The display is split into several areas:

• A Settings button, a Timer Display switch and a Share Meeting Report button.
• The main display shows the currently-selected timer.
• A Reset button, a Start/Pause button and an Attendees button.

Meeting Cost Timers is very easy to use:

• Tap Start to start the timer running. The Start button changes to a Pause button.
• Tap Pause to pause a running timer.
• Tap Reset to reset the timer. Long press Reset to also remove all attendees.
• Tap the Timer Display switch to change the main display between meeting duration, total cost and total person time.
• Tap any other part of the display to toggle visibility of the buttons. Hiding the buttons lets you focus just on the timer.

The Currency option in the Settings screen is where the app’s currency is selected. This setting only affects the appearance of currency values; the app does not convert values between different currencies.

The system default currency is almost always the most suitable choice, but a custom currency can be selected if required:

• Scroll through the available currencies or use the search field to look for a currency name (e.g. “British Pound”), three letter currency code (e.g “GBP”), or currency symbol (e.g. “£”).
• Tap a currency to select it.

The Hourly Rates option in the Settings screen is where the hourly rate for roles and individuals are configured:

• Tap an hourly rate to edit its details.
• Tap add hourly rate to create a new rate.
• Press and hold the reorder icon to the right of an hourly rate and move it to a different position.
• Tap the red delete icon and then the Delete button to delete an hourly rate.
• The Delete all Hourly Rates button can be used to quickly delete all rates.

Role hourly rates are used to set the cost for general types of attendees. There can be more than one attendee with the same role in a meeting.

Individual hourly rates are used to represent single attendees that don’t match a role, or where attendees need to be explicitly identified in the Meeting Report.

Each hourly rate must have a unique name. The actual rate does not need to be unique but must be a whole number in whatever currency you are using.

• Tap the Save button to add the hourly rate or save changes to an existing rate.
• Tap the Cancel button to discard changes.

Tap the Attendees button in the Main screen to select the number and type of attendees in the meeting.

• Tap the +/- buttons to add or remove an attendee with a particular role.
• Tap an individual’s name to toggle whether they are attending the meeting or not.
• The Remove all Attendees button can be used to quickly remove all attendees.

The search field can be used to show only attendees that match the search text.

Changes to the number of attendees affects the timer immediately. Person time and cost are calculated according to the different attendees and the amount of time they are present.

Tap the Save as Meeting Template button in the Attendees screen to save the attendees as a meeting template.

• Enter the name for the meeting template and tap Save.
• If there is an existing meeting template with that name you are prompted to choose between updating the template with the new attendees or choosing a different name.

Tap the Copy from Meeting Template button in the Attendees screen to see a list of meeting templates.

• Select a meeting template to update the meeting attendees with the attendees in the template.
• Tap the ⓘ button to see the attendees in the meeting template.
• Swipe back or use the back button to return to the Attendees screen without changing the meeting attendees.

Replacing the meeting attendees cannot be undone so confirmation is required. Tap Copy to copy the attendees or Cancel to leave the attendees unchanged.

Confirming the copy will return to the Attendees screen with the new attendees.

Meeting Templates can be used to save the attendees for recurring meetings. The Meeting Templates option in the Settings screen is where they are configured.

• Tap a meeting template to edit its details.
• Tap add meeting template to create a new template.
• Press and hold the reorder icon to the right of a meeting template and move it to a different position.
• Tap the red delete icon and then the Delete button to delete a meeting template.
• The Delete all Meeting Templates button can be used to quickly delete all templates.

The Save as Meeting Template button in the Attendees screen can be used to add or update a template with the meeting attendees.

Each meeting template must have a unique name. The attendees for a template are configured just like the attendees for the current meeting in the Attendees screen.

• Tap the +/- buttons to add or remove an attendee with a particular role.
• Tap an individual’s name to toggle whether they are included in the template or not.
• The Remove all Attendees button can be used to quickly remove all attendees.

The search field can be used to show only attendees that match the search text.

• Tap the Save button to add the template or save changes to an existing template.
• Tap the Cancel button to discard changes.

On iOS 12 and macOS 12 or later, meeting templates are also available as Siri shortcuts.

Meeting templates are indexed with iOS so they can appear in search results.

• Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen to reveal the iOS search screen.
• Depending on the version of iOS and your configuration in Apple’s Settings app, you can also swipe down from the top of the screen in any app, or to the right when in the lock screen or left-most Home page.
• Start typing the name of a meeting template in the Search field.
• If any meeting templates match the search term they will appear in the results.
• Scroll to see more results. Over time, iOS will learn which results are most relevant to you and prioritise them.
• Tap a meeting template search result to open Meeting Cost Timers. The attendees in the template will be copied to the meeting.
• The timer itself will not be changed. When ready to begin the meeting, reset the timer if necessary and then start the timer.

In the Mac version, meeting templates will appear in Spotlight search results.

Meeting Cost Timers supports Siri shortcuts on iOS 12 and macOS 12 or later.

Shortcuts are managed in the Siri Shortcuts section of the Settings screen, the Shortcuts app on iOS/iPadOS 13 and macOS 12 or later, or in the Siri & Search section of Apple’s Settings app.

• Shortcuts can be used to copy the attendees from a meeting template.
• Phrases which refer to meeting templates that do not exist on this device will be shown in an Unavailable Meeting Templates section. These should be deleted unless the meeting template is still used on another device.

• Tap a shortcut with an Add to Siri label to add a phrase.
• The interface that appears depends on which version of iOS/iPadOS you are using.
• Meeting Cost Timers suggests prefixing each meeting template name with the word “Time” but you can choose whatever phrase you like.
• You can record (iOS 12) or type (iOS/iPadOS 13 and 14) a personalised phrase to run a shortcut using Siri. On iOS/iPadOS 15, the app’s suggested phrase is used by default. Use the Change Voice Phrase button to change it.
• Tap a shortcut with an existing phrase to edit or delete the phrase.
• The phrases for each shortcut must be unique across all apps.

If iOS detects a regular pattern of usage, Siri may suggest shortcuts on the Lock Screen or in Spotlight. Tap a shortcut or use your personalised phrase in Siri to invoke the shortcut.

Tap the Share Meeting Report button in the Main screen to generate a report of the meeting’s current elapsed time, cost and attendees.

The app uses a standard iOS or Mac share sheet so the report can be shared by email, Message, Twitter etc. depending on which accounts you have configured and other apps you have installed.

A backup of your currency, hourly rates, meeting templates and current meeting configuration can be created for safekeeping or to copy it to another device.

• Tap the Settings button in the Main screen and select Back Up / Restore.
• Tap the Create Backup option.
• For extra security the backup can be protected with a password. Enter and confirm the password, or leave them blank if you don’t want to use a password.
• Tap the Create button to create the backup.

Once a backup has been created you can share or save it.

• Tap the Share Backup option to choose where to share the backup. Sharing with AirDrop is the simplest way to copy your configuration to another device.
• Tap the Save Backup option to save the backup to iCloud Drive, Dropbox etc.

Restoring from a backup will replace your currency, hourly rates, meeting templates and current meeting configuration.

• Tap the Settings button in the Main screen and select Back Up / Restore.
• Tap the Restore from Backup option and choose a backup from iCloud, Dropbox etc.
• If the backup was password-protected you must enter the correct password.
• Tap the Continue button. The device name and date of the backup is shown.
• Tap Restore to restore from the backup or Cancel to abort.

Sharing a backup from another device with AirDrop, tapping on a backup in Apple’s Files app, or opening a backup attached to an email will automatically open the Back Up / Restore screen and start the restore process.

The default app icon has a dollar sign in its centre. This is a widely-recognised symbol to represent money. On iOS, several alternate app icons are available with other currency symbols.

• Tap the Settings button in the Main screen and select App Icon.
• The current app icon is highlighted.
• Tap another image to change the app icon.

Tap the Settings button in the top left of the Main screen to display the Settings screen. This screen has a few settings to control the behaviour of the app and links to other screens.

The Invert Colors setting switches the Main screen from white text on a black background to black text on a white background. The inverted colours might look better when the app is connected to an external display or projector using a Digital AV Adapter or AirPlay screen mirroring to an Apple TV.

The Disable Auto-Lock setting controls when the app disables auto-lock: Never, Timer Running or Never. The default is to disable auto-lock when the timer is running.

The External Display setting controls whether a full size timer is shown on an external display. A change to the setting will not take effect until the external display is reconnected or the app is killed and restarted.

The Help page contains a few options to help you learn how to best use Meeting Cost Timers:

• A link to this User Guide.
• An easy way to send me mail if you have any questions or comments.

The About page contains information about the app and Hacknicity.

Meeting Cost Timers:

• The version of the app.
• A link to the web site for the app.
• A link to the privacy policy for the app.
• A link to the App Store page for the app.

Hacknicity:

• A link to the Hacknicity web site.
• A link to all my apps on the App Store.

The Do you like this App? section contains several ways you can support Meeting Cost Timers:

• Write an App Store review.
• Share the app with other people.

The Share it with other people option allows recommending the app by Mail, Message, Twitter, Facebook, AirDrop and more. Choose QR Code to display a QR code that links to the App Store page for the app. The other person can scan this with their camera app.

I am very grateful for your support to make more people aware of Meeting Cost Timers.

There is also a link to all my apps on the App Store and an easy way to send me mail if you have any feedback.

Meeting Cost Timers is free to download and use with some restrictions. It is a universal purchase and includes the Mac version of the app. A single in-app purchase unlocks all features on both platforms:

• Back up and restore your data.
• Unlimited number of attendees.
• Unlimited number of hourly rates.
• Unlimited number of meeting templates.
• Change icon currency symbol (iOS only).

If you attempt an action that requires the in-app purchase, you will be prompted to unlock. Alternatively, choose Unlock all Features from the Settings screen.

• The in-app purchase to unlock is shown, with the price in your local currency. Tap the Unlock all Features option and follow the prompts to complete the purchase.
• If you have multiple devices and have already paid to unlock on another device, use the Restore Purchases option to unlock all features on this device too. You will not be charged again.