“Is there a mobile App of TimeControl?” is a common question for people new to our timesheet system.  In fact, the history of TimeControl Mobile is longer than most.

TimeControl Palm Pilot (1999)

In 1999 we created TimeControl for the Palm Pilot. (No, I’m not kidding).  The design was revolutionary.  Remember, this was 8 years before the introduction of the iPhone!  The Palm Pilot didn’t count on having wireless or Cell phone coverage everywhere because that didn’t exist.  Instead, we created it to work offline and synchronize whenever it was put back in its cradle.  We still have a working Palm Pilot kicking around somewhere with TimeControl still working on it.  Here’s a screen shot of TimeControl in action.

The version didn’t take off thanks, I think to the lack of the full time Internet access we now take for granted.  But it was a huge eye-opener for HMS of what could be accomplished.

Small-screen browser interfaces (2007-2015)

We turned out mobile attention next to creating a URL within each TimeControl which would present a mini-screen browser edition of TimeControl.  Our testing grounds were the Blackberry and the new iPhone.

Now we had selected functionality which was really just the entry of the timesheet but on a mobile device that could update the timesheet from anywhere.  That may sound simple but for its time it was stunning and the response from clients was extremely positive.

We continued to advance that code over the years and update it to take advantage of every-changing screen size and features.

But we were limited by what the device browsers could do and pressured by an incredible change in how people expected mobile devices to work.

Still, by simply going to your own TimeControl website and a specific URL within it, you would log in as you always do and see your timesheet data to be entered and released for approval.

The free TimeControl Mobile App 2015

By now we had over 15 years of experience in delivering a mobile application interface for an enterprise application.  It served us well in 2024 and 2025 as we completed and launched the free TimeControl Mobile app.

Designed with a hybrid architecture to simultaneously support both iOS and Android devices we now had a platform where we could do so much more than just fill in a timesheet.  Aside from supporting Single Sign-on environments so common now in large organizations, the TimeControl Moble App can manage expenses, crew timesheets, approvals, materials, reporting, single sign on and so much morel.

The app is architected with responsive design to take advantage of screen resolution, adapting automatically to different sizes of smart phones or tablets to surface more or less features at the same time.

We decided over a quarter century ago that there wouldn’t be a special fee or additional fee for TimeControl Mobile.  All users need is to download the app and have a current license to TimeControl on premise or TimeControl Online.  The access to using your own device with TimeControl is the decision of your TimeControl administrators.

So HMS has only had 27 years of experience in mobile products so far.  We think there’s a lot more to come!