Mobitor — User Guide

What the app does

Mobitor gives you a clear, private view of today's phone use:

• When you used the phone (15‑minute precision)
• Likely sleep window (based on inactivity, broken by actual use)
• How many notifications and app launches you had by hour
• Time spent in broad categories like Social, Gaming, and Media
• A gentle daily score vs. your goal, plus optional nudges

Everything is computed on your device. The app does not send data anywhere.

First‑time setup (recommended)

1. Open the app and follow the short onboarding. If you skipped it, you can always set things later in Settings.
2. Grant Usage access (required for most widgets):
   • Open: Settings → Security & privacy → More security & privacy (or "Special app access") → Usage access
   • Tap "Mobitor" → Allow usage access
3. Allow Notification access (for the notifications widget and richer signals):
   • Settings → Notifications → Notification access (or "Special app access" → Notification access)
   • Enable "Mobitor"
4. On Android 13+ you may be asked to allow notifications for the app itself; choose Allow so the app can show optional reminders.
5. Optional permissions, requested only when you enable related features:
   • Display over other apps: needed only if you enable Nudges (small on‑screen reminders when you near your goal)
   • Bluetooth (connect): needed only if you enable the Headset Usage widget
   • Call log (READ_CALL_LOG): used only in the dev variant for the Calls widget; the Play version does not request this

Tip: If a widget looks empty, scroll to Settings inside the app and ensure it's toggled on, then check its required permission above.

The Home screen

The app shows a list of widgets. You can reorder or toggle visibility in Settings:

• Open Mobitor → Settings → "Widget order & visibility"
• Use the switch to show/hide a widget and the arrows to move it up or down

Key widgets at a glance

• Chrono Ring: a 24‑hour circular view of today with colors for usage and categories
• Notifications: totals and top apps per day (swipe left/right to switch days)
• Weekly Social, Media, Gaming, and more: focused summaries
• Progress & Goals: keep an eye on your daily phone‑use goal; enable Nudges for timely reminders

Chrono Ring — how to read it

The ring encodes the full day (00:00–24:00) clockwise.

• Usage density (blue): 15‑minute buckets showing how much the phone was in use. Darker = more use. Only counts real foreground use with screen on; system apps and the launcher are ignored.
• Sleep band (purple): detected sleep window from last night, based on inactivity between roughly 21:00 and 10:00. Any actual use above a tiny threshold cuts "holes" into the sleep band.
• Category bands:
  • Social (vermillion)
  • Gaming (green)
  • Media (orange)
  These bands sit on their own tracks and are drawn when those apps were foreground.
• Hour ticks outside the ring:
  • Amber ticks = notifications in that hour (longer tick = more)
  • Blue ticks = app launches in that hour
• Center
  • Circular progress = today's score (0–100)
  • Minutes used vs. goal

Interactions:

• Tap anywhere on the ring to select an hour. A small tooltip shows usage minutes, notifications, launches, and category minutes for that hour.
• The legend below the ring shows the color key.

Troubleshooting (Chrono Ring):

• If the ring is empty, make sure "Usage access" is granted to Mobitor (see Setup #2 above).
• If sleep looks off, remember it's inferred from inactivity and limited to a typical night window. Late nights or travel can shift it.

Notifications widget

Shows totals and top 3 apps for any day.

• Swipe left/right to move between Today, Yesterday, and earlier days
• "Manage" opens the app's settings where you can filter which apps to include

Required permission: Notification access. If numbers freeze for Today, try this quick repair:

1. Open system "Notification access"
2. Turn OFF Mobitor, wait ~2 seconds
3. Turn it ON again
4. Return to the app; the counter should resume within a few seconds

Sleep (settings)

Sleep is inferred from foreground activity gaps within a night window (typically 21:00 → 10:00). You can adjust two things in Settings:

• Bedtime range: purely for display/context in some widgets
• "Pre‑bed" window: how many minutes before detected sleep are counted as pre‑bed usage (default 120 min)

Goals, Progress, and Nudges

• Daily phone‑use goal: set during onboarding or later in Settings
• Custom category goals: create your own categories and set goals for them
• Nudges: optional small pop‑ups over other apps when you are close to hitting your daily goal
  • To enable: Settings → toggle "Nudges"
  • Grant "Display over other apps" when prompted
  • Edit thresholds (e.g., 15, 10, 5, 1 minutes remaining) in Settings

Headset Usage (optional)

If you enable the Headset Usage widget, the app starts a tiny foreground service (with a small, quiet notification) to track connected headset time.

• You might be asked for Bluetooth permission on newer Android versions
• Turn the widget off in Settings to stop the service

Privacy and data

• All analysis happens on your device. No analytics, no cloud.
• You can export summary data as CSV from the "Privacy & Export" section in Settings.
• See the full Privacy Policy for details.

Common issues and fixes

• Usage data missing:
  • Ensure "Usage access" is ON for Mobitor
  • Some vendors restrict background access; opening the app once after boot can help
• Notification counts stuck on Today:
  • Re‑toggle Notification access as described above
• Overlay prompts not appearing (Nudges):
  • Allow "Display over other apps" for Mobitor in system settings
• Time format or locale:
  • The app follows your device's 12/24‑hour preference and locale formatting

FAQ

• Does any data leave my phone?
  • No. The app processes everything locally.
• Can I re‑run onboarding?
  • Yes. Clear app data or reinstall. Advanced users can reset from Settings where available.
• Can I choose which notification apps are counted?
  • Yes. In Settings, open "Notification apps" and select the ones you care about.
• Can I reorder or hide widgets?
  • Yes. Settings → "Widget order & visibility"

Uninstalling

Just uninstall like any other app. If you used the Headset Usage widget, its small notification will disappear automatically when the app is removed.

Need help? Contact the developer or check for updates in your app store listing.

📧 mobitor.app@gmail.com