Randy Apps

About Our Site & App

This site develops and operates an app designed to help you intuitively grasp time around the world, along with providing related information.
We started developing this app with a simple desire: “We want to eliminate the hassle of calculating time differences when communicating overseas” and “We want to break down the walls of time zones so people can share time more smoothly.”
We will continue to improve our features and share information to support your global activities.

Randy Apps: The Developer Story

Hi everyone! We are Randy Apps. Thank you for your interest in us.
Randy Apps is a small indie app development team based in Japan.

The best way to get to know us is to talk about our “World Clock -Time Converter-” app. “World Clock -Time Converter-” represents the history, conviction, and philosophy of Randy Apps.
Only for those of you who have made it to this page, we would like to share a sneak peek behind the scenes of this time difference calculation app.

The Motivation Behind “World Clock -Time Converter-“

There were two main motives for creating “World Clock -Time Converter-“: the stress of calculating time differences and our dissatisfaction with existing world clock apps. At the time, we were extremely frustrated with both of these issues.

First, regarding the stress of calculating time differences.
People often think calculating time differences is just simple addition or subtraction, but when you actually try to do it, it can be quite a hassle.
Do you add or subtract? Time zones are broadly distributed based on longitude with the International Date Line as a reference point, but intuitively figuring this out was, at least for us, very difficult.

Then there’s the problem of Daylight Saving Time (DST). DST is adopted in many countries and regions, but the tricky part is that the start and end dates are not uniform. Furthermore, in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the timing of when it starts and ends is completely opposite.

It gets even more complicated when you need to calculate time differences across three or more time zones.
“I am in Japan. My coworker is in New York. And we need to set up a conference call with a client in London.”
In today’s globalized world, this kind of situation is not uncommon. What time would be the least burdensome for all three parties to start the meeting? Very few people can answer that instantly.

Next, regarding our dissatisfaction with existing world clock apps.
We released “World Clock -Time Converter-” as an iPhone app back in 2013. At the time, the iPhone already had a “World Clock” built into its standard Clock app, but we were far from satisfied with it.
The reason? The standard “World Clock” only shows the current time.

When people try to calculate time differences, they are usually looking into the future.

• When I arrive at my travel destination overseas, I want to call my family right away, but will they be asleep?
• I found out the local date and time for the NBA opening game, but what time is that in my region?

The advent of smartphones, especially the iPhone, was groundbreaking, and our team members at Randy Apps were fascinated by this tiny device. However, even this incredible technology couldn’t solve our frustrations with time differences.

After several discussions, we reached a conclusion: “If there is no app that solves the time difference problems we are facing, why don’t we just make one that satisfies us?” That was the moment we decided to develop “World Clock -Time Converter-“.

The “Time Bar” Idea: Inspired by Analog Watches

The idea for the “Time Bar,” the most important component of “World Clock -Time Converter-,” came from something very familiar.
The crown (winding knob) of an analog watch.

Let’s take a look at the app’s screen from when it was first released.

It looks quite different from what it does today, doesn’t it? Back then, this kind of 3D, “skeuomorphic” design (often called “rich design” in Japan) was the mainstream.

Now, if you look closely at the Time Bar, you’ll notice it has shading on the top and bottom, giving it a rounded appearance. We designed this in the image of the crown of an analog watch.
On an analog watch, turning the crown moves the hands on the dial, making time go forward or backward. It’s a casual action and mechanism that humanity has been familiar with for over 100 years, but to us at the time, this “casual action” seemed very dramatic and deeply suggestive. This was because, while developing “World Clock -Time Converter-,” we were constantly thinking about a UI (User Interface) that anyone could operate intuitively.

Of course, turning the crown of an analog watch doesn’t change the actual time we live in. However, within the small world of the watch dial—which can be said to be humanity’s symbol of time—time can travel freely between the past and the future.

“We might be able to use this for the app’s UI!”

We eagerly drew dozens of rough sketches for the app’s design. The “Time Bar,” the signature feature of “World Clock -Time Converter-,” was inspired by the long history of wristwatches.

AI and Time Zone Calculations

A long time has passed since we released “World Clock -Time Converter-” in 2013.
During that time, society has changed significantly, and the evolution of digital technology, starting with smartphones, has been remarkable. The most impactful change among them is probably the widespread adoption of AI.

AI now powerfully supports us in every aspect of our lives, and time difference calculations are no exception. We are now in an era where AI can shoulder the stress of calculating time differences mentioned earlier, complete with witty comments.

However, we at Randy Apps believe that even at this very moment, “World Clock -Time Converter-” still holds great value.
Just like an analog watch, we believe the value of a simple UI dedicated specifically to time difference calculation has not faded.

Thank you so much for reading this far!
If “World Clock -Time Converter-” can make your daily life even a little bit easier, nothing would make us happier.
We hope you will continue to support “World Clock -Time Converter-“.