Introducing TimeLog: A Native Time Tracker for iOS and macOS

#swiftui #swift #ios

TimeLog started from a very simple email at work:

“Reminder to register working hours.”

That was enough to make me think about the way I track my time every day.

I work mostly in the Apple ecosystem, so I wanted something that could fit naturally into my daily workflow: immediate, quiet, and almost invisible.

A tool that could accompany my work instead of interrupting it.

From Many Ideas to Fewer Features

At the beginning, I had a lot of ideas.

Advanced tracking, analytics, synchronization, automations, integrations, reports, smart workflows, and probably a few more things that sounded useful on paper.

But over time, something interesting happened.

Instead of adding more features, I kept removing them.

And eventually, TimeLog became exactly that: a tool that does a few things, but tries to do them well.

What TimeLog Does

TimeLog is a native time tracking app for iOS and macOS, designed around simplicity and daily use.

It currently focuses on:

automatic tracking by client and project
calendar-based consultation
Pomodoro and stopwatch modes
time usage statistics
data sharing by email
a native macOS experience
a mobile version for iOS

The goal is not to build the most complex time tracking platform possible.

The goal is to make time tracking feel natural.

Built for the Apple Ecosystem

TimeLog is built with SwiftUI and SwiftData.

One of the things I cared about from the beginning was making the app feel native on each platform.

The macOS version is not just a stretched mobile interface. It is designed around desktop workflows, with native macOS patterns and quick access from the system environment.

The iOS version follows a more mobile-first interaction model, with a simpler and more direct flow.

Both versions share the same core idea: tracking time should require as little friction as possible.

Simplicity as a Product Decision

I think it is very easy to add complexity to software.

It is much harder to remove things without losing value.

That has probably been the most interesting part of building TimeLog so far.

Every feature has to justify its presence. If it makes the app feel heavier, slower, or more distracting, it may not belong there.

The best feature of TimeLog might be everything I decided not to add.

At least for now.

What I Learned

Building TimeLog has been a useful reminder that product development is often more about subtraction than addition.

Some lessons that stood out:

native platform conventions matter
small tools should stay focused
not every useful idea deserves to become a feature
time tracking should be fast enough to disappear into the workflow
simplicity is not the absence of design, it is a design constraint

What’s Next

I am considering future integrations with third-party services to push time entries into external systems.

One possible example is Wethod, since it would make sense to connect TimeLog with existing work reporting workflows.

I am also looking for more feedback, especially on the mobile version. It exists, but since it is not published on the App Store yet, I have not received much real-world feedback from iOS users.