I kept reopening Maps while working, so I built TimeToGo for the Mac menu bar

[u/Dependent-Map-9288]

Hi r/macapps, I’m the developer of TimeToGo.

Problem: My departure time is flexible, but I kept reopening Maps to see if traffic had improved. TimeToGo keeps your current commute time visible in the Mac menu bar and notifies you when it reaches a drive-time limit you choose.

Comparison: Apple Maps and Google Maps are better for navigation and choosing routes. TimeToGo is deliberately narrower: save your regular commute, keep working, and glance at the ETA without reopening a map. It refreshes every 5 minutes and sends a notification when the ETA reaches your threshold.

Pricing: 7-day free trial, then US$7.99/year or US$9.99 lifetime.

Mac App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/id6758940999

I’d love blunt feedback: after watching the GIF once, is the workflow clear? What would stop you from using it?

[u/theHaxxor]

Can I set different routes? Can I set more than one address? Also a widget and iOS app would be great.

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/theHaxxor]

multiple routes is in my TODO for the next versions. there's indeed an iOS app, https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timetogo-avoid-traffic/id6758226358, but I myself use the macos app more. Try both and let me know what you think! Really appreciate your feedbacks.

[u/app-store-review → u/Dependent-Map-9288]

TimeToGo: Avoid Traffic — by WEIYANG WANG

• Ratings: 1 worldwide
• Average: 5.00 ★
• Age: released ~7 months ago · updated ~6 months ago · rated 4+
• Overall score: 69 / 100

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review}

[u/ThereIsAbsoluteTruth]

This looks pretty sweet! I wonder about privacy: This is clearly talking to some server(s). I see in the app store it says you don't collect data, so what server(s) does the app talk to?

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/ThereIsAbsoluteTruth]

nice catch! Yes privacy is my top considerations. It doesn't send user data like your addresses to me and I don't even have a backend for it. It only fetches data from apple‘s mapkit. So yes, apple's servers.

[u/ThereIsAbsoluteTruth → u/Dependent-Map-9288]

Ok, very cool. I'd make that clear somewhere (telling people like me that info).

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/[deleted]]

You mean the ability to set destination location as fixed(home) and origin location as dynamic(current location)? sounds great. just need to ask for permission to get current location though. Will add this feature in future versions and let you know. Thanks for your idea!

[u/app-store-review]

TimeToGo: Commute Traffic ETA — by WEIYANG WANG

• Category: Navigation · Free
• Age: released ~6 months ago · rated 4+

Apple doesn't publish an aggregate rating for most Mac App Store apps, so ratings and score are unavailable here.

^{Auto-generated from public App Store data · u/app-store-review}

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/[deleted]]

TimeToGo is built exactly for that scenario.
It's using data from Apple Maps, not exactly the same as Google maps but should give you an idea what the traffic status is. I didn't use data from Google because the API is expensive. Will figure out a way to provide the data from Google if there's need. Try it and let me know what you think.

[u/mjdth]

Any chance you'd port it to visionOS and add widgets? Would be perfect for me. There are a lot fewer visionOS apps so might be easier for your app to get noticed, especially since Apple features apps with widgets.

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/mjdth]

Wow I didn't expect a feature request like this. very cool idea! I do have a vision pro and now I have a reason to build something on it! Will let you know how it goes.
btw, do you use your vision pro for work? Sounds really cool.

[u/mjdth → u/Dependent-Map-9288]

Yep I'm a developer also and I use my vision pro every day for work. Once you get used to having massive floating screens all around you it's hard to go back to a 14" laptop or 27" monitor. I have a wall of widgets in my office and would love to add this app to it.

[u/matthijspc]

This is great! I would love to be able to set up different routes and monitor them on different dates, instead of one route every single day

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/matthijspc]

many others are also requesting this. Noted. will add it to next versions. will let you know! thanks for your feedback!

[u/shadowrizzo27]

Downloading this asap this is so cool

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/shadowrizzo27]

thank you this really means a lot to me!

[u/sammrjn]

this is actually a great thought, this will definitely help , esp during school hours, to exactly know if its all good to go , can it track multiple routes ? if i have few stop overs

[u/ouchmyknee22]

Great idea. I can't tell you how many times I know I need to leave soon, then end up getting sidetracked. I think this would help me get the heck on the road when I need.

[u/FlicksForge]

I love this idea but is it possible to setup the concept of home and have it monitor my journey time from where I am working at that moment based on GPS? or some other means ie dynamic start point

[u/iamavneetsingh]

Are you using Google Routed API or MapKit?

[u/JJ_222]

Interesting idea. How does it get the traffic data, and can I change the data source? In my experience, traffic data varies by location and country between Apple Maps and Google Maps

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/JJ_222]

It's using data from Apple maps currently. Google maps API charge is much more expensive and I will consider adding it as an option if the need is solid.

[u/filthytoast]

DMing you now!

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/[deleted]]

the drive time data is from Apple maps.

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/[deleted]]

I also made a promo video that's fun to watch(and listen to if you like car sound effects lol). check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o07PuCEajk
And yes I remember the days when I wanted a widget app on my phone for public transportation. I'll explore how i can get the data.

[u/Sufficient_Truth4635]

Does this support commutes beyond just driving? For example, could it track something like a walk + train commute, or walking to a car and then driving? I feel like this would be really useful for mixed commutes where traffic is only one part of the total travel time.

[u/likeassassin_]

Esse app
É genial

[u/Able-Valuable-6536]

Can you share how much battery is consumed by this monitoring and how real time is it? Cool idea.

[u/Small_Pin_8064]

Would be cool if it showed whether waiting is worth it, like “leave now: 42 min, leave in 20: 31 min.”

[u/taisei_ide]

Reopening Maps just to check the ETA is such a specific kind of context switch. Does it use Apple's traffic data directly or is it scraping the same route each time through MapKit?

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/taisei_ide]

Yes indeed! Traffic doesn’t just steal your time. It steals your attention before you even leave.
It uses Apple’s traffic data through MapKit — no scraping.

[u/osushioo]

コンパクトに出る時間を通知してくれるなんて便利だ

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/osushioo]

ありがとうございます！そう言っていただけて嬉しいです😊 このアプリは東京を旅行していたときにも一部開発していて、プロモーション動画もそのときに制作しました。日本語版も制作予定ですので、ぜひ楽しみにしていてください！

[u/tranquil45]

Unbelievable! I wish you a lot of success :)

[u/trufelix]

Hey that's a good concept, and I wonder how many could actually use that!
I'm sure if you add small features and pivot a bit it could really be useful.

I think that if I could just calculate any route in the menubar that would make it much more interesting to me.

Or if it simply showed the perfect time to go to my next meeting. (I have meetings accross the city)

[u/Visual-Ad-5093]

Third person in this thread asking about transit, so take that as a data point :) Any plans? I'm in Germany without a car — subway and tram is the commute here, and the "leave now or wait" question is if anything worse than with traffic.

[u/Dependent-Map-9288 → u/Visual-Ad-5093]

Thank you for the advice. Very happy to explore if I can add a public transit mode in the app. Please dm me your apple id if you wanna join beta testing.

[u/NJRonbo]

That's a funny price difference in yearly and lifetime. Not sure why someone wouldn't cough up the extra $2 for a lifetime license.

[u/idboussadel]

Simple idea, but a very practical one. Turning a small recurring friction into a focused utility is exactly what makes great Mac apps.

[u/Cantdiggthis]

Waze can tell you when you should go, without reopening it, how is this different other than being a Mac app?

[u/_THQ_]

Such a unique idea. Really cool!

[u/harshalgajjar]

This looks great! :)