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Vlad Andrei's avatar
Vlad Andrei A Community Member

I can't believe there's no way to track time on Ipads

UPDATE: Got it to work. I am now using Sidecar with its known limitations and I can very well code and use a keyboard / mouse on my ipad as if it was a standalone device, even though it is clearly an extended display and I need to be within 10m of my turned on macbook pro. The advantage here is that I can sit on a sofa or lay in bed, or otherwise have a much lighter display I do my reading on, whilst working and being tracked and screencaptured by Upwork client. Disadvantage is that touch display isn't working normally, I have to use a pencil to click, and I managed to scroll using fingers, but that's pretty much it. See more at the above link. So, this setup enables me to, albeit very limiting, do some work on my tablet. Thank you Apple for having this implementation.


Good morning,

I am posting this because I feel Upwork support doesn't take this seriously enough. I am not going to be hateful or toxic, I am just going to express my shock and amazement. I'm also having a coffee and being chill.

 

I can't believe that it's 2023, and Upwork (😘🥰🥰😍 love you Upwork) won't develop an app on iPad that can track time like the PC/laptop versions will.

Let me express a bit about why I need this, instead of the regular reply that tells me to log time manually (yes, I've browsed the forums before posting ☺️ this.

First of all, I'm a coder. Our kind isn't known for our ability to live on the edgy side of life. We want order, structure, predictibility, and our clients expect this from us when it comes to the software that we write. I love using the Upwork time tracker because I don't feel guily when working and tracking time with it. Not guilty for wasting time: that little screenshot in the upper right corner keeps me centered. And the fact that Upwork guarantees my income no-matter-what makes me sleep better at night. I want those to be translated to the iPad. 

It's 2023, I can code on my iPad. I can't believe it, I can actually code and do devops and work entirely off of my laptop and on my iPad. Please please please don't be the bottleneck in this process. The only reason I am now sitting at the desk, ball and chained to it, is because of the Upwork client that shows proof of work.

Regardless of wheter I have clients that accept manual time (most don't by the way), I will always start working relationships with new people, even though I have older clients and they would understand if I add manual time, it's not feasible. I want it FOR ME, not for my clients, that I have the ability to track time on my iPad.

I leave you with this one thought, because my coffee break is over: I have the shortcut keys memorized and it's second nature to me that when I delve deep into "working mode" I instinctively press Ctrl+Alt+[ and Ctrl+Alt+E to keep a clear record for my client and also for myself - so I know how long I worked on what tasks. I lose that self discipline as well, when I want to work on iPad. Please please please ! It's 2023. 

 

On behalf of the community, thank you for reading my rant.

 

 

13 REPLIES 13
Annie Jane's avatar
Annie Jane B Retired Team Member

Hi Vlad,

 

Thank you for your feedback. I shared it with the team for review. Should there be any changes or updates, we will inform everyone here in the Community.


~ AJ
Upwork
Kasra's avatar
Kasra T Community Member

Hi Annie,

So what is the result of sharing this feedback with the team?!!

 

Vlad Andrei's avatar
Vlad Andrei A Community Member

they made dark theme for upwork. that's the result

Jennifer's avatar
Jennifer M Community Member

People have been complaining about this for years. I think they can't do it because of what the tracker does (log key hits and take snapshots of the visible window). It goes against app store rules I think.

Vlad Andrei's avatar
Vlad Andrei A Community Member

Even though Apple itself doesn't expose an API for explicitly capture user's screen, there currently are apps on App Store (ie. Streamlabs) that can stream the screen of your iPad tablet.

Upwork can build it. Maybe they can't record keystrokes to show activity (but that data can be aggregated from APIs that Apple Currently exposes for iPad OS - called Protected Resources)

 

Jennifer's avatar
Jennifer M Community Member


Vlad Andrei A wrote:

Even though Apple itself doesn't expose an API for explicitly capture user's screen, there currently are apps on App Store (ie. Streamlabs) that can stream the screen of your iPad tablet.

Upwork can build it. Maybe they can't record keystrokes to show activity (but that data can be aggregated from APIs that Apple Currently exposes for iPad OS - called Protected Resources)

 


Maybe not being able to record keystrokes is the issue. Aggregation wouldn't work because payment protection relies on the number of minutes you're active in a 10 min segment and not just number of keystrokes.

Vlad Andrei's avatar
Vlad Andrei A Community Member

"Active" can mean different things on different devices, is what I'm saying. Activity can be an aggregate of device attributes (position, orientation, they could even prompt users to touch an area of the screen every 10 minutes valid for only a short time like 5s) together with screenshots of what you're doing.

 

Jennifer's avatar
Jennifer M Community Member


Vlad Andrei A wrote:

"Active" can mean different things on different devices, is what I'm saying. Activity can be an aggregate of device attributes (position, orientation, they could even prompt users to touch an area of the screen every 10 minutes valid for only a short time like 5s) together with screenshots of what you're doing.

 


ok, but tapping the screen every 10 minutes wouldn't cover payment protection. I don't know if you are familiar with Tracker, but it records activity minute by minute. You are only covered for payment protection if you are active for at least 7 minutes based on activity recorded for each minute, not for an aggregate of activity grouped by a 10 minute segment. So you would have to record minute by minute activity, and from what you're saying this isn't possible. This is quite possibly why they don't have a mobile app.

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member

Same for Chromebooks.

Vlad Andrei's avatar
Vlad Andrei A Community Member

I didn't know you can't use the laptop Upwork client on Chromebooks... Sorry to hear.

What I've read on the board is that some people use Windows Surface, which sports a full fledged Win OS. I was thinking I will upgrade to that only for light work and reading documentation.

 

Kirana's avatar
Kirana D Community Member

Second this on Samsung tabs.

Any recommendation on separate timer other than Clockify?

Tiffany's avatar
Tiffany S Community Member

Ditto for Chromebook. 

Upwork is an awfully big technology-based company to still be operating on 2008 technology.

Stefhen's avatar
Stefhen G Community Member

Hello Upwork Community,

 

In actuality, I can appreciate your perspective. Having trustworthy time-tracking software is essential for coders to maintain organization and efficiency. Manual logging is a possibility, but it's not the best option—especially if you're working with clients who require exact tracking. The iPad has become into a very useful tool for devops and coding, therefore it's disappointing that something so basic as time monitoring is still missing. If Apple could close this gap, we would be able to completely depend on our iPads for all of our work-related demands. You can experience buffering problems with this sportzfy unlocked TV, which would prevent live streaming. For the time being, looking into third-party programs and keeping a watch out for Upwork updates may be helpful.

 

Many thanks!‌‌