Upwork Tracker Freezes Computer

[nb5347]

I have worked with three different clients in the past four years that requested I use the Upwork Desktop Tracker. The first time I used it, it seemed to be okay but slowed down my computer A LOT and I was barely able to do my work "quickly" because of how slow my computer was. The second time it completely messed me computer up. I ended up having to take it in to be fixed and was out of work for three days while it sat in the shop. I now have a new client who is requesting the desktop tracker. I haven't used it in over a year that I recall and I have had zero issues with my laptop. I downloaded it last night and lo and behold... my sound and microphone stopped working, Spotify completely froze and then my computer just shut off. I've had ZERO issues with this laptop and it's only a little over a year old. I've had it completely cleaned in the last six months as well. I deleted the tracker as soon as it shut down my computer due to "errors" and again I've had zero issues with my laptop.

Anyone else experiencing these issues with the Tracker???

[prestonhunter]

Natalie:

I'm sorry you experienced these difficulties.

If we are speaking honestly, I think the Upwork time-tracker desktop application is quite a resource hog, relative to many of the other programs you currently run on your computer.

It works great on the various desktop computers I use. But the Upwork app probably IS what is causing problems on your laptop. Your current laptop is probably too old and too under-powered to effectively use the desktop app.

The people who work for Upwork creating the desktop app and testing it are using newer, higher-powered computers, probably desktop computers, to develop and test the app. They haen't tested the Upwork program on your computer, and they are unaware of the problems that it causes there. Even were they to test it on a computer which physically identical to yours, they would not have a good feel for how it performs, because your computer has a unique set of software programs and settings in place. The app DOES work on a computer of your make and model "theoretically." But in practice... not so much.

There is no workaround or patch that will solve this.

Realistically... you can get a new computer, or you can only do jobs that allow manual time or are fixed-price contracts.

[nb5347]

I have a Microsoft Surface Pro that I bought a little over a year ago... so no.... it’s not old.

[prestonhunter]

re: "I have a Microsoft Surface Pro that I bought a little over a year ago... so no.... it’s not old."

Wow. I was completely wrong about this.

I'm really sorry to hear that the Upwork application is causing problems on a computer like that.

It's a wise choice to try to see if anybody in the Forum has experienced similar problems. This is not something that Upwork Customer Support would be able to help with. Obviously the application is supposed to work on such a computer.

[dzadza]

Time tracker is the reason why I  never bid on hourly jobs. It makes the work impossible  - computer is slow, freezing, crashing, blue screen of death ... drawing anything in Illustrator is a nightmare, because screenshot freezes the application for 2-3 seconds, and when it starts again, I have lines all over the artboard. 
Problem is - when I'm working, I have quite a few resource heavy applications running (Illustrator, Photoshop, Suitcase Fusion, InDesign) - and they never slow my desktop down, but when  I turn on the time tracker, it  looks like I'm running that stuff on commodore 64...

[nb5347]

Glad to know it’s not just me!!! I’ve run some extremely powerful programs with streaming and gaming and had zero issues as well!!! Upwork needs to get rid of their time tracker or pay someone to make one that is simple and easy to use! It’s crazy!!!

[aocumen]

I'm sorry to learn about your experience, Natalie. Could you please share your computer's OS, and your Upwork Desktop App's version so that I can share this with the team to be investigated further.

[hemz]

Oh! exactly the same situation here, I'm working on Photoshop.

I'm looking for answers to why my computer always crashed/BSOD... thanks I found your post! It's really frustrating! 

[mledesma16]

I have the same issues. It's beyond frustrating. It feels like the tracker sucks up all the processing power of my computer. I don't think it's the computer either, because I've worked with Photoshop or Lightroom, GoPro Quik, Skype, OneNote and Chrome (several tabs open) all at once and my laptop is fine. Once the tracker goes on though, my browser freezes and all work ceases every so often. Photoshop, Quik, Skype and OneNote are closed when it happens, so it's only the tracker and Chrome running but my computer is done. Can't get any work done continuously, because I have to stop and wait for the computer to catch up.

I tried it on other computers, too. We have 3 laptops at home and it's only when the Upwork tracker is running that the laptops lag or freeze. My partner's laptop runs games and several software together and it only lags with the Upwork tracker. 

Upwork needs to make a better app that consumes less computer resources.

[nb5347]

I completely agree!!!! Exact same issue!! I use Lightroom and have NO problems and work with multiple tabs open. I’ve had to put the tracker on an old computer now and it slows it down more than it already is slow but it refuse to put it on my new computer as it completely crashes it and this is a 2018 brand new computer!! It shouldn’t harm a brand new computer!!!!!!

[bstojadinovic]

Hi Marian Frances and Natalie,

I'll go ahead share your concern with our team, and one of our agents will get in touch with you via support ticket with more information.

Thank you for your patience.

[ab73ee09]

Seems nothing changed even after a year. My brand new laptop with 8GB ram, completely froze... I had to hard reboot.

Which tech stack was used to create this app? I hope it wasn't Electron.

[bstojadinovic]

Hi Cyril,

Could you please try the troubleshooting tips shared in this help article.  If the issue persists, please report it following the ''How do I report a problem?'' section of the previously shared troubleshooting guide, and our team will assist you directly.

Thank you.

[yitwail]

---

Cyril G wrote:
Seems nothing changed even after a year. My brand new laptop with 8GB ram, completely froze... I had to hard reboot.

Which tech stack was used to create this app? I hope it wasn't Electron.

---

That's unfair to Electron. I use VS Code editor (based on Electron), and it uses about 10% of the memory that Upwork helper process uses.

[joansands]

Natalie - I am an editor and use a Mac Pro 15" notebook with 16GB RAM. I do my editing in Microsoft Word and often use the time tracker for hourly jobs and prefer hourly over fixed rate. However, when working, I usually have to close down any other programs that are open - even my calendar - because Word is very slow if I don't. Then lately, I am working and all of a sudden I get a notice that the tracker is no longer tracking. When I check, it shows that it is not online so then I have to close down the tracker and then reopen it. All a bit frustrating. The other frustrating thing is that I have my computer set so that the tracker does not open when I turn on the computer in the morning - but the tracker opens immediately anyway. I then just close it until I need it but it is annoying that the tracker seems to want to take over my computer.

[giuli_michele]

Hello Joan. I have a 2-year old Asus with 16 GB RAM and I've experienced the same issues. Now my computer is in repair and the one I borrowed is starting to have problems, too.

This isn't just frustrating, I find it almost insulting. This issues have been reported for years and still they won't do anything to fix it. And we're talking about a time tracking app. We are the ones that provide quality work to the employers that spend their money here. Don't we deserve some respect?

[nb5347]

I stopped accepting jobs that required the tracker. A job that should take me an hour took me 3 with the tracker considering how slow it made my computer... I’ve actually gotten much higher quality clients since not using the tracker as well. Something to keep in mind! I only had a problem with one client requesting a refund, he was trouble anyway so I lost a couple hours of paid work since upwork wouldn't side with me even though I gave them proof of my work... oh well....

[egaruth]

Hi Michele,

I am sorry to hear about this. Could you please report the issue you are experiencing by following these steps so that our team can assist you accordingly: 

• Click your name at the lower left of the app
• Select Support and Feedback
• Enter the details of your issue and click Send

You can find more information about reporting here.