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Total Office Manager

Time Tracker Plus 360 – App Help

Payroll & Time, Time Tracking
13 min read

Introduction to the User App

This help page applies to the user-facing Time Tracker Plus 360™ application. In most cases the browser version, Android version, and Apple version work the same way. A user enters a PIN, clocks in or out, optionally selects a work order or topic, and can view reports if those features have been enabled for that user.

The audience for this page is the everyday user, office staff member, technician, supervisor, or manager who is not deeply technical. When a feature is administrative rather than everyday, that is stated clearly.

What Time Tracker Plus is Designed to Do

Time Tracker Plus is a digital replacement for a traditional office time clock. It writes time entries into the Aptora database and can also collect selected supporting information such as notes, work-order choice, mileage, and optional GPS or device data. The app requires an internet connection and is primarily designed for connected use, not offline use.

How The Three Client Types Compare

Version	What the user sees	Key difference
Browser app	Runs in a supported web browser. Good for desktops, shared kiosks, and simple rollouts. Settings such as server URL and admin code are stored in that browser context.	Because it is a browser, it is more sensitive to mixed-content rules, CORS, and browser permission limits.
Android app	Installed as a mobile app and generally behaves like the browser version from the user’s point of view.	Usually better for device telemetry, permissions, and continuous location collection.
Apple app	Installed on iPhone or iPad and intended to feel the same as the other versions for ordinary use.	Background and location behavior still depend on Apple device permissions and operating-system rules.

Differences Users May Notice

The browser version can usually copy the Device ID to the clipboard directly from the Setup page.
The browser version may show connection problems caused by an incorrect protocol or a mismatch between HTTPS pages and HTTP API addresses.
The browser version has more limited GPS behavior than a native mobile app, and continuous tracking is less natural in a normal browser session.
Android and Apple versions are better suited to device features such as background location permission, model information, network type, and battery-state reporting.

Home Screen: PIN Entry

The Home screen is the screen most users see first. It is a numeric PIN-entry page with a large title, a PIN display area, a keypad, a Submit button, and a clock display at the bottom. Employee PINs are typically 6 to 12 digits. Admin PINs are 12 to 20 digits and open the Settings page instead of clocking the user in or out.

Label or Button	What it does	Notes
PIN display	Shows a prompt when nothing has been typed, or masked dots when a PIN is being entered.	This helps keep the PIN private.
0-9 keypad	Enters the PIN digits.	Only numeric input is accepted.
Back	Deletes the last digit entered.	Use this when one digit was typed incorrectly.
Clear	Removes the entire PIN currently shown.	Useful when the wrong person started entering a PIN.
Submit	Checks the PIN and decides what to do next.	A valid admin PIN opens Setup. A valid employee PIN opens the user page.
Too many failed attempts notice	Appears when the server tells the client to pause after repeated failures.	During the countdown, keypad input and submit actions are disabled.
Show technical details	Appears only on certain errors.	Mainly helpful to support personnel or an advanced user.

What Happens After a Valid PIN

A valid employee PIN opens the user page, unless the employee is on Admin Hold or still needs to accept the consent form.
A valid admin PIN opens the Setup page.
If the consent form has not been accepted yet, the user must continue through the consent step before using the clock page.
If the employee is on Admin Hold, the app shows a serious notice and then returns to Home after a short countdown.

Consent Form and Privacy Notice

When consent tracking is enabled and a user has not yet accepted the consent form, the app presents a consent step after login. The form explains that the employer manages the account and time records, that optional permissions such as location or Bluetooth may be requested only if needed for timekeeping, and that the data is used for recording work time and supporting payroll. After the user accepts, the acceptance is stored with a timestamp so the form does not appear again on every login.

User Page: Clock-In and Clock-Out Screen

The User page is the main working screen after a successful employee login. It shows the user’s name, current status, an inactivity countdown, optional selection fields, the current action button, and whichever report buttons the user’s permissions allow.

Label or Button	What it does	Notes
You are currently clocked in / not clocked in	Tells the user the current timekeeping state.	This determines whether the main action button says Clock In or Clock Out.
Estimated Hours	Shows an hour value when the user is currently clocked in.	Useful for a quick glance, but payroll review still belongs to approved reports.
Work Order Selection	Lets the user choose a work order.	Only appears when that feature is enabled for the user.
Topic Selection	Lets the user choose a topic.	Commonly used for note categorization or special requests.
Notes (optional)	Lets the user type a short note.	Whether notes are available depends on settings.
Enter Vehicle Mileage	Lets the user enter a numeric mileage or similar odometer value.	Only appears when mileage entry is enabled.
Clock In	Creates a new active timesheet entry.	The button changes to Clock Out once the user is on the clock.
Clock Out	Closes the active timesheet entry.	The response can include the hours worked.
View Timecard Report	Opens the pay-period timecard report.	Only appears if that report is allowed.
View GPS/Device Data	Opens the user’s GPS or device-data report.	Only appears if GPS-data viewing is allowed.
View Time Off History	Opens the user’s PTO or time-off history report.	Only appears if time-off history viewing is allowed.
Change PIN	Opens the Change PIN page.	This is for employee PIN maintenance, not the admin setup PIN.
Back to PIN Entry	Returns the user to the Home screen.	Use this after reviewing data or when the next person needs to log in.

Features That Only Appear When Enabled

The app is permission-aware. A user may not see Work Order Selection, Topic Selection, Notes, Mileage, GPS report access, Timecard Report access, or Time Off History access unless those options have been enabled for that user. In other words, missing controls do not necessarily mean something is broken; they may simply be disabled by policy.

Setup Page (admin only)

The Setup page is opened with the admin PIN. It is where an administrator connects that specific browser or device to the correct server and reaches the most important app-level admin tools.

Label or Button	What it does	Notes
Server URL	The base address of the Time Tracker Plus server.	The examples shown on screen help distinguish production, local PC testing, and LAN testing.
Admin Code	The app-level admin PIN used on the Home screen to open Setup.	It must meet the admin PIN length rules.
Device ID	Unique identifier for that browser or device.	Used for registration and device tracking.
Copy	Copies the Device ID to the clipboard.	Mostly useful when registration or support requires the device ID.
Test Connection	Checks whether the entered server can be reached and whether the database is connected.	A successful API response with a disconnected database is treated as partial success and the page tells the admin what to do next.
Save Settings	Stores the URL and admin code for that device and attempts device registration when possible.	This page saves settings first, then uses them for future requests.
Manage User Settings	Opens the user-settings administration page.	Administrative use only.
Theme Settings	Opens the theme management page.	Useful when the organization wants a different visual experience.
Select Database	Opens the runtime database selection page.	Mainly for technical setup or local testing.
GPS / Device Data	Opens the admin GPS report.	Administrative report page.
Return to Home	Leaves Setup and returns to the Home screen.	Useful after configuration is complete.

User Settings Page (admin only)

The User Settings page is where an administrator re-verifies with the admin PIN and then manages settings for individual users. The left side is a list of active mobile users. The right side shows the selected user’s settings.

Label or Button	What it does	Notes
Admin Re-verification / Admin PIN / Unlock	Requires the admin PIN again before user settings can be managed.	This is an additional safety step.
Mobile Users	List of active users available for editing.	Selecting a new user can prompt about unsaved changes.
Mobile User Name	Shows the user’s mobile user name.	Read-only display field.
Time Clock PIN	Lets the administrator view or change the user’s PIN.	The Show / Hide button controls visibility.
Grant Admin Access	Makes that user an administrator inside the app.	Grant carefully.
Allow Notes Topic Selection	Lets the user choose a topic for notes.	Useful for structured notes.
Allow Entering Notes on Clock-In / Clock-Out	Lets the user add notes when starting or ending time.	Supports exception handling and communication.
Ability to add Vehicle odometer reading or operating hours	Enables mileage or operating-hours entry.	Useful in vehicle-based or equipment-based workflows.
Allow Work Order Selection on Clock-In / Clock-Out	Shows the work-order option during time entry.	Only meaningful when work orders are part of the process.
Collect GPS on Log-In/Out	Master switch for GPS and device-data collection.	When off, location tracking options should be considered inactive.
Option 1 / Option 2 / Option 3 tracking choices	Choose No tracking, Clock in/out only, or Continuous tracking.	Continuous tracking is the most data-rich mode.
Allow User to View Their GPS Data	Shows the user-level GPS report button.	Should align with company privacy policy.
Allow User to View Their Timecard Report	Shows the Timecard Report button.	Gives the user self-service visibility.
Allow User to View Their PTO Report	Shows the Time Off History button.	Useful for self-service PTO tracking.
User Consented On	Shows when the user accepted the consent form.	Read-only information field.
Save	Writes the changes.	Best used after reviewing the whole form.
Close / Cancel	Leaves the page.	The page can warn about unsaved changes.
Reset Consent Form	Forces the user to accept the consent form again next time.	Useful after policy changes.

Select Database Page (technical setup)

The Select Database page is more technical than the ordinary user pages. It is primarily used by a technical person, but it can still be understood with care. Its job is to let the browser-based app discover SQL Server instances, select the proper database, and save those connection settings for runtime use.

Label or Button	What it does	Notes
Server Type	Shows the supported database platform.	The current page supports Microsoft SQL Server only.
Authentication Mode	Choose Windows Integrated or SQL Server Authentication.	SQL authentication requires a username and password.
Username / Password	Credentials for SQL Server Authentication.	Disabled when Windows Authentication is selected.
Load Database Servers	Discovers candidate SQL Server targets.	Use manual entry if discovery is empty or blocked.
Select a Database	Loads the databases from the selected server.	The server must be chosen or typed first.
Discovered Servers	Drop-down list of discovered SQL Server targets.	Helpful when browsing candidates.
Server (manual) / Instance (optional)	Manual entry fields for server and instance name.	Use these when discovery is not reliable.
Discovered Databases	Drop-down list of databases found on the selected server.	A state label is shown with each database.
Database (manual)	Manual database-name field.	Use this if discovery fails.
Save	Stores the selected server and database settings.	The page does not save unless a server and database are present.
Return to Settings	Goes back to Setup.	Useful after completing the technical work.
Close	Leaves the page.	May warn about unsaved changes.

Reports

Time Tracker Plus includes several report screens. Which ones a user sees depends on permissions. Each report screen also uses an inactivity timer and includes buttons to go back to the user page or return home.

Report	What it shows	Notes
Timecard Report	Shows pay-period timecard information, including day, date, work order, clock-in time, clock-out time, regular hours, overtime hours, PTO, total hours, and running total.	This report can also let the user choose how many additional pay periods to include and which columns should be shown.
Weekly Timecards Report	Shows weekly timecard entries for the current period.	This is a more focused weekly view.
Time Off History	Shows PTO or time-off activity with fields such as pay date, time off type, transaction type, pay reference, accrued, used, reset, and available balance.	The user can change the As-Of Date and refresh the report.
GPS / Device Data Report	Shows telemetry such as device ID, device version, longitude, latitude, speed, battery percentage, status, app version, timestamp, odometer, heading, and location.	The user can filter by start and end date and choose which columns to display.
Admin GPS / Device Data	Administrative view of GPS or device data.	This is meant for supervisors or administrators, not ordinary employees.

Preferences and Personalization

The Setup page stores the server URL and admin code for that specific device or browser.
Report pages can store column-visibility preferences so users can show or hide certain columns.
Theme settings are available from the admin tools area.
Different users can see different features based on their permissions.

Security and Privacy Features Users Should Know About

A correct user PIN is required before a user page opens.
Too many failed PIN attempts can trigger a countdown delay before the next attempt is allowed.
An inactivity timer returns most pages to Home after a short period with no interaction.
Consent may be required before the user can continue into the timekeeping screens.
GPS or device-data collection only makes sense when the employer has enabled it for that user.
Administrators can reset a user’s consent status if policy language changes or a fresh acknowledgment is required.

Location and device tracking options

Mode	Meaning	Best fit
Option 1 – No tracking	No location or device tracking for that user.	Best for privacy-sensitive scenarios.
Option 2 – Clock in/out only	Collect location and device information only when the user clocks in or out.	This is usually the best balance for ordinary use.
Option 3 – Continuous	Collect location and device information while the app is running and at clock-in or clock-out.	Best suited to managed mobile devices and stronger oversight scenarios.

Common User Questions

Question: Why do I not see every field on the screen?Answer:

The app hides features that are not enabled for you. For example, some users will not see Work Order Selection, GPS reports, notes, or mileage.

Question: Why did the app suddenly return to Home?
Answer: Most pages have an inactivity timer so the screen returns to a safe default state when the device is left unattended.

Question: Why do I have to wait after entering the wrong PIN several times?
Answer: The system uses a delay timer to slow repeated bad-login attempts and reduce brute-force risk.

Question: Why am I being asked to accept consent again?
Answer: An administrator may have reset the consent requirement, or the consent has not yet been accepted on your account.

Troubleshooting for Non-Technical Users

If the app says it cannot connect to the server, ask an administrator to verify the Server URL in Setup.
If the report buttons are missing, the feature may simply not be enabled for your user.
If GPS or device data looks missing, confirm that tracking has been enabled for your user and that the device has granted the required permissions.
If the browser version behaves differently than the phone app, remember that browsers have stricter rules around permissions, protocols, and cross-site requests.
If you are placed on Admin Hold, follow the instructions shown on screen and contact HR.