Originally published on the PropHours blog. Screenshots show sample data. General information, not tax advice.
In short: PropHours 1.0.5 for iPhone and 1.0.6 for Android make it faster to log work while you are still at the property. The timer now lives on your Lock Screen, in the Dynamic Island and in an Android notification, with Pause and Finish buttons. New widgets put today's hours and your yearly progress on your Home Screen. And every record now shows its record strength, so you can see which entries still need a photo or a better description while you still remember the details. The iPhone app is also optimized for iPhone Duo.
Most rental work doesn't happen at a desk. You are restocking between guests, waiting for a plumber or walking a property after a storm, and the record gets written later, if it gets written at all. For owners keeping a material participation log for the short-term rental loophole or real estate professional status, that gap is where records go thin. This update is about closing it: fewer taps to start and stop the clock, your numbers where you already look, and a quick check that each record says enough.
Your timer on the Lock Screen
Start a timer in PropHours and it stays with you after you leave the app. On iPhone it appears on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island with the property, the task and the running time. Pause and Resume work right from the Lock Screen without unlocking your phone. Finish opens the app with the record filled in so you can review it before saving, and tapping the timer itself just opens it, so a stray tap never ends your session.
On Android, the same timer runs as a notification with Pause, Resume and Finish buttons. On a locked phone the notification hides the property and task names, so they stay private.
The timer on the iPhone Lock Screen (left) and in the Android notification shade (right).
You can also start one hands-free: say "Start a timer in PropHours" to Siri. It picks up the last task and property you timed, so a regular turnover is one sentence away. "Stop my PropHours timer" and "Log work in PropHours" work too.
Home Screen widgets
Three new widgets keep your hours in view on iPhone and Android:
- Start timer shows your last task, its property and today's total. Tap it to start timing that task again, or to open the timer that's already running.
- Today shows the hours you logged today and a bar for each of the last seven days, with buttons to start a timer or log by voice.
- This year shows your hours this year against your goal, with a marker for how far through the year you are.
The same three widgets on iPhone (left) and Android (right). The amber pill counts up while a timer is running.
The This year marker is the quick read: if the amber bar is behind it, you are behind pace for your annual goal, whether that is the 100-hour test for a short-term rental or a larger target. On iPhone you can also put This year on your Lock Screen. On Android, long-press the PropHours icon for Start timer and Log by voice shortcuts.
Record strength: see which records need more detail
Hours are only as convincing as the records behind them. When a CPA or an examiner reviews a material participation log, the questions are usually the same: was this written down when the work happened, what exactly was done, and is there anything to back it up? Records made at the time carry more weight than a log rebuilt from memory months later. The guide to proving material participation covers this in detail, and how CPAs verify participation hours shows what accountants look for.
PropHours now checks four things on every record:
- Logged the same day: the record was saved within two days of the work.
- Recorded on site: it was saved from the PropHours timer while the work was happening.
- Specific description: the title and notes together say what was done in at least a few words, like "Replaced bathroom faucet and tested water pressure" rather than "Repairs".
- Receipt or photo: a receipt, photo or document is attached.
Each record gets a label (Strong, Fair or Needs detail) on your activity list. Open a record to see which checks it passes, with buttons to add detail or a photo right there. In Stats, the record strength card shows the share of your records that are strong and lists the ones to improve: no receipt or photo, logged more than two days later, or a short description.
Labels on the activity list (left) and the record strength card in Stats (right).
Record strength is about how well a record documents itself, not about your tax position. It doesn't decide whether your hours qualify for the material participation tests, the short-term rental loophole or real estate professional status. That depends on your facts and is a question for your tax professional. What it does is make the gaps visible while they are still easy to fill.
Optimized for iPhone Duo
PropHours now uses the full inner display of iPhone Duo, Apple's foldable, and the widgets and the running timer fit its side-mounted Dynamic Island.
How to get it
Update PropHours from the App Store or Google Play. Then add the widgets from your Home Screen (touch and hold an empty spot, then Edit → Add Widget on iPhone, or Widgets on Android) and start a timer to see it on your Lock Screen.
Record strength reflects when and how each record was saved and what it contains. It is not tax advice and doesn't determine whether you materially participate or qualify for any tax treatment.
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