Pausing or ending a session
Pausing a session is useful when the watch rotation should stop for a while but continue later. When a session is paused, the schedule clock is effectively frozen. Time does not continue moving through the watch plan until the session is resumed. This is helpful when the normal watch routine is interrupted and you do not want the app to keep advancing as if handovers were still happening.
Ending a session is the right choice when the passage or active watch schedule is over and you no longer want WatchKeeper to keep tracking it as the current trip. Ending is a cleaner stopping point than leaving an old schedule running after it is no longer relevant. Once the session is over, the crew can start a new trip later with a fresh setup if needed.
Before pausing or ending, take a moment to confirm what the crew actually needs. If you expect the same schedule to continue after a break, pause is usually the better option. If the trip is finished or the rotation will not resume in its current form, ending the session is more appropriate.
When to Pause
- The watch routine is temporarily interrupted.
- You want to keep the same trip and resume later.
- The schedule should not continue advancing during the break.
When to End
- The passage is complete.
- The active watch schedule is no longer needed.
- You want the next trip to start as a separate session.
Best Practices
- Pause for temporary interruptions.
- End the session when the trip is actually finished.
- Check the live watch state after resuming a paused session.
- Avoid leaving an old session running if it is no longer active.
The goal is to keep the app aligned with what is really happening onboard. A paused session should stay ready to continue, and an ended session should make way for the next trip cleanly.