Android - Troubleshooting time tracking
If you have "Track Apps" enabled, RescueTime will track your time spent in apps. You won't see your data immediately, as it may take a few minutes to upload the time logs to RescueTime's servers.
There are some situations that may delay or prevent time sync:
- No network connection
- Low battery
- Device reboot or upgrade
- RescueTime on low priority queue due to heavy system load or infrequent usage
- Vendor-specific battery management (see below)
If a significant amount of time goes by with no time reported from your Android device, do a forced manual sync. First, open the RescueTime for Android app. Then pull down on the main screen to refresh, or go to the 3-dots menu at the top of the screen and select "Refresh". This will force a sync of your data up to the RescueTime servers. It usually takes a few minutes before you see the new data reflected in your app.
Even when time sync is delayed, data will not be lost. The app will send backlogged data as soon as it is able.
Android 8 (Oreo) and 9 (Pie) have features that intelligently prioritize applications based on how recently the user has interacted with them. This means that if you go a long time without opening RescueTime, the Android OS may not allow for frequent data syncs. Open RescueTime at least once or twice a week to let your OS know you want it to keep working.
You can keep your data fresher by using RescueTime's Persistent Notification (activated from the Settings tab).
RescueTime respects Android power saving features, so a low system battery can slow down syncs. Some vendor versions of Android (including OnePlus, Huawei, and Samsung) have additional battery optimizations that kill background apps, which breaks RescueTime's data logging. Try a forced manual sync (see above) with RescueTime in the foreground. Depending on the specific vendor and version, you might be able to fix background sync by excluding RescueTime from the system power saving settings. The following are third-party links that give instructions for excluding apps from power saving features:
- Huawei: https://dontkillmyapp.com/huawei
- Samsung: https://dontkillmyapp.com/samsung
- Xiaomi: https://dontkillmyapp.com/xiaomi
- Asus: https://dontkillmyapp.com/asus
- Others: https://dontkillmyapp.com
If after following the above instructions fails you still don't see time tracked, file a Troubleshooting Report via the RescueTime Settings page. To do this, open the app's settings and tap "About". Then tap Send Device Information to Support. This will put you in touch with our expert support staff who can help you diagnose the problem.