FAQ

explore frequently asked questions about the busy ecosystem by category if you’re experiencing issues with your device, app, or connection, visit the %troubleshooting% https //docs busy app/bar/troubleshooting page for step by step solutions busy bar what is busy bar? busy bar is a productivity multi tool with an led pixel screen for custom statuses built in pomodoro timer and apps fully customizable, open source, and hacker friendly learn more https //busy app/ how long does it take to charge the device? 2 5 hours — with an 18w (or higher) power delivery charger 7–8 hours — with other usb chargers or a usb port what do the indicators on the back screen mean? on the right side of the back screen, there is a status bar with icons that show the current state of your busy bar the indicators display sound status — sound enabled or muted wi fi connection — disconnected, connecting , connected, or inactive bluetooth (ble) connection — disconnected, connecting , connected, or inactive usb connection — disconnected or connected battery level — always shown as a percentage while wi fi or bluetooth is connecting, the icon appears dimmed inactive means the interface is enabled, but there is no active connection or an error has occurred what’s the purpose of the back screen? it helps to control your busy bar from the back side, when you are translting others your status in the front screen how do i clean the busy bar? clean only with a well wrung electronic/screen wipe or dry microfiber cloth never spray liquid directly onto the device or allow moisture to enter any openings, such as the usb charging port, speaker holes, or button gaps do not clean either screen with alcohol or alcohol based cleaners, tissues, wipes, or sanitizers doing so can permanently damage the screens and void your warranty can i take busy bar on an airplane? yes it is recommended to carry the busy bar in your hand luggage, as most airlines require battery powered devices to be transported in the cabin some airlines may allow the device in checked baggage, but you should confirm their policy in advance i want to preserve busy bar’s battery charge you can completely power off the device and preserve battery charge on the busy bar, go to settings > system > power > shut down to turn the busy bar back on, press and hold the back button for 3 seconds can i set up my busy bar via pc? yes you can use busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads or the local web interface, available via usb or wi fi learn more set up via pc https //docs busy app/bar/basics/setup on pc why do statuses still appear when the selector is set to off? this is expected behavior off mode puts the busy bar to sleep, not a full shutdown notifications, focus sessions started in the app, and the on call status will still show to shut down your busy bar completely, go to settings > system > power > shut down to power it back on, press and hold the back button for 3 seconds busy bar firmware what is my current firmware version? you can check your firmware version directly on the busy bar go to settings > about > firmware you can also view it in busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads under your device settings or in the firmware tab of the local web interface docid\ v izwbs0i2kiljdxy kkp i don’t have access to wi fi how can i update the busy bar firmware? if your computer has an internet connection, you can update the firmware using busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads on mac via a usb connection learn more use your computer to update the busy bar firmware using busy app on your mac https //docs busy app/bar/basics/firmware update#using busy app on your mac alternatively, if you have a firmware update file, you can update using the local web interface via usb or wi fi, no internet required learn more local web interface update your busy bar firmware manually from a file https //docs busy app/bar/local web interface#update your busy bar firmware manually from a file how do i know if new firmware is available? you can check for updates directly on the busy bar go to settings > firmware > check for updates you can also check for updates and update your busy bar using busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads , the local web interface docid\ v izwbs0i2kiljdxy kkp , or busy account (available at cloud busy app https //cloud busy app ) if an update is available, you will see a green notification how to downgrade the busy bar firmware? busy bar has no dedicated downgrade option, but you can install any previously released firmware version manually download the firmware file, then upload it to your device via the web interface \ step 1 \ download the firmware file on your pc, go to the firmware releases page on github https //github com/busy app/busybar firmware/releases find the version you want to install in the assets section, click the tgz file to download it \ step 2 \ upload the file to install the firmware on your busy bar connect your busy bar to a pc using a usb cable in the browser, go to http //10 0 4 20 http //10 0 4 20 if the page doesn't load make sure your browser is enabled to find devices on local networks > how to enable this on macos https //support apple com/en gb/guide/mac help/mchla4f49138/mac and windows 11 https //kb audiomodeling com/en/c/general information/d/enabling applications to communicate over the local network on windows 11/ try a hard restart of your busy bar > press and hold the back button for 20 seconds go to firmware and click update from file select the tgz file you downloaded, then click start update the firmware update will take around 3 minutes how do i put busy bar into recovery mode (dfu)? use recovery mode (dfu) \ only \ for firmware recovery press and hold start / pause , back , and ok / skip buttons for 3 seconds release start / pause and back buttons, but keep holding the ok / skip button for an additional 2 seconds release the ok / skip button once in dfu mode, the busy bar flashes its leds yellow three times, then turns them red to exit recovery mode press and hold the start / pause and back buttons for 3 seconds how do i exit recovery mode (dfu)? to exit recovery mode press and hold the start / pause and back buttons for 3 seconds can i install custom firmware on busy bar? yes, but custom firmware versions aren’t available yet we’ll soon release the firmware source code once it’s published, the community will be able to create their own custom firmware builds busy app what is busy app? busy app is a free focus timer for your phone, watch, and mac set up a pomodoro style workflow or run a session with no time limit, block distracting apps and notifications, choose what busy bar shows during a session, and play music in work and rest phases see busy app docid\ t7klhajsrwohzoxjk9oj6 do i need busy bar to use busy app? no busy app works on its own as a focus timer on your phone, watch, and mac log in to your busy account docid\ gttblghrq0ojua6qy6mwz on each device to sync timers and sessions between them if you have a busy bar, it joins the same sync — start a session on your busy bar and control it from any app which platforms does the busy app support? busy app is available on ios and android, including support for apple watch and wear os smartwatches on computers, busy app currently supports macos a windows app is coming soon click here for qr code click here for qr code is there a dedicated app for windows? not yet the windows version is coming soon how many busy bars can i connect to busy app? you can connect any number of busy bars by linking them to your busy account can i block apps and notifications on my mac? this feature is coming soon i don’t want to see an icon in my mac dock can i remove it? yes you can remove it by going to preferences → show in dock and turning it off busy account what is busy account? busy account is the cloud service that keeps the entire busy ecosystem in sync, including busy app on mobile and desktop, and the busy bar device it keeps your focus sessions, timers, and integrations synced across all your devices, enables secure remote access to your busy bar over the internet, and manages api access for connected services and automations to use these cloud features, create an account and sign in to busy app on your mobile and desktop devices, as well as your busy bar how to create a busy account? you can create an account using the busy app on mobile and desktop or in your web browser using mobile busy app if you have a google, apple, or microsoft account open busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads on your phone tap log in in the top left corner the browser will open the sign in page continue with your google, apple, or microsoft account or create your account using your email web browser (any platform) open cloud busy app https //cloud busy app using any browser continue with your google, apple, or microsoft account or create your account using your email desktop busy app (mac only) open busy app https //busy app/pages/downloads on your computer click log in in the top left corner the browser will open the sign in page continue with your google, apple, or microsoft account or create your account using your email having trouble logging in or creating an account? please see busy account issues%page% docid xrvfevmfz0 tjlla9wxo how many busy bars can i connect to my busy account? you can connect any number of busy bars to your busy account all connected devices will stay in sync how to delete my busy account? \ your \ you can delete your account through the mobile version of busy app and the busy account dashboard using a web browser to delete your account using mobile busy app open busy app on your phone go to account in the top left corner tap delete account in the pop up, tap delete to confirm to delete your account using a web browser in your browser, go to cloud busy app log in to your busy account click account in the top right corner go to account click delete account in the pop up, click delete to confirm your account and all your user data will be permanently deleted from our servers local web interface what is the busy local web interface? the local web interface is a control panel for your busy bar that‘s built right into the device it allows you to remotely control and update your busy bar, create custom statuses, enable http api access, and view the http api reference open it in any web browser on windows, macos, or linux using wi fi (lan) or usb ethernet (virtual lan) learn more local web interface docid\ v izwbs0i2kiljdxy kkp can i connect to the local web interface over wi fi? yes follow the steps described on the local web interface docid\ v izwbs0i2kiljdxy kkp page how do i switch the web interface to a light or dark theme? to change the web interface theme сlick the account icon in the top right corner click switch to light theme (or switch to dark theme ) can i restrict access to my busy bar local web interface when connecting over wi fi? yes, you can protect it with a password, and we recommend doing so the password will be required when connecting over wi fi, but not when connecting via usb to set a password for web interface access сlick the account icon in the top right corner click set password enter the password and click set password remember your web interface password carefully — it cannot be recovered, but only reset via a wired connection can i change the ip address of the web interface? yes busy bar's local web interface is available at 10 0 4 20 when the device is connected over usb if that address conflicts with your network, change it by editing the settings json file on your busy bar connect your busy bar to a pc using a usb cable in your browser, go to 10 0 4 20/?path=/ext/apps data/usb srv http //10 0 4 20/?path=/ext/apps data/usb srv right click settings json , then click download file open the downloaded file in a text editor, set the address field to the new ip address, and save it go back to 10 0 4 20/?path=/ext/apps data/usb srv http //10 0 4 20/?path=/ext/apps data/usb srv delete the old settings json file drag and drop the edited file into the browser window, then click upload restart your busy bar by pressing and holding the start / pause and back buttons for 3 seconds in your browser, go to http //\<new address> the web interface should load at the new address smart home integration which smart home systems are busy bar compatible with? busy is matter certified and works with major smart home platforms, including apple homekit, google home, amazon alexa, samsung smartthings, and home assistant for details, see compatible matter hubs https //app archbee com/docs/eosi3gcxsgkach2eym0ym/jpgmyysuqyzddmca c6oi can i connect a busy bar to multiple smart home systems at the same time? yes learn more connect to smart home docid\ o o1v6n63 pisllcqjbjn how to disconnect the busy bar from one particular smart home system? you can do it right via your smart home app general steps for most smart home systems open your smart home app (the one you used to set up the device) go to devices or home select the busy bar you want to remove look for settings (⚙️) or device info tap remove device / delete / unpair confirm removal you cannot disconnect the busy bar from a single smart home system directly on the device itself you can only remove all existing pairings at once learn more connect to smart home docid\ o o1v6n63 pisllcqjbjn wall mount i lost the screws what size should i buy? you‘ll need 2× wall screws cross pan head tapping screws, pa3 × 18 mm 1× locking screw cross pan head self tapping screw, st1 7 × 8 mm can i replace the double sided tape on the mount? yes, you can replace the double sided tape use alcohol to remove any adhesive residue from the mount first then apply strong double sided adhesive patches measuring 28×33 mm (1 10×1 30 in), ensuring they are rated to support the device’s weight (250 g / 8 82 oz) we recommend using premium crown 513 double sided tape or similar development what can i develop for busy bar? you can create your own busy bar widgets using our open http api, turning the device into a programmable display showing real time data the busy sdk and support for executable apps are coming soon we‘re also going to open our firmware sources so that the community can create their custom firmware versions where can i find the development documentation? visit the development docid 5888c5ifdhiybrjztwjt7 section to explore the api documentation, libraries, and developer guides we hope you have fun building with busy bar we‘re continuously expanding the platform with new capabilities support for executable apps is coming soon stay tuned! what is the busy sdk and when will it be available? the busy sdk will allow developers to build javascript applications that run directly on busy bar we plan to release it later this year stay tuned! recycling how to remove the battery before disposing of busy bar local regulations may require you to remove the battery before disposing of electronic devices follow the steps below to safely remove the battery from your busy bar \ step 1 \ remove the back cover start disassembly by removing the glossy black cover from the back of the device, which covers the back display use a plastic card to release one of the clips near the center at the bottom of the back cover gently release the remaining clips until the back cover comes off completely the back cover is held in place by 8 clips \ step 2 \ remove the screws use a ph1 screwdriver to remove the 5 screws 4 screws on the back of the device 1 screw on the bottom of the device \ step 3 \ remove the front display unit \ important \ do not pull the display unit too far out of the housing, as this may damage the display cable or connectors do not disconnect the display cable the battery must be disconnected first use a plastic card to release the 2 latches on top of the front display gently pull the front display unit out toward the right \ step 4 \ remove the battery gently move the battery to the left so you can access the connector use tweezers or your fingertip to press the connector latch pull the battery connector to disconnect it from the pcb