Checkpoints
Mark progress points within your activities
Checkpoints let you mark significant moments within a time memo. They are full memos with their own timestamps, allowing you to track segments of activities, mark milestones, or record breaks during longer events.
What Are Checkpoints?
A checkpoint is a timestamp you add to an existing memo to mark a point of progress. Each checkpoint captures:
- Timestamp: The exact moment the checkpoint was added
- Parent memo: The checkpoint is linked to its parent memo
Your memo's duration is automatically calculated from its start time to the most recent checkpoint. This gives you flexibility to add multiple checkpoints throughout an activity.
Adding Checkpoints
There are several ways to add a checkpoint to a memo:
From the Memo List
Swipe left on a memo
Find the memo you want to add a checkpoint to in your list.
Tap the checkpoint button
Tap the flag icon to add a checkpoint at the current time.
From the Detail View
Open any memo and tap the Add Checkpoint button to record a checkpoint at the current time.
From a Live Activity
When tracking a memo as a Live Activity on your Lock Screen, tap the checkpoint button to mark progress without opening the app.
Via Shortcuts
Use the "Add Checkpoint" action in the Shortcuts app to add checkpoints programmatically. You can also use "Add Checkpoint to Most Recent Time Memo in Saved View" for one-tap workflows.
Viewing Checkpoints
In the Memo List
Memos with checkpoints show an expandable indicator. Tap to expand and see all checkpoints nested under the parent memo, each with its own timestamp.
In the Detail View
Open a memo to see its full checkpoint history. The detail view shows:
- The original start time
- Each checkpoint with its timestamp
- The total duration (start to last checkpoint)
- Time between each segment
Duration Calculation
A memo's duration is calculated from its start time to its most recent checkpoint. If a memo has no checkpoints, it has no duration.
Example: A "Meeting" memo started at 2:00 PM with checkpoints at 2:30 PM (break) and 3:15 PM (end) has a total duration of 1 hour 15 minutes.
Pause & Resume Checkpoints
Pause and resume are special checkpoint types that control time tracking. When you pause a memo, a pause checkpoint is added to the timeline. When you resume, a resume checkpoint is added.
Pause Checkpoint
- Shown as an orange pause icon in the timeline
- Freezes the active duration timer
- Regular checkpoints cannot be added while paused
Resume Checkpoint
- Shown as a green play icon in the timeline
- Resumes the active duration timer
- All time between pause and resume is excluded from active duration
You can pause and resume from multiple places: swipe left on a memo, long-press the context menu, the detail sheet, or directly from a Live Activity on your Lock Screen.
Pause and resume checkpoints are always paired. Deleting a pause checkpoint automatically removes its matching resume, and vice versa.
Removing Checkpoints
Made a mistake? You can remove the most recent checkpoint from a memo:
- In the app: Open the memo and tap the remove option on the last checkpoint
- Via Shortcuts: Use the "Remove Last Checkpoint" action
Checkpoints are removed in reverse order (most recent first) to maintain timeline integrity.
Use Cases
Workout Segments
Mark each exercise or set as a checkpoint during your workout.
Study Sessions
Add checkpoints for breaks to track focused study time.
Meeting Milestones
Mark when key topics are covered or decisions are made.
Baby Feeding
Track feeding segments with breaks in between.
Road Trips
Mark rest stops and points of interest along your journey.
Gaming Sessions
Track play sessions with checkpoints for breaks or level completions.
Shortcuts Integration
Checkpoints integrate fully with Apple Shortcuts. See the Apple Shortcuts guide for complete action documentation.
Add Checkpoint
Add a checkpoint to any memo at the current time.
Add Checkpoint to Most Recent in Saved View
Add a checkpoint to the newest memo matching a saved view's criteria.
Get Checkpoint Count
Get the number of checkpoints in a memo for use in conditional logic.
Remove Last Checkpoint
Remove the most recent checkpoint from a memo.
Get Duration
Get the formatted duration (start to last checkpoint) of a memo.
Filtering by Checkpoints
You can filter your memo list to show only memos with or without checkpoints:
- In the app: Use the filter menu to select "Has Checkpoints" or "No Checkpoints"
- Via URL scheme: Use
timememos://search?checkpoints=hasCheckpoints - In Shortcuts: Use the "Checkpoint Filter" parameter in List Time Memos
Tips
Use with Live Activities
Start a Live Activity for your memo, then add checkpoints directly from your Lock Screen as you progress through the activity.
Build one-tap workflows
Create a Shortcut that adds a checkpoint to the most recent memo in a saved view. Add it to your home screen for quick access during activities.
Review segment times
When exporting memos, enable "Include Checkpoints" to see the time between each checkpoint segment.
Don't over-checkpoint
Checkpoints are most useful when they mark meaningful progress points. Use them for milestones, not every minor moment.
Long-press to edit immediately
Long-press the Add Checkpoint button to create a checkpoint and immediately open it for editing. This lets you add a note or adjust the timestamp in one step.
Ready to try it?
Time Memos will be available on the App Store soon.