look right.
Troubleshooting
- I see a WifiOff badge or Offline status. You're offline. Timer actions still queue and will sync when you reconnect.
- An offline entry didn't appear after syncing. Check whether you chose Discard, then review any visible sync conflict. Hoursmith keeps the server state when an offline action is no longer safe.
- An offline entry came back at 8 hours. You chose Trim to 8h when stopping it, and replay honored that choice. Hoursmith does not silently trim merely because a queued timer crossed eight hours.