Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer App Overview + Step-by-Step Information to Utilizing the App

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The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer has a number of shortcomings, however the “speaking timer” function makes it a necessary app to obtain earlier than the 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse. The audible bulletins permits everybody inside earshot to deal with the eclipse, get pleasure from each second of the spectacular occasion, and preserve their eyes protected.

It’s the second-most important factor to have after photo voltaic eclipse glasses. However the app has a studying curve. Obtain forward of time, buy the eclipse knowledge file, and discover ways to use it earlier than Eclipse Day.

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer is out there without spending a dime on iOS and Android. The 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse knowledge file is a $1.99 in-app buy.

What’s the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app?

Dr. Gordon Telepun is an avid eclipse chaser and photographer. When he traveled to Africa for the 2001 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse, he rapidly realized photographers couldn’t preserve observe of time and alter digicam gear all through an eclipse. Returning to his dwelling in Decatur, Alabama, Telepun developed a rudimentary app that ran on a Home windows Pocket PC.

By the 2017 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse, Telepun’s Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app advanced into a strong timing device for iOS and Android. The app used GPS knowledge and a built-in equation to calculate the Contact Occasions of the eclipse mechanically.

However the app’s greatest function was the “speaking timer” that offered audible bulletins of key moments all through the eclipse.

Now in its fourth model, the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer remains to be the one “speaking timer” with audible bulletins to assist photographers and informal viewers catch the important thing moments of an eclipse. The app makes use of geolocation to calculate the contact occasions of the eclipse and offers timing correct to the second. The app additionally incorporates a Photographer’s Mode and Partial Section Picture Occasions to assist photographers seize beautiful pictures.

The app works on iOS for iPhones and iPadOS for iPads, nevertheless it’s not optimized for the iPad. The app solely features in portrait mode and isn’t aware of the iPad’s panorama orientation. As a result of it’s not optimized, it’s not attainable to face the iPad in protecting instances and skim the app all through the eclipse.

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer is out there without spending a dime on iOS and Android. The 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse knowledge file is a $1.99 in-app buy.

Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer App Options

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer had dozens of options for photographers, scientists, and informal eclipse observers. Among the app’s options apply to a tiny area of interest of eclipse chasers. Right here’s a breakdown of all of the app’s options and when to make use of them.

App Navigation

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer’s dwelling display screen lists buttons main to numerous duties. It’s an easy graphical person interface with few icons and an old school model. The navigation – and nearly each web page throughout the app – is word-heavy, requiring a lot studying to know all of it.

A row of buttons throughout the underside offers fast entry to extra pages throughout the app – the vital timer, saved eclipse knowledge, settings, and an FAQ-style assist web page.

I really feel the app’s navigation isn’t very effectively organized. Tutorials and apply classes are combined between important app duties, just like the sound examine, choosing an eclipse to time, and setting your GPS location.

The menu on the backside of the app appears like one other missed alternative. The timer is rightfully on the menu, however the different gadgets are much less helpful. The settings menu solely has three app settings to vary, making it a little-used web page that takes up a distinguished area within the app’s backside menu.

The excellent news is that just about every part within the app is only one faucet away, making it straightforward to discover a web page – after you discover the menu button.

App Tutorial Video

The highest button on the app’s homescreen results in an in-app tutorial video. The 9-minute video is a rundown of the app’s intensive options, a step-by-step information to utilizing the app, and suggestions straight from the app’s creator, Dr. Gordon Telepun.

Telepun does a wonderful job of explaining the app’s options and performance. The screenshots spotlight exactly what to do. Nonetheless, one irritating draw back is that should you depart the tutorial video to observe the directions you simply realized, you’ll have to start out the video once more from the start.

You could find quite a lot of helpful movies in regards to the app and photo voltaic eclipses generally on his Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer YouTube channel.

Eclipses to Time

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app is a free obtain within the Apple and Google Play shops. It comes preloaded with the previous 5 complete photo voltaic eclipses, so you’ll be able to mess around with these.

However there’s a catch. The 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse knowledge file requires a $1.99 in-app buy. With out this buy, the app won’t perform. It’s by no means explicitly said that the in-app buy is required to make the app work, so folks might obtain the app with out trying on the Eclipse to Time web page till the day of the eclipse.

GPS Location

“Probably the most thrilling new function after I redeveloped the app for iOS and Android was using geolocation to make exact calculations for Contact Occasions,” Telepun defined over the cellphone. After initially creating the app to run on Home windows Pocket PC, he utterly overhauled the app in time for the 2017 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse to run on iOS and Android.

The photo voltaic eclipse knowledge file incorporates a fancy equation for calculating the Contact Occasions – when the partial eclipse and complete photo voltaic eclipse start and finish – primarily based on latitude and longitude.

However for this to work, you should permit the app to make use of your GPS location after which set your location within the app. It’s straightforward to set – simply faucet the “Go to the GPS Knowledge Display” button on the house display screen (the sixth button down from the highest). Then, faucet the button to get your present GPS location.

Sadly, the app can’t mechanically observe your location. Many apps, like Google Maps, AllTrails, and DoorDash, mechanically replace your location whereas utilizing the app or every time the app runs within the background. However, the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer doesn’t replace your location mechanically. As a substitute, you’re required to enter the GPS Knowledge Display and faucet a button to load your location manually.

When you go to a viewing location, set your GPS location, after which change viewing places, you will want to set your GPS location once more within the app. Forgetting to replace your location will trigger the timer to be off by a number of seconds or extra.

Sound Verify

One of the best function of the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer is the “speaking timer.” So, Telepun thought it important to have a web page within the app the place customers can take a look at their smartphone settings.

The Sound Verify shows the smartphone’s present quantity degree on the high. When you attempt enjoying any of the exams with a quantity decrease than 20%, you’ll obtain a popup notification warning about low quantity. And should you attempt enjoying the exams with the quantity muted, you’ll obtain a notification advising you to unmute the cellphone.

The primary sound examine performs a take a look at notification advising you to open the app. Though there is no such thing as a rationalization right here, these notifications play two minutes earlier than the precise time of the occasion. Telepun defined that this was designed to offer folks time to tug out their cellphone and open the app.

The second sound examine performs a take a look at audible announcement detailing the eclipse occasion. These bulletins offer you details about phenomena to search for, the present Contact Time, and when to make use of your photo voltaic eclipse glasses.

The third sound examine schedules a take a look at notification to play in 75 seconds. This examine is designed to check in case your smartphone permits lockscreen notifications from the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer. If profitable, you’ll hear a chime and see a notification show on the lockscreen after 75 seconds.

If any of those exams fail, you’ll want to start out poking round your smartphone’s settings to allow notifications and sounds. Sadly, the app’s Assist part doesn’t assist customers with altering settings on their particular smartphone.

Android Smartwatch Customers

By default, Android smartwatches, just like the Samsung Galaxy Watch6, don’t show notifications from the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer. As a substitute, with a paired Android smartwatch, the notifications play on the cellphone. Nonetheless, there’s an possibility within the settings to ship the notification to the smartwatch as an alternative.

Apple Watch Customers

One factor I rapidly realized whereas testing the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app is that Apple Watch customers may have a really totally different expertise with the notifications. I examined the app with an iPhone 14 Professional and Apple Watch Collection 4.

Through the third sound examine, I didn’t obtain an audible notification from my iPhone. As a substitute, I obtained a mild vibration and ding from my Apple Watch. Once I raised my wrist, the notification from the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer appeared. And, if I picked up my iPhone, the notification was obtainable on the lockscreen.

However I by no means heard Telepun’s voice talking from the iPhone, telling me about an upcoming eclipse occasion and advising that I open the app.

If most Apple Watch customers are like me, the mild vibration and single ding from the watch is sufficient to alert us to a notification.

Nonetheless, Telepun discovered a approach to make the iPhone work as supposed. When you disable Bluetooth and WiFi in your iPhone, it successfully unpairs your Apple Watch. As soon as unpaired, the notifications play as anticipated on the iPhone.

Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer

The timer is essentially the most helpful app function on Eclipse Day. The part options your native time, Totality Period, Contact Occasions, and a banner for upcoming observations and eclipse occasions.

When you open the app, choose the timer, and don’t see any info, you haven’t arrange the app accurately. Sadly, the app doesn’t notify customers that the timer isn’t prepared.

If the timer exhibits info, it’s prepared for Eclipse Day. Right here’s what the Contact Occasions imply:

• 1st Contact is the second the moon’s periphery strikes in entrance of the solar’s periphery. It’s the start of the partial eclipse. Photo voltaic eclipse glasses have to be worn in the course of the partial eclipse.
• 2nd Contact is the second the moon utterly blocks the solar. It’s the start of the entire photo voltaic eclipse. It’s secure to take away your photo voltaic eclipse glasses throughout totality.
• Max Eclipse is when the moon is instantly in entrance of the solar.
• third Contact is the second the moon strikes previous the solar. It’s the tip of totality and the start of the second partial eclipse. Photo voltaic eclipse glasses have to be worn once more.
• 4th Contact is the second the moon’s periphery strikes previous the solar’s periphery. It’s the tip of the eclipse occasion.

One quirky factor in regards to the timer is that it’s not restricted to only Eclipse Day. If you choose an eclipse to time and set the GPS location to a spot within the Path of Totality, the timer will start as if it’s April 8, 2024. It’s a wonderful approach to see the notifications and bulletins earlier than Eclipse Day.

When you should cease the timer in your smartphone, faucet “Cease” within the top-right nook of the timer. When you cease the timer, you should set it up once more to proceed utilizing it.

The Speaking Timer

The “speaking timer” is the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer’s greatest function. This function makes the app the second-most important factor to have throughout a complete photo voltaic eclipse after photo voltaic eclipse glasses.

All through Eclipse Day, the app sends out 8 notifications advising customers to open it on their smartphone. These notifications are despatched two minutes earlier than an eclipse occasion, giving folks time to search out their cellphone, unlock it, and open the app. If the notification is dismissed, the next audible announcement doesn’t play.

When you open the app after receiving every notification, you’ll hear 49 audible bulletins all through the day. These bulletins embrace countdowns to every Contact Time, eclipse phenomena, and when to make use of photo voltaic eclipse glasses.

The app doesn’t do an satisfactory job of stressing the significance of the notifications. If a notification is dismissed or missed and the smartphone stays locked, the audible announcement doesn’t play. This solely works when the smartphone is unlocked with the app operating within the foreground.

The app additionally doesn’t stress the significance of the “6 Minutes Earlier than 2nd Contact” notification. That is the ultimate notification earlier than Totality. If this notification is dismissed or missed, you’ll not hear the audible bulletins or the countdown to the start and finish of Totality.

When opening the app after the 6-minute notification, the app disables your smartphone’s auto lock. This retains the cellphone and app on so that you’ll hear the audible bulletins throughout Totality. After Totality ends, the app allows your smartphone’s auto lock once more.

This can be a good design by Telepun as a result of it totally makes use of the app’s greatest function, the “speaking timer.” With the smartphone unlocked and the app operating, you’ll hear a spine-chilling countdown beginning 5 seconds earlier than Totality. Then, you’ll hear one other 5-second countdown to the tip of Totality, warning you to place in your photo voltaic eclipse glasses once more.

Apply Session and Bulletins

Two sections of the app are designed for giving a preview of how the app will perform throughout an eclipse. It’s largely helpful for photographers, however it may be good for anybody who needs to listen to the app’s “speaking timer” in motion.

The Eclipse Video Apply Session masses a 4-minute and 45-second video of an precise eclipse. The apply session incorporates a tiny video of an assembled crowd prepared for the massive present. Solely the 2nd Contact Time and third Contact Time are loaded.

The apply session’s timer begins two minutes earlier than 2nd Contact, the start of Totality. In Photographer’s Mode, the apply session solely contains bulletins particularly for photographers. However with that mode disabled, all the bulletins play in the course of the apply session.

Telepun added the apply session to permit photographers to apply eradicating photo voltaic filters, capturing images, and attaching the photo voltaic filters once more after Totality.

The Eclipse Bulletins web page masses all of the audible bulletins included within the app and performs them all through a 70-minute pattern eclipse. This can be a nice approach to study what bulletins to anticipate on Eclipse Day.

Because the app serves a twin function to 2 sorts of customers – avid eclipse chasers and informal eclipse observers – it will have been good to see the app’s options and settings divided between them. As a substitute, every part is introduced within the one-page navigation menu.

Partial Section Picture Occasions

Telepun is an avid eclipse chaser and photographer who’s traveled everywhere in the world for complete photo voltaic eclipses since 2001. When designing the fourth model of the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer, he added a number of new options particularly for photographers.

Just like the Partial Section Picture Sequence Calculator.

The calculator brilliantly divides the period of the partial eclipses into ten equal segments. The app web page lists the time to seize every photograph all through the eclipse. Photographers with wide-angle or regular lenses can then seize a sequence of pictures and compile them later right into a composite picture. The result’s a surprising photograph displaying the totally different phases of the partial eclipse straddling the entire photo voltaic eclipse.

Photographer’s Mode

The present model of the Photo voltaic Eclipse timer options the Photographer’s Mode, a particular mode Telepun developed with famend eclipse photographer Fred Espenak.

Photographer’s Mode mutes the notifications and bulletins about issues to search for throughout an eclipse. The one notifications and bulletins that play are about eclipse timing.

Sadly, Photographer’s Mode doesn’t play a notification for the Partial Section Picture Occasions. This is able to have been an incredible benefit for photographers to have a notification for every of the 20 pictures to seize the partial eclipse phases.

Photographer’s Mode is enabled within the app’s little-used settings menu. A hyperlink to a PDF worksheet is out there for photographers who wish to create a shot record and workflow coordinated with the app’s bulletins.

Eclipse Knowledge

An attention-grabbing app function is the flexibility to avoid wasting eclipse knowledge for later use. However I discovered this function solely reasonably helpful as a result of it’s liable to human error – an error that might trigger chaos on Eclipse Day.

After choosing the eclipse to time, manually coming into the GPS location of your viewing location, and opening the timer, you’re given an choice to “Save Eclipse.” Tapping this button opens a display screen the place you’ll be able to present the info with a filename.

Then, on Eclipse Day, you solely must go to the Eclipse Knowledge part within the app and cargo the file you beforehand saved.

The first downside with this function is manually inputting the GPS location. You received’t have the proper Contact Occasions on Eclipse Day if the numbers are inputted incorrectly. And it’s straightforward sufficient to mechanically enter your GPS location when you arrive at your viewing location, guaranteeing correct info.

One other downside with the eclipse knowledge is the app doesn’t have entry to cloud storage. You should save the eclipse knowledge to the smartphone you propose to make use of on Eclipse Day. When you exchange your smartphone for any purpose, you should recreate the eclipse knowledge.

Saving eclipse knowledge is superb for posterity years from now if you wish to bear in mind exactly the place you seen an eclipse, however in any other case, I feel this function falls into the class of “good however not needed.”

Assist Part

One of many backside menu bar buttons results in the app’s assist part. Though labeled because the “Full Assist File,” the part is much less useful in most conditions.

A desk of contents offers fast entry to the assistance part’s contents. The contents are extremely wordy, with lengthy paragraphs, improperly formatted lists, and a tiny font that makes it tough to learn. There are nearly no graphics or screenshots that show facets of the app.

As a substitute of being a assist file for fixing issues with the app, it’s extra like a person information explaining the app’s options in prolonged element. There is no such thing as a FAQ-style troubleshooting part or point out of a approach to contact the app’s creator to report bugs or get assist.

Step-by-Step Information to Utilizing the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer App

The Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app is a necessary device for watching a complete photo voltaic eclipse. Nonetheless, with a considerably disorganized navigation menu on the homescreen, establishing could be complicated – particularly should you’re making an attempt to do that for the primary time on Eclipse Day.

With this step-by-step information, I’ll stroll you thru every part you might want to do along with your smartphone and app to set it up completely.

I recommend training these steps at dwelling earlier than leaving for the eclipse. But it surely’s important to observe these steps on Eclipse Day.

Buy the Eclipse to Time

Open the app and faucet “Choose an Eclipse to Time” on the homescreen. On the backside of the record, faucet “Purchase” to buy the eclipse knowledge file for the 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse.

After finishing the acquisition, the 2024 Complete Photo voltaic Eclipse will seem within the record of eclipses to time. It’s important to finish this step whereas your smartphone is linked to mobile or WiFi knowledge. As soon as downloaded, the app works offline with out knowledge connection.

Smartphone Settings

Smartphones are unimaginable items of know-how which have turn into more and more tough to vary settings. Fortuitously, discovering solutions is simple since telephones within the U.S. usually run both iOS or Android.

Listed below are some smartphone settings I like to recommend altering on Eclipse Day.

Go away Auto Lock On

At first, I assumed I needed to disable the auto display screen lock to depart the app operating all through the eclipse. However the app mechanically disables the display screen lock 8 minutes earlier than Totality begins, leaving the cellphone on and the app operating all through Totality.

I feel this can be a great function as a result of listening to the audible bulletins throughout this eclipse part is crucial.

When Totality ends, the app mechanically allows the display screen lock once more.

Allow a Passcode, Face ID, or Fingerprint ID

If you don’t usually use a passcode, facial recognition, or a fingerprint to unlock your smartphone, I recommend you allow it on Eclipse Day. The easiest way to make use of the app is to set your smartphone someplace folks can see and listen to – rising the possibility it can get misplaced or stolen.

Set Quantity to 50% or Greater

Through the sound examine, the app will provide you with a warning if the quantity is under 20% or muted. However I like to recommend a quantity of a minimum of 50% should you’re the one one listening to your smartphone or larger when you’ve got a big group of individuals.

Use Airplane Mode

Telepun brilliantly designed the app to perform offline. After setting your GPS location and loading the Contact Occasions, set your smartphone to Airplane Mode to preserve the battery. This may even guarantee the one notifications you obtain in the course of the occasion are from the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer app.

Set Date and Time Robotically

If, for any purpose, you select to manually set the date and time of your smartphone, change it to set mechanically on Eclipse Day. The app makes use of the inner time of the smartphone to calculate the Contact Occasions, adjusting for Daylight Financial savings Time and time zones. With time set mechanically, you’re assured to have correct Contact Occasions within the app.

Do a System Sound Verify

Because the “speaking timer” is the app’s greatest function, the very first thing to do is a sound examine. After opening the app, faucet “Do a System Sound Verify” to start.

Verify your smartphone’s present quantity on the high of the sound examine display screen. The bottom quantity setting I like to recommend is 50%, however be at liberty to set it to 100% in case you are touring with a big group.

Full the primary two sound checks. This performs a notification advising you to open the app and an audible announcement about an upcoming eclipse occasion. If these exams are profitable, transfer to the ultimate examine. If unsuccessful, examine your smartphone’s settings to make sure the Photo voltaic Eclipse Timer can ship notifications.

For the ultimate examine, faucet “Schedule Take a look at Notification” after which lock your smartphone’s display screen. The take a look at waits 75 seconds after which makes an attempt to ship a notification to the lockscreen. You’ll hear the notification play in case your smartphone is ready up accurately.

Nonetheless, this was an issue with my Apple Watch. As a result of Apple prefers a paired watch to obtain the notifications as an alternative of the iPhone, the notification was muted on the iPhone. However the app did play a chime on my Apple Watch and vibrated my wrist. Once I raised my wrist, the notification displayed on the watch.

If most Apple Watch customers are like me, the mild vibration and single ding from the watch is sufficient to alert us to a notification.

Nonetheless, Telepun discovered a approach to make the iPhone work as supposed. When you disable Bluetooth and WiFi in your iPhone, it successfully unpairs your Apple Watch. As soon as unpaired, the notifications play as anticipated on the iPhone.

Allow Photographer’s Mode (if wanted)

If you wish to allow Photographer’s Mode, go to the app’s settings menu and faucet the toggle. The Photographer’s Mode disables most notifications and audible bulletins, leaving solely these about Contact Occasions.

I solely advocate this mode for photographers.

Choose an Eclipse to Time and Set GPS Knowledge

Faucet “Choose an Eclipse Time” on the app’s homescreen. Then, faucet “Complete – April 8, 2024” to load the eclipse knowledge for the upcoming eclipse.

After confirming you wish to choose this eclipse knowledge, the app mechanically takes you to the GPS Knowledge display screen.

Faucet “Get My GPS Location” to mechanically enter latitude and longitude. If that is the primary time you’ve used the app, you could want to vary your smartphone settings to permit entry to your location.

After loading the GPS knowledge, faucet “Calculate Contact Occasions” to calculate the occasions primarily based in your location.

Lastly, faucet “Load Contact Occasions” to open the info within the app’s timer. Verify that the Totality Period and the Contact Occasions have the info loaded.

Use a Energy Financial institution

Whether or not or not you allow Airplane Mode, utilizing an influence financial institution on Eclipse Day is a good concept to ensure your smartphone has energy. As a journey author and photographer, I’m always draining my smartphone. So, listed below are a number of of my favourite time-tested energy banks to get you thru Eclipse Day.

The Anker PowerCore III is a flexible energy financial institution for Apple and Android telephones. What I like most about this energy financial institution is the wi-fi 10W Qi charger – merely set a suitable cellphone on high of the ability financial institution, and it’s charging. There is no such thing as a want to hold a charging cable. However the energy financial institution additionally has an 18W USB-C and 15W USB-A port for extra charging choices.

The Anker Magnetic Battery solely works with Apple MagSafe iPhones, however Wired wrote an article about adapting MagSafe merchandise for Android telephones. This energy financial institution incorporates a wi-fi MagSafe charger with an built-in stand – excellent for setting the cellphone upright to see the timer on Eclipse Day.

The Anker Prime 20,000 mAh Energy Financial institution is ideal for charging a number of gadgets on Eclipse Day. The hefty energy financial institution options two 100W USB-C ports and a 65W USB-A port with a max 200W simultaneous charging capability.