Support and updates

Hourside is made by Big Small Services. Contact us for help, feedback or privacy requests. Include your Hourside version, Android version, phone or launcher model, what happened and the steps to reproduce it. Remove private labels from screenshots. Do not send a backup unless it is necessary and you have checked its contents.

Security reports

Contact us privately with the subject “Hourside security report” to report a security concern. Include the affected version, a description and safe reproduction steps. Do not send passwords, signing keys, other people's data or destructive demonstrations. We do not promise a response deadline or a bounty.

Install and update

Hourside supports Android 12 and newer. Use the download and release information at hourside.bigsmallservices.com. A website download uses Android's installer; your phone may ask you to allow that browser to install an app. Allow it only if you trust the download, then turn that permission off afterward if you wish.

Updates are manual. Check the official website, back up your data, download the new APK and open it. An update must have the same production app identity and signing certificate. A normal update keeps local data. If Android reports a signature conflict, stop and contact support; do not uninstall merely to bypass the message. Uninstalling removes local app data. Hourside does not automatically check, download or install updates.

Back up and restore

In Hourside settings, use Export backup and save the JSON file with Android's document picker. It contains saved cities, labels, contact hours, reference time zone, appearance and widget templates. The file is readable and not encrypted by Hourside. A cloud location is optional and is handled by the provider you choose. Keep a trusted copy away from the phone before uninstalling or changing phones.

To restore, choose Import backup in settings, select your file and review the confirmation. Import replaces saved cities and settings. Hourside validates the file before applying it and retains the previous local state as a recovery copy for the latest import. Use the recovery action in settings if needed. This local recovery copy is lost if app storage is cleared or the app is uninstalled. Cancelled, invalid, oversized or unsupported future-version files are not applied.

Moving from a preview

The earlier preview app used a different Android identity, app.elsewhere.clock. Production Hourside uses com.bigsmallservices.hourside, so both apps can exist together. If your preview has no export option, use the compatible migration-preview update supplied with the release, then export from it. Keep the preview installed until you have imported the file into production and checked your cities and settings.

Android launcher widgets cannot move between these app identities or between phones. After importing, add Hourside widgets again from your launcher's widget picker and use the imported templates in Hourside's Widgets area to configure them. Existing launcher widgets are not silently changed by import. Remove preview widgets and the preview app only after checking the new setup and keeping your export.

Planning across time zones

Use the planner to compare a chosen time across your saved cities. Contact hours are the availability windows you enter; they are not read from a calendar or contact account. Check the date as well as the hour when planning across midnight or a daylight-saving change.

Clock or widget looks wrong

To add a widget, long-press an empty area of your home screen, open Widgets, find Hourside, then choose and place a widget. Configure it when its editor opens. Launcher wording and gestures vary. Imported templates are available in Hourside's Widgets area.

Check your phone's date, time and time-zone settings, then reopen Hourside. Keep Android time-zone updates current. If only a widget is stale, open its editor or remove and add that widget again. Launcher and battery settings can affect widget refreshes. Back up before clearing storage or reinstalling.

Privacy and licences

Privacy notice, terms and third-party notices are available on the website and bundled in the app for offline reading. Opening an external link or composing an email is your choice and uses your browser or email app.