Siri and Shortcuts

Control Timesheet with your voice using Siri and create powerful automations with the Shortcuts app. Start timers, check your hours, and build custom workflows without touching your phone.

Overview

Timesheet integrates deeply with Siri and the Shortcuts app, giving you:

Siri Voice Commands:

• Start and stop timers by voice
• Query your tracked hours
• Pause and resume for breaks
• Switch projects quickly

Shortcuts App Integration:

• Build custom automations
• Create multi-step workflows
• Trigger actions based on conditions
• Integrate with other apps

Available Siri Commands

Start Timer

Start tracking time on a project.

Example phrases:

• "Start working with Timesheet"
• "Start timer for [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Begin tracking [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Track time for [Project Name] in Timesheet"

What happens:

• Timer starts on the specified project
• If no project specified, uses last used project
• Siri confirms the action

Stop Timer

End the current timer and save the entry.

Example phrases:

• "Stop timer with Timesheet"
• "Stop working with Timesheet"
• "Finish tracking with Timesheet"
• "End time tracking in Timesheet"

What happens:

• Running timer stops
• Time entry is saved
• Siri confirms with duration

Pause Timer (Take a Break)

Pause the timer for a break.

Example phrases:

• "Pause timer with Timesheet"
• "Take a break with Timesheet"
• "Pause time tracking in Timesheet"
• "Pause working with Timesheet"

What happens:

• Timer pauses
• Break tracking begins
• Siri confirms the pause

Resume Timer

Continue tracking after a break.

Example phrases:

• "Resume timer with Timesheet"
• "Continue tracking with Timesheet"
• "Resume time tracking in Timesheet"
• "Resume working with Timesheet"

What happens:

• Break ends
• Timer continues
• Siri confirms resumption

Switch Project

Stop current timer and start on a different project.

Example phrases:

• "Switch project in Timesheet"
• "Switch to [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Change project to [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Work on [Project Name] instead in Timesheet"

What happens:

• Current timer stops (if running)
• New timer starts on specified project
• Siri confirms the switch

Query Project Time

Check how much time you've spent on a project.

Example phrases:

• "How much time on [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Time spent on [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Show hours for [Project Name] in Timesheet"
• "Project time for [Project Name] with Timesheet"

What happens:

• Siri reports total time for the period
• Includes task count
• Works for various time periods

Natural Language

Siri understands variations in phrasing. If a command doesn't work, try rephrasing naturally or include "Timesheet" in your phrase.

Pro-Only Siri Commands

These commands require a Pro subscription.

Work Summary

Get a spoken summary of your hours.

Example phrases:

• "How much did I work today with Timesheet"
• "Work summary for this week with Timesheet"
• "Show my hours today with Timesheet"
• "What's my work summary in Timesheet"

What happens:

• Siri reports hours worked for the period
• Includes task count and earnings (if enabled)
• Supports today, this week, this month

Log Past Task

Quickly log a past time entry.

Example phrases:

• "Log time in Timesheet"
• "Log time for [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Add past work for [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Quick log for [Project Name] in Timesheet"

What happens:

• Creates a time entry for past work
• Prompts for duration
• Saves to specified project

Log Mileage

Track travel distance.

Example phrases:

• "Log mileage to Timesheet"
• "Log mileage for [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Track trip for [Project Name] with Timesheet"
• "Add mileage to Timesheet"

What happens:

• Creates a mileage expense entry
• Prompts for distance
• Assigns to project

Focus Mode Integration

Automatically start or stop time tracking when a Focus Mode activates.

• Works with iOS Focus Filters
• Start tracking when entering Work focus
• Stop tracking when leaving Work focus
• Configure the action (start/stop) and project

Shortcuts App Integration

Create custom automations using the Shortcuts app.

Available Actions

Action	Description	Subscription
Start Timer	Begin tracking on a project	Free
Stop Timer	End the current timer	Free
Pause Timer	Take a break	Free
Resume Timer	End break and continue	Free
Switch Project	Stop and start on new project	Free
Project Time	Query hours for a project	Free
Log Past Task	Add a past time entry	Pro
Work Summary	Get hours summary	Pro
Log Mileage	Track travel distance	Pro
Focus Mode	Start/stop timer with Focus Mode	Pro

Creating a Shortcut

1. Open the Shortcuts app
2. Tap + to create new shortcut
3. Tap Add Action
4. Search for "Timesheet"
5. Select an action
6. Configure the action parameters
7. Add more actions if needed
8. Name your shortcut
9. Tap Done

Example Shortcuts

Morning Start Routine

A shortcut that starts your workday:

1. Play Music - Start your work playlist
2. Start Timer (Timesheet) - Begin tracking on default project
3. Show Notification - "Time tracking started!"

End of Day

A shortcut that wraps up your workday:

1. Stop Timer (Timesheet) - End tracking
2. Work Summary (Timesheet) - Get today's summary (Pro)
3. Show Result - Display hours worked

Project Switch

Quick switch between projects:

1. Choose from Menu - Select project name
2. Switch Project (Timesheet) - Change to selected project

Automation Triggers

Combine Timesheet actions with automation triggers:

Trigger	Example Use
Time of Day	Start timer at 9 AM automatically
Location Arrival	Start when arriving at office
Location Departure	Stop when leaving office
CarPlay Connect	Pause timer when driving
Focus Mode	Start timer when Work focus activates
NFC Tag	Tap tag at desk to start
App Open	Start timer when opening work apps

Creating an Automation

1. Open Shortcuts app
2. Tap Automation tab
3. Tap + to create automation
4. Choose a trigger (time, location, etc.)
5. Add Timesheet actions
6. Configure "Run Immediately" or "Ask Before Running"
7. Tap Done

Location Automations

For location-based automations in Shortcuts, you'll need to confirm each time unless you enable "Run Immediately." For automatic location tracking, use Timesheet's built-in Automation feature instead.

Control Center

On iOS 18 and later, Timesheet adds a Timesheet Timer control you can place in Control Center, on the Lock Screen, or on the Action Button.

Adding it:

1. Swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Center
2. Tap + in the top-left corner
3. Tap Add a control and search for Timesheet
4. Choose Timesheet Timer and place it where you want

The control is a toggle. Tapping it starts a timer on your default project, or stops the one that is running — a paused timer is stopped as well, since pausing from the car screen or the phone is a separate action. The icon shows what the tap will do, and the label underneath shows the current project, or Paused when the timer is on a break.

If you have not set a default project, Timesheet falls back to the project you tracked most recently, so the control still works on a fresh install.

Spoken confirmations

Siri now answers out loud when you start, stop, pause or resume a timer, so you get a confirmation without looking at the screen.

There is also a status command — ask "What's my Timesheet status?" and Siri tells you whether a timer is running, on which project, and for how long. It is available on the free plan.

Siri Suggestions

iOS learns your habits and may suggest Timesheet actions:

Where Suggestions Appear:

• Lock Screen at your usual start time
• Spotlight search
• Siri Suggestions widget
• Shortcuts app suggestions

Improving Suggestions:

• Use Timesheet consistently
• Start/stop at similar times
• Use Siri commands regularly
• iOS learns your patterns

Best Practices

Voice Command Tips

1. Include "Timesheet" - Helps Siri route to the correct app
2. Speak clearly - Siri works best with clear speech
3. Use project names - Include exact project names for clarity
4. Confirm actions - Listen for Siri's confirmation

Shortcut Design Tips

1. Start simple - Begin with single-action shortcuts
2. Test thoroughly - Run shortcuts manually first
3. Add confirmations - Show notifications for important actions
4. Handle errors - Add "If" actions for edge cases

Automation Best Practices

1. Start with "Ask Before Running" - Test before making automatic
2. Use specific locations - Precise coordinates work better
3. Combine triggers wisely - Don't create conflicting automations
4. Review regularly - Disable automations you don't use

Troubleshooting

Siri Not Recognizing Commands

1. Ensure Siri is enabled in iOS Settings
2. Go to Settings → Siri & Search → Timesheet and enable
3. Try "Hey Siri, open Timesheet" first
4. Update to latest Timesheet version
5. Include "Timesheet" or "with Timesheet" in your phrase

Shortcuts Actions Missing

1. Open Timesheet app to register actions
2. Force close and reopen Shortcuts app
3. Restart your device
4. Check for Timesheet updates

Automations Not Running

1. Check that automation is enabled
2. Verify trigger conditions are correct
3. Ensure "Run Immediately" is enabled (if desired)
4. Check iOS permissions for location/time triggers

Project Names Not Recognized

1. Use exact project names as they appear in the app
2. Avoid special characters in project names
3. Try selecting from the list instead of speaking
4. Ensure projects are not archived

Keep Updated

New Timesheet versions may add additional Siri and Shortcuts capabilities. Keep the app updated for the best integration experience.

Related reading on the Timesheet blog

• Track Time With Siri Shortcuts and Voice