All plans, including Free
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iOS, Android
The built-in Timer records a REPS activity while you do it, so the duration on the entry is measured rather than guessed. Start it before the property visit or the contractor call, pause it for lunch, and tap Complete when you are done: the minutes land in a new entry, ready to save. It is for real estate investors logging hours for REPS or the STR loophole, and it is on the iPhone and Android apps on every plan. The web app does not have the timer.
What it does
The Start Timer button on the Overview screen opens a full-screen flip clock with one button, Start. Once running, the screen shows Pause, Complete and Cancel. Paused, it shows Resume, Complete and Cancel. Cancel asks “Are you sure you want to cancel the timer?” with Keep Running and Cancel Timer, so a stray tap cannot lose your time. Back on the Overview, the button reads Timer Running 12:34 or Timer Paused 12:34 while a timer is active.
The timer keeps counting in the background while you use other apps or lock the phone, and its state is saved on the device, so it survives closing the app and restarting the phone. Pause stops the clock; Resume continues from where it stopped, never from zero. A timer left running for 24 hours is cancelled automatically.
On iPhone, a running timer appears as a Live Activity on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island, titled REPSLog Timer, with the elapsed time ticking and a PAUSED label when paused. Two buttons on the activity pause or resume and complete the timer without opening the app. The activity is tied to the OS, so it keeps showing the correct time even if the app was force-quit.
On Android, the running timer is a persistent notification, “Timer Running” or “Timer Paused” with the elapsed time, and the notification carries Pause or Resume and Done actions. If notifications are not allowed, the Timer screen shows “Enable notifications for live tracking” so you can turn them on; the timer still runs without them, you just cannot control it from the shade.
Complete rounds the elapsed time up to the next whole minute and opens Add a New Entry with Hours and Minutes already filled in and a Timed badge next to them. The badge means the duration is locked: Autofill with AI will not replace it, and you can still edit it by hand, which removes the badge. Describe the work, pick the property and save. If you completed the timer from the lock screen or the notification while the app was closed, the entry form opens the next time you open REPSLog, on whatever screen you land on.
On iPhone and Android you can also start the timer without opening the app: long-press the app icon and choose Start Timer. While a timer is active that item becomes End Timer, which completes it and takes you to the prefilled entry form.
How it works
Open the Overview screen and tap Start Timer.
Tap Start. The clock begins. Lock the phone or switch apps; it keeps going.
On iPhone, glance at the lock screen or Dynamic Island to see the time and pause or resume from there. On Android, use the Pause and Resume actions on the notification.
Tap Pause for a break and Resume to continue.
When the activity is finished, tap Complete in the app, the check mark on the iPhone Live Activity, or Done on the Android notification.
Add a New Entry opens with the minutes filled in and marked Timed. Add the description, the property and any receipt, then tap Add Entry.
Started it by mistake? Tap Cancel, then Cancel Timer. Nothing is logged.
Why it matters for your hours
Estimated durations are the soft spot in most REPS logs. “About two hours” written down a week later is easy to challenge; a measured 1 hour 47 minutes recorded the same day is not. The 750-hour REPS test and the 500-hour and 100-hour material participation tests are decided on the total, so each entry’s accuracy matters, and a timer removes the guessing.
Timing also captures the work you would otherwise not log: the 14-minute call with the property manager, the 25 minutes at the hardware store. Whether an activity qualifies is a question for your CPA; the timer makes sure the minutes are right.
For a short-term rental host using the STR loophole, the timer is the cleanest way to build the 100-hour count per property. Start it when you arrive for the turnover between guest stays, pause it while the laundry runs, complete it on the way out: the measured minutes go into an entry you assign to that listing, and the STR view of the Overview adds them to its x/100 row. A measured record stands up better in the “more than anyone else” comparison against your cleaner, co-host or manager, whose participant hours are listed under yours in the same breakdown. Which test to rely on is your CPA’s call.
Good to know
Available on every plan, including Free. Read-only team members do not see the Start Timer button.
iPhone and Android only. The web app has no timer; log the duration by hand there.
Lock-screen controls are iPhone only (Live Activity and Dynamic Island). Android gets a persistent notification with Pause, Resume and Done.
One timer at a time. Completing it opens the entry form; nothing is saved until you tap Add Entry.
Elapsed time is rounded up to the next whole minute when you complete.
A timer that reaches 24 hours is cancelled automatically and its time is discarded, so complete it before then.
The timer runs on the device and needs no connection until you save the entry. It sends nothing to any AI provider.
Android needs notification permission to show the controls in the shade; the Timer screen offers to request it.
A timed entry assigned to a Short Term Rental property counts toward that property’s STR counter, not the REPS total. See STR Loophole Tracking.
Frequently asked questions
Does REPSLog have a timer?
Yes. The Start Timer button on the Overview screen opens a timer with Start, Pause, Resume, Complete and Cancel. It is on iPhone and Android on every plan.
Can I control the REPSLog timer from the lock screen?
On iPhone, yes: the timer shows as a Live Activity on the lock screen and in the Dynamic Island with pause, resume and complete buttons. On Android, the same controls are on the timer notification.
Does the timer keep running if I close the app?
Yes. It runs in the background and its state is stored on the device, so it survives closing the app and restarting the phone.
What happens when I complete the timer?
The elapsed time, rounded up to the next minute, is placed in a new entry with a Timed badge. You add the description and property and tap Add Entry.
Is the timer available on the web app?
No. The timer is on the iPhone and Android apps only. On the web app, enter the hours and minutes by hand.
Can I pause the timer for a break?
Yes. Pause stops the clock and Resume continues from the same point. Cancel discards the timer entirely, after a confirmation.
Does the timer work for STR loophole hours?
Yes. Complete the timer, pick your short-term rental as the property, and the timed minutes count toward that property’s 100-hour counter on the STR view of the Overview. The timer is on iPhone and Android on every plan.
Is the REPSLog timer a good alternative to a stopwatch app?
Yes. A stopwatch gives you a number to copy somewhere. The REPSLog timer becomes the entry, with the property and category already set, and it stays visible on the iPhone lock screen while it runs.
Related features
Learn more
Screenshots of the timer, its controls and the lock-screen Live Activity are in the Help Center article How to use the REPSLog Timer for Live REPS Tracking.
Watch it: How to track hours with the live timer on the REPSLog YouTube channel.
From the blog: How do I time real estate work as it happens for REPS?.
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