⚠️ Shootin' Star is built entirely on Apple's public frameworks. Some behaviors are constrained by the iOS and watchOS platforms themselves — not by design choices we could easily change. This page explains those limitations honestly so you know what to expect.
iPhone
- iPhoneSound-based detection only The timer detects your trigger press by listening for a sound through the microphone. It cannot distinguish a trigger press sound from any other similar noise — a clap, a door slam, or background noise can all trigger it. Use the Sensitivity and "Ignore for" settings to tune detection for your environment.
- iPhoneMicrophone required The timer cannot function without microphone access. If you deny the permission or revoke it later in iOS Settings, the timing feature will be unavailable.
- iPhoneNo cloud backup Session history is stored locally on your device only. If you delete the app or restore your iPhone without a backup, your session history will be lost. iCloud sync is not currently supported.
- iPhoneAudio session conflicts If another app interrupts the audio session (a phone call, Siri, a podcast app, etc.), the timer engine may pause. Bringing Shootin' Star back to the foreground will restart it automatically. Starting a new run from the Apple Watch while the app is backgrounded also restarts the engine.
Apple Watch
- WatchScreen dims during sessions watchOS does not provide a public API to prevent the screen from dimming for non-workout apps. The Watch app uses an extended runtime session to stay active in the background, but the display will still dim after a period of inactivity. This is a platform limitation we cannot work around without using HealthKit workout sessions, which would add unnecessary health data requirements.
- WatchHaptic and beep timing varies The Watch haptic and iPhone beep are synchronized as closely as possible over Bluetooth, but Bluetooth latency is variable — typically 30–200ms and can drift further during long auto-repeat sequences. The "Beep delay" setting in the app allows you to manually calibrate the offset, but perfect synchronization cannot be guaranteed on every device or in every environment.
- WatchWatch app does not close when iPhone app closes iOS does not reliably notify apps before termination — applicationWillTerminate is not guaranteed to be called, especially when the system force-quits the app. As a result, closing the iPhone app will not always close the Watch app. You can close the Watch app manually by pressing the side button.
- WatchBluetooth connectivity indicator The connectivity indicator in the Watch app reflects whether the Watch and iPhone are communicating over WatchConnectivity — not whether Bluetooth itself is connected. It may show as connected even when the iPhone app is not in the foreground, as WatchConnectivity can queue messages for later delivery.
- WatchWatch app is a remote control, not a standalone timer The Apple Watch companion app controls and mirrors the iPhone timer — it does not perform independent sound detection. The iPhone must be present and within Bluetooth range for timing to work.
General
- BothTiming accuracy Shootin' Star measures time from the moment the beep plays to the moment audio onset is detected. Timing is accurate to within a few milliseconds under normal conditions, but factors like microphone sensitivity, ambient noise, phone case acoustic properties, and processor load can introduce small variations.
- BothRequires iPhone The app requires an iPhone running iOS 17 or later. The Apple Watch companion requires a paired Apple Watch running watchOS 10 or later. The Watch app cannot be installed or used independently without the iPhone app.
Questions or feedback?
If you've encountered a behavior not described here, or have a suggestion for how we might address one of these limitations, we'd love to hear from you.
Email us at support@shootinstar.org or visit the Support page.