Introducing TimePacer: A Time Management App for Presentations and Meetings

Have you ever struggled with keeping track of time during presentations or meetings? Lost track of how much time is left for each section?

I'm excited to announce the release of TimePacer, an iOS/iPadOS app designed to solve these challenges.

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timepacer/id6757973135

TimePacer

• icot
• Productivity
• Free
• 

apps.apple.com

What is TimePacer?

TimePacer helps you manage time allocation for each agenda item in real-time during presentations and meetings. It displays the remaining time prominently and keeps you aware of your overall progress (ahead or behind schedule).

Key Features

Easy Setup

Just set your start time and agenda items to get started. You can bulk-import via text paste or use the image scan feature to automatically recognize agenda slides.

Real-Time Progress Display

During your session, the app prominently displays the target end time for the current section. Combined with the remaining time, you can instantly see when you need to wrap up.

Notes Feature

Add notes to each agenda item and display talking points during your presentation. Notes are also automatically extracted when scanning images.

Alarm Notifications

Get notified with an alarm sound when an agenda item ends. Choose from 5 different sounds.

Session History and Results

After your presentation ends, compare planned vs. actual time for each agenda item. See exactly where you spent too much time or where you finished early. Use these insights to improve your next presentation.

Technical Highlights

SwiftUI + SwiftData

Built for iOS 17 and later using SwiftUI and SwiftData, following modern iOS development best practices.

// Data model example
@Model
class Presentation {
    var name: String
    var agendas: [Agenda]
    var startTime: Date
    var createdAt: Date
}

Results Tracking and Review

Records actual duration for each agenda item and displays the comparison with planned time after the session.

// Results tracking
struct AgendaResult {
    let name: String
    let plannedSeconds: Int
    let actualSeconds: Int
    
    var difference: Int {
        plannedSeconds - actualSeconds
    }
    
    var isOvertime: Bool {
        actualSeconds > plannedSeconds
    }
}

AI Image Recognition (OpenAI GPT-4o)

Scan your agenda slide image and let AI automatically extract item names, durations, and notes. Start time is also set automatically when detected.

The prompt instructs the model to: - Extract item names and durations - Extract start time (e.g., "10:00-10:05" → start at 10:00) - Extract supplementary descriptions and keywords as notes - Flexibly interpret time formats ("5 min", "5min", "00:05", etc.)

Sleep Prevention

You don't want your iPhone to sleep during a presentation. The app controls UIApplication.shared.isIdleTimerDisabled to keep the screen on while running.

// Prevent sleep during presentation
func startPresentation() {
    UIApplication.shared.isIdleTimerDisabled = true
}

func endPresentation() {
    UIApplication.shared.isIdleTimerDisabled = false
}

Auto-Start Feature

Set your start time in advance, and the timer will automatically begin when that time arrives. Just open the app beforehand and you won't need to scramble when your presentation starts.

Alarm Sound Generation (AVFoundation)

Five alarm sounds are available using AVFoundation, leveraging system sounds and custom sound files.

// Play alarm
func playAlarm(type: AlarmType) {
    let soundID: SystemSoundID = type.systemSoundID
    AudioServicesPlaySystemSound(soundID)
}

Background Story

This app was born from real challenges I faced while running workshops.

With long sessions like "Spark Fundamentals 90 min, Break 10 min, Lakeflow SDP 90 min...", managing time for each part was difficult. I often found myself unable to quickly tell when I needed to finish the current section.

Existing timer apps are mostly simple countdowns and aren't suited for managing multiple agenda items. They also lacked the ability to review which sections took too long after the session ended.

TimePacer was developed to solve these problems.

Future Plans

• Apple Watch support (check remaining time at a glance)
• Widget support
• Siri Shortcuts support

Summary

TimePacer is an app that helps you manage time during presentations and meetings.

• Prominently displays target end time for each agenda item
• Compare planned vs. actual time for continuous improvement
• AI image recognition (GPT-4o) for automatic agenda input
• Session history for review

Give it a try!

App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/timepacer/id6757973135

Supported Devices: iPhone / iPad / Mac (Apple Silicon) / Apple Vision Pro

Requirements: iOS 17.0 or later