Have you ever wondered what time it was across the world, or wanted to easily compare a time in one time zone to many others at once? Your phone probably includes a basic world clock feature, but it doesn't offer advanced features.
MakeUseOf's newest app is PolyTime, and it's here to solve your world clock needs. Keep reading to learn what it does and how you can use it.
Download: PolyTime for Android [Broken URL Removed] | iOS (Free)
What Is PolyTime?
PolyTime is a simple but powerful time zone converter that helps you see what time it is in any city around the world.
If you work with an international team or have clients around the world, you know the struggle of keeping time zones straight. It's easy to forget what time zone someone lives in, how many hours they are ahead or behind you, and remember daylight savings times to boot.
While both Android and iOS include basic world clock functionalities, they only show you the current time in other time zones. What if someone asks you to call them on Friday at 7pm Tokyo time? Do you know what time that is for you?
PolyTime lets you add as many cities as you like and instantly convert times between them. Let's see how the app works and walk through its usage.
Getting Started With PolyTime
Download PolyTime from the Play Store or App Store and open it. You'll first see a screen prompting you to add your home city. This should be the major city closest to where you reside; don't worry if it's not exact. You can change this later if you move.
Once you've set your home city, you'll see it on PolyTime's home screen. Of course, a world clock isn't too useful when you can only see the time for one city! Thus, you'll want to open the menu on the left-hand side and tap Add/remove city.
Use the search bar to start entering the name of the city you want to add. The app supports cities large and small, so you can stick to major areas or pick a smaller city for reference. Searching shows the most popular cities at the top, so you should have no trouble finding what you need.
Once you tap a city, it adds to your home screen. You can add more cities here if you like. When you're done, tap the arrow in the top-left corner to return.
Comparing Times in Multiple Cities
Once you return to the home screen, you'll see the current time (and date) for your home city converted to all other cities you've added. You'll notice the app changes the background color for each location based on time. The app also shows the time zones relative to GMT for each city.
Use the slider at the bottom of the screen to change the home city time you'd like to convert. As you slide, you'll see the time and colors for the other cities change in real-time.
Additionally, you can use any of the other cities as a base when sliding the time around. Just tap an entry and you'll see its time highlighted in a red square. Sliding the bottom will then change that time and adjust the others accordingly. To reset the slider to the current time, just double-tap it.
Additional Features and Options in PolyTime
On the left menu, you'll see an option to Change home city, which is perfect if you're moving or staying somewhere else for a long time.
You can also use the Add to calendar option to add an event to your device's default calendar for the time currently shown for your home city. Select Copy times and you can then paste the times for all cities listed into another app.
Finally, open Settings to enable 24-hour format if you prefer. You can also hide the time zones that show for each city. On this menu, you'll also find links to share PolyTime with friends, contact the developers, or rate the app.
Also in the menu, you'll find links to MakeUseOf's other apps, like self-destruct messenger Obliviate and car washing helper Washie.
PolyTime Makes Time Zone Conversions Simple
With PolyTime, you don't have to worry about converting time zones anymore. The app does all the work for you, and makes it easy to compare time across the cities you work with most. You can add or remove cities, or change your home city, anytime.
Anyone that regularly works outside their own time zone needs PolyTime on their device. Don't waste any more time calculating time zone differences manually!
Download: PolyTime for Android [Broken URL Removed] | iOS (Free)