Description

A clock you can feel, with guided practice and huge high-contrast digits.

A friend who is visually impaired asked me to build a way to feel the time. That request became PulseTime. Press a button to feel the current time; during lessons and time checks, one large black-and-white numeral follows each vibration group.

This is a public beta. I would like to hear what works, what feels confusing, and what you would change. Send feedback and ideas to luke@lukesteuber.com.

The store download is version 1.2.0, which tells the time. Signals 1.3.0 is a separate testing candidate for Time 2, 2 Duo, and Round 2; the features below are not yet included in the store download.

Your first time check

1. Install the app, then open PulseTime from your watch's app list. The first launch opens Learn pattern.
2. Press Down for the 3:32 hours lesson. Down again reaches the minute phrase, then Down once more reaches the whole answer. Select plays the current example; press it again to stop. Replay as often as you like.
3. Keep Terse Quarter / Standard to start. Three hour pulses, a pause, and two quarter pulses mean about 3:30. The default answer covers 3:30–3:44; it does not give exact minutes. The visual clock still shows the current minute.
4. Down advances through the guide, Up goes back, and Back leaves it. Press Down on the final Ready page to finish. Hold Select from the clock to return to learning or choose Practice.

Everyday controls

On the app's clock, Select tells the whole time, Up tells hours, and Down tells minutes. Press the same reply button again to stop; another reply button replaces the answer. Hold Select for learning and settings. Holding Up or Down changes the haptic language.

To ask from your watchface, open the watch's Settings > Quick Launch > Up and choose PulseTime. Repeat for Down if wanted. Hold a bound button from your watchface to ask the time. Both shortcuts initially tell the whole time; the app cannot assign those system shortcuts automatically.

Choose Hold Select > Display > Bright / bold for large black digits on white. Dark layouts invert the colors. Exact-minute patterns and slower playback are available when you want them. Haptic hours use 1–12 without an AM/PM signal.

The open clock also responds to one detected knock or flick. The optional Flick to tell time phone setting uses two taps to launch the app from another watchface; it starts off. There is no special touch spot: try two light knocks on the same part of the bezel or case, about half a second apart. Wait for the vibration to finish before retrying. Use Select inside lessons and menus.

Help shape the next version

Tell me your watch model, pattern and speed, the time you expected, and what you felt. Hard-to-read labels, confusing controls, missed taps, and rhythms that blur together are all useful feedback.

Signals: testing the next version

I am testing short, replayable vibration phrases for information beyond time. A six-hour rain forecast becomes three equal windows: quiet for dry, sparse patter for light rain, and denser patter for heavier rain. Opening and closing cues distinguish a dry forecast from an unavailable reading. A shorter summary identifies the first wet window and strongest predicted rain.

An authenticated HTTPS source can supply service health or three ordered samples. The Drummer example distinguishes healthy, busy, degraded, down, and unknown. A failed connection means unknown, not a confirmed outage. Old readings remain labeled, and checking a source is an explicit action rather than a background alert.

The candidate includes named lessons, visible pulse timing, stock-inspired references, and a recognition exercise. A three-step walkthrough enables weather and explains the Pebble phone app's location permission. Weather uses an approximate phone position; fixed places and custom HTTPS feeds are under Advanced. There is no Drummer token input. Feed credentials stay on the phone. Pattern comfort and recognition still need physical-watch testing. Playback currently controls timing, not per-step strength. Contact luke@lukesteuber.com if you would like to help test on Time 2, 2 Duo, or Round 2.

Known beta limits

- The app's phone settings can retain older values after a missed watch update. Saving can restore those older choices, including the haptic language. Check every option before saving, then verify the language on the watch and replay a known lesson. Reopening the phone form alone does not guarantee a refresh.
- Terse Quarter's minutes-only :00 and :15 can feel alike. Use the whole-time answer if uncertain.
- Watch menus do not speak their labels, and Practice does not separately announce its target time. First-use assistance may be needed; independent blind onboarding remains unverified.
- The app has installed successfully on Time 2 and 2 SE. Pattern recognition still needs wearer feedback. Round layouts have emulator coverage; round hardware checks are pending. Store screenshots show emulators.

Supports Time / Time Steel, Time Round, 2 / 2 SE, Time 2, 2 Duo, and Round 2. The original 2013 Pebble and Pebble Steel are not supported. The clock and lessons work offline after installation. Optional pattern tones require Time 2 or 2 Duo; the other supported models use vibration.

Created by Luke Steuber. MIT licensed.