Leantime Mobile — Self-Hosted User Guide

 Everything you need to connect the Leantime Mobile app to your own self-hosted Leantime instance, plus how the main features work once you're in.

Just want to look around first? Tap Try Demo Mode on the app's first screen — it runs on sample data with no account, no server, and no setup.

Join the beta through iOS TestFlight.
Offer feedback through Github issues or the Testflight submission.

  Before you start: what your server needs

  Connecting the mobile app to a self-hosted instance has three requirements:

1. The AdvancedAuth plugin, installed and active. This is how the app signs is securely (see "Why AdvancedAuth is required" below).
2. HTTPS with a valid certificate. Your instance must be reachable over HTTPS with a real certificate — self-signed certificates won't work. Let's Encrypt and Cloudflare Tunnel both work well. A recent version of Leantime recommended.

Why AdvancedAuth is required

Short answer: so the app can sign in securely, without storing your password —and that secure sign-in lives in AdvancedAuth.

When you use Leantime in a web browser, the server keeps you signed in with a session — the browser and server quietly remember each other for that visit. A phone app can't rely on that. It needs its own secure access token: a credential it holds and sends with each request.

So instead of sending your password every time, the app sends your email and password once at sign-in, receives a token in return, and uses that token from then on. This is safer in real ways: the token can be revoked on its own (you can cut off the app's access without changing your password), it's limited to the app rather than your whole account, and it's where two-factor authentication is checked if you use it.

The endpoint that issues that token is part of AdvancedAuth — Leantime's authentication plugin, which also connects your workspace to single sign-on and other identity providers. So it isn't a mobile-only add-on: token sign-in for the app is one of several things it handles.

AdvancedAuth is a paid add-on, and that's deliberate: paid plugins are part of how a small team keeps Leantime's core open-source and maintained. If your instance already uses AdvancedAuth for single sign-on, you're ready to go. If not, an admin can add it from the [Leantime marketplace]

Connecting your instance   

1. On the connect screen, choose Self-Hosted.
2. Enter the full URL of your instance (for example, https://leantime.yourcompany.com).
3. Sign in with your Leantime email and password.

  If your account has two-factor authentication enabled, you'll be asked for your authenticator code next (see below).

Two-factor authentication

If your account has 2FA enabled, the app asks for your 6-digit authenticator code right after your password. Enter the current code from your authenticator app. Codes rotate every 30 seconds, so if one doesn't match, try the current one.

  What you can do depends on your role

 Leantime is a workspace product, so what the app lets you do follows your role in the workspace:

• Viewer / read-only: you can see your tasks, calendar, and notes.
• Commenter: you can also comment and react.
• Editor and above: the full experience — creating and editing tasks, tracking time, and logging work.

 If a button tells you your role can't do something, ask your workspace admin about your access level.

Notes

The Notes tab needs the Notes capability on your Leantime instance. If your server doesn't have it, the app will let you know rather than showing an empty tab.

  Notifications

The app offers on-device reminders you turn on yourself in Settings → Reminders: a gentle morning cue and an evening "plan tomorrow" nudge, each at a time you choose. It also alerts you when a focus timer session ends. These are all generated on your device — there are no server push notifications in this release.

  Two things to know:

• iOS asks for notification permission the first time you enable a reminder or sign in. If you tap "Don't Allow," reminders can't appear — turn them back on in your phone's Settings → Notifications → Leantime.
• Reminders are scheduled when the app runs. If you install a new build after your reminder time on a given day, that day's reminder moves to the next day.

Troubleshooting connection problems

  The app tries to tell you exactly what's wrong. The common ones:

• "Couldn't find that workspace" / typo errors — double-check the URL. It should be the full address, including https://.
• "Server didn't respond" — the instance may be down, offline, or behind a firewall blocking the app.
• Certificate error — your instance doesn't have a valid HTTPS certificate. You'll need a real one (self-signed won't work).
• "That doesn't look like Leantime" — the URL responded but isn't a Leantime instance; check the address.
• "Mobile access isn't enabled" — ask your workspace admin to turn on mobile access for the instance.

  Deleting your account or data

• Workspace owners: You → Settings → Delete Account opens your workspace's deletion page in the browser.
• Workspace members: your account is managed by your workspace owner — ask them to remove you, or simply sign out (which clears all local data from your

device).

  Still stuck?

  Email support@leantime.io for anything account- or data-related, or mobile@leantime.io for app-specific questions. Include your device model,
  iOS version, and that you're on a self-hosted instance — it helps us help you faster.

Updated on: 08/07/2026