Rain is denser and falls cleanly over the lake. Fairy lights switch independently and stay hidden in daylight.
Random fireworks last one to five minutes behind the city. Barge fireworks stay in the foreground.
The Add & dot button has been removed. Ordinary Add and Dot in each task’s editor remain available.
Rooftop garden lights now appear half as often: each eligible roof independently has a one-in-twelve chance of being lit.
October 1, 2026
Undoing evergreen Done clears its rest period and countdown, including after saving or reloading.
Rooftop garden lights now appear less often, with an independent one-in-six chance for each roof.
Return as candidate can end an evergreen rest period early. Completed sessions stay in History; Undo restores the rest period.
September 30, 2026
Biplane messages wrap to fit their banners. The party barge is ten times rarer, waits at least half an hour between visits, and matches the scale of other boats. Rooftop garden lights switch independently; every garden can be lit or dark by chance.
Returning sessions show syncing while sign-in is restored. Dates outside the current year now name the year, including Start, Due and History. Settings offers a date format that follows the system by default, with month/day/year, day/month/year and year-month-day overrides saved immediately.
Reopening the installed app now releases cloud requests interrupted by sleep, refreshes the connection, and checks the server before resuming a save. Interrupted attempts no longer wait for an old timeout or create a false error; real connection failures still appear in Diagnostics.
Cloud sync now overlaps independent downloads and avoids an empty resume read for newly created uploads, while still verifying every complete snapshot. A confirmed save no longer waits through a full network timeout for optional timestamp metadata. The two-second edit debounce remains, and the synced badge still requires a server acknowledgement.
Settings now keeps timestamped sync error codes beneath Diagnostics download for one hour, even after sync recovers. The same code is logged at most once every ten minutes, and expired entries clear automatically. A small thundercloud appears beside the current error indicator and clears when the error resolves.
Nighttime fireworks now launch more often, with colored trails reflected in the lake. A rare festival barge floats across the lake with a stage, dancing crowd, slow lighting and a longer fireworks show, without strobes. Fireworks bloom into varied sparks, curved trails and fading embers.
Short buildings favor subtle brick colors while tall towers favor modern facades. Nighttime window changes now select visible windows.
Airplanes now show shaded wings, a cockpit and clearer body detail, while message biplanes use a single landing-gear set. The skyline adds no new low-rise backdrop or metropolis-edge trees. Some eligible short towers keep rooftop gardens; others have rooftop patios with warm fairy lights. Rarely, one eligible shorter roof at a time hosts a brief party with colored spotlights that sweep slowly at night. The tallest towers and all lightning-rod towers stay clear.
September 29, 2026
Restore and Reset now stop safely if your board or signed-in account changes while their recovery copy is saving. Your newer work stays open, and the completed recovery copy remains available.
Cloud sync now stops rejected writes instead of repeating them after every read. The error button offers Retry sync, Reload app, and Sign out; reload waits for your latest edits to save. Failed reads cannot release another conflicted write, and older saved boards keep their first upload pending until confirmed.
Temporary failures while reading cloud board chunks now retry automatically instead of being mistaken for damaged data. Genuine permission errors and corrupt snapshots still stop safely.
Boards now move automatically into verified transactional browser storage that can keep edits, Undo, Restore, Reset backups, manual recovery copies, and unknown board fields beyond the old local-storage ceiling. The retained older browser bytes are never deleted during migration; if the new store is temporarily unavailable, they stay recovery data instead of being mistaken for the current board.
Cloud sync now stores large boards as verified UTF-8 chunks behind one revisioned manifest. An interrupted or corrupt upload stays invisible, concurrent devices still use revision comparison, and automatic cleanup retains the current and previous complete generations while retiring older published data.
Existing one-document cloud boards remain readable and migrate on their next successful save. After migration, older clients cannot replace the new manifest. Automatic device history keeps one stable daily copy and one latest copy while manual, displaced-edit, account-switch, and protected recovery copies remain explicit.
Edits made while device storage is finishing another save now follow that save without being marked durable too early. Old app tabs are checked through both retained browser keys, blocked device storage fails closed without hanging startup, and optional automatic history cannot block a primary save that fits.
TrueSkill chance forecasts now integrate candidates against one shared uncertain benchmark even when rating uncertainties differ greatly, and Yes/No judgments use the same performance noise as rank updates. Imported ratings are bounded before calculations. Settings labels the current-board view, copy, and download area Diagnostics download; all recovery controls and backups remain available.
The distant clocktower now meets the lake edge on tablets, phones, and short landscape screens.
September 28, 2026
Cloud sync now resumes automatically when startup repairs two browser copies left by different app versions. A stalled Firestore read or write becomes a visible timed-out attempt and retries through a fresh read, while unreadable local data, account changes, and real permission errors remain blocked.
Boards whose deletion history grew past the cloud limit now repair themselves automatically. Only byte-for-byte duplicate deletion facts are removed; distinct recovery evidence remains intact, and the smaller board is saved on this device before cloud sync retries.
After a device save recovers, the app now retries the matching cloud read or write automatically. A successful read clears the old error, pending edits stay marked syncing until their write is acknowledged, and a real backend or permission failure remains visible.
Reset everything now asks for a second explicit tap and first keeps an exact restorable copy of the current board. If that device backup cannot be saved, the reset stops without changing the board.
When retained recovery copies fill browser storage, the app now losslessly compacts their archive and retries the save automatically. Manual, displaced, protected, and unreadable recovery bytes remain intact; ordinary edits and cloud adoption no longer require manual backup deletion when compaction creates room. The cloud button also stops saying synced while the latest edit is not saved on this device.
When a newer cloud board already contains every local task, its redundant safety copy no longer stays protected while waiting for a cloud write that will never be needed. The copy remains in local history, while later edits can rotate it when browser space is full; displaced or conflicting edits remain protected.
Cloud errors now identify whether sign-in, reading, writing, or local reconciliation failed and show a safe error code. Invalid cloud revisions stop before writing, and signing back into the same account reads its current board before sending a local edit.
Signing in now opens the Google account chooser, so signing out can actually switch to a different board and account.
Settings can now view, copy, or download the board currently open in this tab, including an edit that device storage could not save. Device-save warnings also include a stable stage and code that Settings repeats without exposing board contents.
Pasted tasks now keep their chosen prerequisite, Worked on it tasks stay under Ineligible until their hold clears, and restored identifiers remain plain data in every task and context control.
Cloud-confirmed recovery copies now stop consuming protected device storage after their exact sync is acknowledged. An overwritten offline edit remains a durable recovery copy until you remove it, even when it had reused that day’s automatic backup. A full iPhone or iPad store still opens its readable saved board, and later edits can rotate released automatic history instead of failing.
Saving an ordinary edit now uses the available board storage even when optional automatic backup history is full. Manual and protected recovery copies remain untouched, and automatic history resumes when space returns.
Downloaded app updates now open immediately when this board is already saved, without making another backup write. If an edit is unsaved, the update stays pending with a visible notice while update checks continue.
Cloud sync on opening now keeps offline tasks alongside newer tasks from another device and saves the merged board before sending it. The earlier board stays in Settings backups; if this device cannot save a recovery copy, sync stays paused without replacing it. Settings now shows unreadable backups and lets you view or download their original data; deleting one copy leaves every other recovery copy untouched.
The Sun and Moon now act as the visible origin for each object's shadow, including railway spans, while starlight stays diffuse. The water keeps its clean earlier surface while local ripples distort different parts of the reflection with fine, irregular vertical shimmer instead of swinging buildings sideways; the waterline stays continuous, without striping or pixelation.
Rainclouds now have softly shaded, rounded contours that darken with the night sky. Rain and snow dim the scene gradually without a straight grey band or a darker lake strip, and shadows draw close to their objects as the Sun climbs high.
Lower trains cast shallow shadows along their tracks, and floating objects’ reflections meet their hulls without a visible seam.
Elevated electric metro cars no longer cast ground shadows; railway support shadows remain.
Elevated railway keeps its visible track and individual support shadows, without a second continuous shadow band.
Older automatic backups now clear as new ones arrive or browser space gets tight, so routine saves can continue. Manual copies, displaced local edits, stale-tab drafts, other-browser copies, and unsynced account-switch copies stay until you remove them.
Undo now clears older automatic backup history when needed to save your edit, while keeping manual and protected recovery copies. Restoring a backup also keeps the exact board it replaces through a storage-quota retry.
September 27, 2026
Chosen sky coordinates, their label and time zone, and scene time and season now sync with the signed-in board across devices. The device keeps an offline copy, and switching accounts clears the previous account’s scene.
Tasks can now wait for one prerequisite task to be completed. Evergreen Done counts, and a deleted prerequisite releases its dependent task. Add and each task’s editor can set or remove the link.
Evergreen intervals can be entered in hours or days, with a countdown tag while a task rests.
Settings has collapsible sections. Scene time is green for live time and red for a chosen time; location is green when set and red when unset. Pass reset and bulk import are removed from Settings. Previously saved custom hourly quotes still play, and the FAQ explains the main controls.
Autumn leaves are smaller. Message planes now have classic biplane wings and wheels. Daytime water mirrors the skyline, and everything above the horizon can reflect in the lake by day and night. The sky and skyline now mirror at their original vertical scale, with the existing far shore naturally hiding higher reflections. The water grows a little softer farther from its horizon line. The Moon and skyline now reflect without horizontal striping while the water keeps its 30-frame-per-second animation pace. The reflected scene stays put while small surface ripples move independently. The waterline joins cleanly, metro cars keep their color as they cross in front of the lake, the road continues past mobile edges, and the railway keeps its deck, supports, and overhead electrical at night, sized to the metro cars. Rain is darker and easier to see, and fireflies gather in the foreground.
Floating boats and water wildlife now reflect their complete visible shapes at natural height in daylight and at night. Railway and ground shadows follow the Sun or Moon, while starlit nights keep faint diffuse shade. Far, middle, and foreground grass now share depth-scaled detail and density.
Pinch and other page zoom gestures are disabled while normal scrolling stays available. Footer text now uses a consistent size.
Bird flocks and bicycle packs vary in size, trams keep even spacing across screen sizes, and airborne visitors move more visibly up and down.
September 24, 2026
Older tabs can no longer bring back a task after you complete or delete it following multiple restores. Backup imports and restores now keep the history needed for sync to respect those choices.
September 23, 2026
Old tabs can no longer roll back tasks and History without keeping a recoverable copy. Cloud refresh also stops when the browser’s saved copy is unreadable.
Settings now keeps seven days of local backups and manual copies you can restore or delete. Restoring saves your current board first and keeps later tasks without a recorded deletion.
Cloud saves follow revision order and keep tasks unless you deleted them.
Account switches keep unsynced work in a local recovery copy, and Undo cannot move one account’s tasks into another. Backup restore warns before crossing accounts.
Quick edits from one tab wait for the previous cloud save, so an older confirmation cannot replace a newer change. If another device updates the same task first, this tab warns you and keeps a restorable copy.
Return as candidate stays visible in the task editor and greys out when unavailable.
Quick start now has a collapsed More FAQs section explaining Done, Worked on it, Dislodge, cooldowns, and early returns to scanning.
September 21, 2026
Separate tasks with the same name now keep their own completed and worked-on History entries.
A damaged backup, saved board, or cloud copy can no longer replace healthy tasks or stop the app from opening.
Start and Due use consistent field borders on iPhone in both Add and Edit, while keeping the date picker.
Keep the header visible now saves as soon as it is checked and reliably keeps Undo in reach while scrolling; the option remains off by default.
The top-K summary and sparkline stay aligned with done adding for now.
Double-tap zoom was disabled.
Add a task can now capture Evergreen recurrence hours and the 2 AM reset, starting at 18 hours with the day reset checked.
Start, Due, Evergreen, and neighboring Add controls now respect the pane's inner margins across narrow phones and short landscape layouts.
Dot from the All Tasks editor now ranks that task above the current benchmark. Done and Evergreen Done no longer change ratings.
Changelog
September 29, 2026
The first dot prefers the oldest eligible task that has never been marked Done. Worked on it does not count as Done. If all eligible tasks have been done before, scanning starts with the oldest eligible task.
September 19, 2026
At night, boats and nearby objects above the horizon reflect naturally in the water, including airplanes, the Moon, and stars.
The Add a task panel can be minimized and remembers that choice.
Every visitor starts with an individual travel speed, so faster arrivals can overtake slower ones. Vehicles hold that speed horizontally while vertical movement can still vary, the existing lower tram cars remain linked, and airplane banners switch to a dark, light-lettered night palette.
Tasks marked No, Can’t, or Dislodged appear under Ineligible until their marks clear.
First light, sunrise, sunset, and last light now have separate scenery controls and show times for the sky location. Solar times were checked across seasons, time zones, and polar days.
Jet skis and small water creatures are easier to see. Daytime visitors arrive twice as often.
Readers and groups linger longer, leave at varied times, and carry books by their sides.
Add tasks with start and due dates. Selecting Eligible clears other filters to show every eligible task.
Both scan modes start with the oldest eligible task. Done raises its preference rating; Worked on it leaves ratings unchanged.
September 16, 2026
Updates announce themselves with a toast pointing to this changelog.
Task editors show evergreen interval and day-reset controls only when Evergreen is checked.
Chance mode is the default for new scan preferences. Dislodge now lowers the task’s preference rating; Undo restores it.
Signing in while the app is loading now brings synced tasks into view without a manual refresh.
All Tasks has a separate All / Eligible / Ineligible filter row that combines with search and task-status filters.
Chance scans use TrueSkill win probabilities, including rating uncertainty, with no rating floor or offset. If no candidate can draw, scanning falls back to descending likelihood.
The scan-mode dropdown saves immediately, including when you close Settings without pressing Save.
Account switching keeps task lists separate after a cloud refresh. Cloud refreshes wait for edits, and Undo restores an imported scan correctly.
Add & dot now starts the daily reset clock. Tasks with a start date wake at midnight, and stop-scanning guidance uses the candidates actually ahead.
Changing the scan-mode setting now takes effect in the current scan. Choosing both modes also offers both buttons when resuming.
The installed app checks for updates whenever it opens or returns to the foreground. Available updates load automatically after you finish editing, without reinstalling.
Choose descending scans, TrueSkill-weighted chance scans, or both scan buttons in Settings. Chance order stays steady through undo and refreshes on a fresh pass or at 2 AM; decisions still update ratings immediately.
Set an evergreen interval for each task, with an optional 2 AM reset. New tasks default to 18 hours or the next day marker, whichever comes first; Settings lets you change those defaults.
September 14, 2026
Skywriters trace single human-written words in smoke, then fly away as the letters fade.
Hourly messages appear only when human-written copy is available. Anytime prompts show the current hour, such as 5 AM. Sky messages keep their existing behavior.
Trains and metros now run regularly throughout the day and night.
Event rates can be adjusted in SPAWN_RATES.md.
September 13, 2026 — Seasonal details
Rain showers last 20–45 minutes; thunderstorms last 30–60 minutes. Winter brings snow and snowstorms on the same shared weather schedule.
Winter visitors build snowmen, ski downhill, and make snow angels. Warm-weather outings wait for warmer seasons.
Autumn turns the landscape amber and brown, with leaves falling from trees and blowing in storms.
Spring brings scattered flowers and tree blossoms. Occasional gusts lift petals; rain and storms bring more petals and pollen.
Winter trees gather snow and occasionally shed small clumps. Seasonal debris gets livelier during storms.
Birds have individual plumage: distant sky birds look dark with hints of color, while nearby birds show more color.
People have varied hairstyles and hair colors, with helmets and hats kept clear.
Little propeller planes tow the messages overhead. Hot air balloons appear more often during the day.
More trains, riders, and people walking pass through the scene, including new scooter and hoverboard riders.
Season rules, weather timing, and visitor odds now share an expandable configuration; seasonal effects keep their own small budgets and visitor lifetimes.
September 13, 2026
One Sunrise / Sunset button switches between dawn and dusk.
Choose a season when locking the scenery, or follow the current season.
Cyclists pedal with connected hips and naturally bending knees.
Distant boats shrink with depth; windsurfers and small craft stay smaller than ships, and the far metro is smaller than the foreground train.
Ducks sometimes lift off from the lake and fly away.
Seasons now follow the actual equinox and solstice, with hemisphere and local date handling. Solar locks use the sky location’s calendar.
Choose the sky location’s time zone when it differs from your device. The Moon’s illuminated side now follows the Sun, and the midnight sun stays daylight.
Deer, foxes, rabbits, and raccoons occasionally wander through the foreground: a 1% chance every 30 seconds, up to four animals, independent of other visitors.
Picnic groups fold their blanket and gather their things; readers, couples, and kite flyers also finish up and walk away.
Occasional gentle rain follows the same real-time schedule across devices, including offline. Reduced motion keeps the rain still.
Settings now includes this changelog, with a check that catches undocumented app changes.