Very Simple Launch and One-Touch-Add Timestamp Recorder Android App

Last updated on 26 Mar. 2025

Quick-Info

This is a very simple launch/redraw and one-touch-add timestamp recorder Android app. It will automatically create a timestamp (with no text associated with it) when the app is launched. The app will display a hardcoded maximum number of previous launch timestamps. It also has button to clear the timestamps, add a timestamp and to show app info. Duration from last timestamp has been added. This app is useful to quickly and easily record timestamps and also to capture typically small break duration or even small task duration.

Screenshot of Android app (possibly older version but with similar screen as current version) running on my Samsung M21 phone:
[Chrome browser: To open pic in larger resolution, on PC right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window and on mobile, press pic and choose Open in new tab. Then switch to new tab/window and on PC you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]




APK file download link: [If you don't know about how to sideload an apk, please see 'Sideloading' in Details section.] app-release.apk (Google Drive) (built on 25 Mar. 2025, release version, 5.7 MB).

Details

Sideloading

I think now the app though very simple could still be useful to others. It certainly is useful to me and I have been using it regularly over past few days. But I do not have a Google Play Store developer account (or whatever it is called) and so will need to pay some money to Google to create it before I can upload this app in Google Play Store. So the app has to be sideloaded on the phone using an apk file which I have shared on Google Drive (link given above).

On my Samsung Android phone, when I opened this post in Chrome browser and clicked the apk download link (Google Drive), I got an option to Open with Package Installer. Accepting that led to download of the file. Then I was warned about (Google) Drive app not being allowed to install unknown apps from this source and that I can change it in Settings (a Settings button was shown). I clicked Settings and gave rights to 'Install unknown apps' to (Google) Drive App. Then I was prompted for 'Install' of the app which I accepted. 

26 Mar. 2025 Update: When I tried the above yesterday (25 Mar), it gave me a Google Play Protect Scan (IFIRC) warning and option to scan which I accepted. After that, the app was being attempted to be installed but it got stuck. I could not locate any downloaded apk file to retry (which usually goes through). The solution was to open the apk download link in this post in a new tab (In Chrome mobile, press rather than tap on link which opens up a menu giving 'Open in new tab' and other options). In the new tab, a download link for the apk file is provided which I clicked and was able to download the apk to my mobile. For next steps, please read the part of this section covering install using 'My Files' app.

In the past, I was able to install the app by simply clicking on the apk link on this page and following procedure mentioned earlier. To be on safe side, after app install, one can remove the rights to 'Install unknown apps' to (Google) Drive App in Settings.  end 26 Mar. 2025 Update

In some other scenarios, Google Drive will provide a warning about not being able to scan the apk file for viruses and the file being an executable file. On my Samsung M21 phone, when I copied the apk file from PC to phone and then used 'My Files' app to run the apk by tapping it, after I gave rights to Install unknown apps to 'My Files, it was followed by an option to do Google Play Protect Scan. After that the app attempts to install but gets stuck. Closing that install and then doing a reinstall (by tapping on the apk again from 'My Files' app) gets it installed quickly. 

Known minor issues of above Android app
  1. Make link to this blog post clickable in Info dialog. [Android seems to provide some beta stuff for adding links to a Text composable. I am hesitant to use beta stuff. Need to look into this when time permits.]
Wish/To Do List
  1. Info dialog: Explore adding link without using Android beta stuff
  2. Main screen: Fix uppercase start letter issue in 'Clear All' button.
  3. Main screen: Consider 'Copy all' button 
  4. Explore adding icon for app
  5. Add a toast after copy
Background

I needed such a one-touch app on my Android phone (Samsung). In my limited search on Play Store, I could not get a free Timestamp app that did what I wanted as a one-touch operation. One app I tried needed three touches - to launch the app, to initiate adding a timestamp and finally a third touch to create the timestamp (with empty text).

So in Dec. 2024, I had created an HTML/JavaScript very simple page which did the job. For more info. about it please visit: https://github.com/ravisiyer/LaunchTimestampWebApp which has a screenshot of the web app as well.

Recently (Feb. 2025), as now I have an upgraded PC which can be used to do at least simple Android app development, I tried to create an Android app version of it and was able to do it successfully. This post provides the key info. on the Android app. Another post captures some notes about developing this app (as well as some other notes): Notes on creating debug and release APKs using Android Studio and running them on phone/device, https://raviswdev.blogspot.com/2025/02/notes-on-creating-debug-and-release.html .
===============

Source code repo of current Android app: https://github.com/ravisiyer/LaunchTimestamp

Comments

Post a Comment