The mobile app is built with Capacitor, a native mobile wrapper that packages the FieldTime PWA into a standard iOS and Android app container. This means the app uses the same codebase across platforms while supporting native device features such as secure credential storage and local push notifications. Your FieldTime administrator deploys and manages the app — you install it using the steps below.
Installing the App
- iOS (iPhone / iPad)
- Android
Open FieldTime Offline in Safari
Navigate to your organization’s FieldTime PWA link — it looks like
https://fieldtime.example.com/pwa/. If a colleague sent you the link and it opens inside another app (Gmail, Teams, Chrome), tap the Open in Safari option in that app’s menu before continuing.Tap the Share button
In Safari, tap the Share button — the square icon with an arrow pointing up. On most iPhones it sits in the bottom toolbar; on some devices it appears at the top.
Choose Add to Home Screen
Scroll the Share sheet until you see Add to Home Screen, then tap it. If you don’t see this option, make sure you are in Safari and not another browser.
Confirm the name and tap Add
FieldTime suggests a name for the icon. Accept the default or type your own, then tap Add in the top-right corner. The FieldTime icon appears on your Home Screen.
Features Available on Mobile
Punch Clock
Clock in and clock out with a single tap. The live timer shows your running hours for the day. Assign a project, phase, task, and labor classification before clocking out — or after, when you’re back in signal.
Manual Time Entry
Log hours directly without punching. Enter a date, project, phase, task, hours, and optional notes. Exempt employees always see the manual entry form instead of the punch clock.
Weekly Timesheet View
Tap the Week tab to see a summary of each day in the current pay period. Tap any day row to view or edit its entries.
Sync & Conflict Review
The Sync tab shows how many entries are waiting to upload. Tap Sync Now to push them to FieldTime, or review and resolve any conflicts that arise when the same entry was edited in two places.
Settings
Manage sync notifications, view the app changelog, and access help from the Settings tab. The Account section at the bottom lets you sign out when your offline queue is clear.
Working Offline
The FieldTime mobile app is designed for field work where connectivity is intermittent or unavailable. Here is what happens in each connectivity state.What you can do offline
- Clock in and clock out — punches are recorded to the device in real time.
- Log manual time entries for any date.
- Edit or delete manual entries you created on this device during the current session.
- View your timesheet week, including entries that synced during your last online session.
- Track a running meal break timer.
What requires a connection
- Signing in for the first time (credentials must be verified against the server).
- Downloading updated project lists, phases, tasks, and labor classifications.
- Viewing timesheets for weeks that were not downloaded during your last sync.
- Submitting or approving timesheets.
How offline sync works
Every action you take offline — a clock-in, a clock-out, a manual entry — is saved as an operation in a local queue on your device. The queue is stored securely and survives app restarts. When your phone detects an internet connection, the app automatically attempts to sync all queued operations in the background. You can also trigger a manual sync from the Sync tab at any time. Each operation is sent to the FieldTime server and matched against the latest server state. The server returns one of four outcomes:| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Synced | The operation was applied successfully. The entry is now in FieldTime. If the server already had a matching entry from another device, it is counted as synced and requires no further action. |
| Conflict | The server entry was edited elsewhere and no longer matches what’s on your device. You choose how to resolve it. |
| Failed | A validation error prevented the sync (e.g., hours > 24). Review the error and correct the entry. |
| Discarded | The entry was removed from the queue after you chose to discard it during conflict resolution. |
Reference data — your project list, labor classifications, phases, and tasks — refreshes automatically every time you open the app while online, and again whenever you return from the background. You can also tap Sync Now on the Sync screen to force a fresh download.
Resolving sync conflicts
When a conflict appears in the Sync tab, you have three options:- Keep Server — discard your offline version and keep whatever is on the server.
- Use Local — overwrite the server entry with your offline version (only available if the timesheet is still in draft).
- Discard — remove the offline entry entirely without applying it to the server.
Notification Settings
The app can send you a local notification each time an offline entry successfully syncs to FieldTime. Notifications are optional and entirely local to your device — no external push service is involved. To enable sync notifications:- Open the Settings tab.
- Tap Sync Notifications.
- Tap Enable Sync Notifications.
- When your device prompts for notification permission, tap Allow.
On iOS, notifications are delivered through the native Capacitor
LocalNotifications plugin and appear in your system notification center. On Android, they use the same plugin and are subject to your device’s battery-optimization settings. If notifications stop arriving, check that the app is not restricted in your Android battery settings.The Sync Indicator
The header status pill at the top of every screen shows your current connection state:- Online (green) — the app has internet access and will sync automatically.
- Offline (gray) — no internet. New entries queue on the device.