How study sessions and pulse checks work

Starting a session

Open the app inside a study zone. The Home tab shows the zone name once your position is confirmed inside it. Tap Start studying. Sessions never start on their own; you always confirm. If the app cannot get an accurate enough position fix, it waits rather than guessing, so give it a few seconds near a window or doorway if the building is difficult.

Pulse checks

During a session, the app periodically asks you to confirm you are still studying. Your organization sets the interval to every 30, 45, or 60 minutes (45 is the default). You get a notification and have five minutes to tap it. A reminder arrives 90 seconds before the window closes. If you miss the window, the session ends at the time of the missed check, and the hours up to that point are kept.

Pulse checks exist so that a phone left on a desk does not accumulate hours. They are the reason officers can trust the numbers without watching anyone.

Leaving the zone

Stepping out for a coffee or a bathroom break is fine. The app gives a five-minute grace period after it sees you outside the zone. Come back in time and the session continues uninterrupted. Stay out longer and the session ends. The app requires two consecutive readings to decide you have left, so a single bad GPS reading does not end a session.

Backgrounding the app

You can lock your phone or switch apps. If the app stays in the background for more than ten minutes during a session, the session ends. Reopening the app before then keeps it going. This is deliberate: it keeps location use low and makes sure the session reflects time you were actually there.

No signal

Basement study rooms are common. If your phone loses its data connection, the session keeps running locally and syncs when you reconnect. GPS itself does not need a data connection, so zone detection keeps working.

Ending a session

Tap End session when you are done. The session's duration counts toward the current week according to your organization's week start day and timezone. A session also ends automatically if a zone is deactivated or your membership is removed while it is running; hours already logged are kept.

What the app knows about your location

Location is checked only while you are using the app or have an active session. Officers see hours and goal status, never a map of where you have been. Details are in the privacy policy.