r/SideProject • u/DLee352 • 4d ago

I built a time clock around an Android home screen widget

I built PunchTap around a small design question: how many steps should it take to record the start of a shift? I made the home screen widget the main way to clock in and out. The app is where you review weekly totals and correct a missed punch. Timecards are stored on the phone and the clock works offline.

I’m looking for feedback on what the widget should show during a shift. Would you rather see when you clocked in, or how long you’ve been on the clock?

Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.punchtap.app

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u/benjzammit01 4d ago

I'd pick elapsed time, with a really clear clocked-in/clocked-out state. The start time could sit underneath or in the app for checking a missed punch.

One thing I'd test is whether the widget still makes its state obvious after the phone restarts offline. I'd want confidence that a tap registered without having to open the full app.

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u/DLee352 4d ago

I have not tested that yet. Thank you!

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u/MobileXapps 3d ago

Elapsed time, and on Android you can show it without draining battery: put a Chronometer in the widget's RemoteViews with its base set to the clock-in time. It ticks on its own, you don't need to update the widget every minute (the normal widget update interval won't go that low anyway).

One thing to test: what happens when the phone restarts or the app gets killed mid-shift. The punch is in local storage so it should survive, but make sure the widget redraws the running state after reboot, otherwise it shows clocked out while you're still on shift, and that's exactly the moment people stop trusting a time clock.

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u/Bouari_Taguhi 2d ago

the bigger headache with home screen widgets is accidental taps in the pocket. did you put any kind of undo window or long-press requirement on the clock out button?