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

Last updated on 15 Feb. 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.

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 14/15 Feb. 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. Then the app got installed and I could run it successfully. I later removed the rights to 'Install unknown apps' to (Google) Drive App in Settings.

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. Info dialog: Change date in release to appropriate date
  3. Info dialog: recording -> recorder
  4. Main screen: Fix uppercase start letter issue incl. in button.
  5. Main screen: Consider 'Copy all' button 
  6. Explore adding icon for app
  7. 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/onetouchlaunchtimestamp . A screenshot of it is given in my post: Notes on creating web apps to run locally on Android mobile; Progressive Web Apps (PWA).

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

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