Help Stopwatch Journal
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Stopwatch Journal Help and FAQ

Getting Started

  1. Open the Home tab, where the watch face and the timing controls live.
  2. Tap Start to begin timing, and Pause to hold the clock.
  3. Tap Lap while the clock runs to record a split.
  4. For a countdown, switch the mode to Count down, then use Set duration to choose hours, minutes, and seconds.
  5. Tap Save to journal to store the run together with all of its laps.
  6. Open History to revisit saved sessions and Analysis for totals.

Timing

Stopwatch Journal has two modes. Count up measures how long something takes and has no end point. Count down runs from a target you set toward zero, which suits intervals, workouts, cooking, and focus sessions.

How do I set a countdown?

Switch the mode to Count down, then tap Set duration and pick hours, minutes, and seconds. While the countdown runs, the ring fills as time elapses, the large readout shows the time remaining, and the full target is shown underneath it. Your last countdown target is remembered for the next launch.

What happens when the countdown reaches zero?

The countdown stops on its own at zero and the readout turns red so a finished run is obvious at a glance. You can still record the run with Save to journal afterwards.

Does the stopwatch keep running if I leave the app?

Yes. Timing is anchored to the wall clock rather than to an in-app ticker, so a running stopwatch keeps counting while the app is in the background or closed. Its elapsed time, mode, and recorded laps are restored the next time you open the app.

Why did my time reset when I changed mode?

Switching between count up and count down clears the current time and laps deliberately, so a new run never inherits a stale measurement. Save the run to the journal first if you want to keep it.

Laps

Laps break a single run into meaningful sections. The Lap action is available while the clock is running, and every lap is listed with its number, its split (the time since the previous lap) and its total (the time since the run started).

Can I correct or annotate a lap?

Yes. Open a lap's actions and choose Edit. The edit sheet lets you dial the lap's total time in hours, minutes, seconds, and milliseconds, and add a free-text note. When you move a lap, the splits around it are recalculated so the surrounding laps stay consistent.

Can I delete a lap?

Yes. Open the lap's actions and choose Delete. The remaining laps keep their recorded totals and are renumbered, with their splits rebuilt from the new neighbours.

Are laps saved automatically?

No. Laps belong to the current run until you tap Save to journal. Reset clears the current time and its laps without journaling them.

The Journal

Saving a run writes it to the History tab: the elapsed time, the mode, the countdown target if there was one, and every lap. Sessions are listed newest first, and each row shows the total time, when it was saved, the mode used, and how many laps it holds.

Can I see the laps of a saved session?

Yes. Use the expand toggle on a session that has laps to reveal them in place. Laps inside a saved session can be edited and deleted exactly like laps on the Home tab.

How do I remove sessions?

Open a session's actions and choose Delete to remove that one session. The Clear history action at the bottom of the tab removes every journaled session at once and asks for confirmation first, because it cannot be undone.

Analysis

The Analysis tab summarizes your saved sessions: total sessions, total time, average session, longest session, and total laps. It is derived from the journal only, so a run that was never saved does not appear there.

Watch Faces and Appearance

Can I change how the timer looks?

Yes. Open the Configuration tab and tap Watch face. You can choose between Ring face, Minimal, Dial, Segmented, and Bars. The picker shows a live preview of each style before you commit to it.

What can I change in Settings?

  • Theme: System, Light, Dark, or Pink.
  • Large text: a larger type scale throughout the app.
  • Language: the app's display language.
  • Numeral system: the digits used for the readout, laps, and statistics — Latin, Arabic-Indic, Devanagari, Thai, and many more. This changes how numbers are drawn only; your stored sessions are unaffected.
  • Notifications, contact, rating, and website links.

Settings are reachable from the gear icon in the top bar.

Backup and Transfer

Can I back up or move my journal?

Yes. The Configuration tab offers Export and Import. Export writes a JSON snapshot that contains your journaled sessions plus the current stopwatch state; import reads such a snapshot back. On iOS the export goes through the system share sheet (Files, AirDrop, Mail, …), and on Android, macOS, and Windows through the normal save dialog.

Where is my data stored?

Your sessions are stored locally on the device running the app. There is no account and no cloud sync, so exporting a snapshot is how you keep a backup or move your journal to another device.

FAQ

What does Stopwatch Journal do?

It is a precise stopwatch and countdown timer that keeps a record of what you timed. Instead of losing a result the moment you reset, you save the run — elapsed time, mode, and every lap — to a journal you can revisit, correct, and analyze later.

Does a finished countdown play an alarm?

No. The countdown stops at zero and the readout turns red, but the app does not sound an alarm, so keep it visible if you are relying on the end of a countdown.

Why is the Lap button unavailable?

Laps can only be recorded while the clock is running. Start or resume the run first.

Why is Save to journal unavailable?

There is nothing to save yet. The action becomes available as soon as the run has measured time or recorded laps.

Does the app need an internet connection?

No. Timing, the journal, and the analysis all work offline. A connection is only relevant for optional extras such as store purchases and advertising.

What does the subscription change?

The subscription is optional and available as a monthly, 3-month, or yearly plan. It removes third-party advertising and unlocks subscription-only options, and it can be restored on your other supported devices from Settings using the same store account.

Troubleshooting Checklist

  1. Nothing appears in History — make sure the run was stored with Save to journal.
  2. Analysis is empty — it only counts saved sessions, so journal at least one run.
  3. The countdown finishes immediately — check that the target duration is not zero.
  4. Laps disappeared — Reset and switching mode both clear the current run.
  5. A lap total looks wrong — edit the lap and correct its total; splits are recalculated for you.
  6. The elapsed time jumped after reopening the app — timing follows the wall clock, so check the device clock and time-zone changes.
  7. Import did nothing — select a JSON snapshot that was exported by Stopwatch Journal.
  8. History was cleared by accident — Clear history cannot be undone; restore from an exported snapshot.
  9. Digits look unfamiliar — review the numeral system in Settings.