How do I take a meal or break in the mobile app?

When your company applies meal or rest break rules to your work, you can record each break without clocking out of the shift. The app shows the next break time, tracks an active break, and may ask about missed breaks when you check out.

Applies to: Employees who use the Clean Smarts mobile app for timekeeping. You need an active check-in with meal and break settings. Most employees clock in through Timetracking (Check in); some companies also allow location-based punches through Locations (Mobile Only). Breaks do not have a separate mobile permission.

Before You Start

Stay clocked in to your work location. Starting a break does not use Slide to check out.
Confirm that meal and break settings apply to your current work. The orange break control is hidden when the active check-in has no break setting.
A lunch or break time adjustment is different from a break employees punch themselves. An automatic adjustment can change total time at checkout without adding the mobile break control. Ask an administrator to confirm Meal and break settings apply to you, not only an adjustment.
If Android asks for Exact alarm permission when you check in, allow it. The app uses exact alarms for scheduled break reminders and may not finish checking you in until the permission is enabled.

Find the Break Control

The break control is on the Main tab for the location where you are clocked in. It is not a separate option under MORE.

Tap the CURRENT SESSION bar above the bottom navigation if you are on another part of the app.
Open the location's Main tab.
Find the orange tile with the coffee-cup icon beside Slide to check out. Before a break starts, the tile shows the next scheduled break time. During a break, it shows the time remaining.

Start a Meal or Rest Break

Tap the orange break tile.
Review the message: - You can take a [number]-minute break identifies a paid rest break. - You can take a [number]-minute meal break identifies an unpaid meal break.
Tap Take my break now.

The tile changes to a countdown after the break starts.

If the break is not available yet, the app shows Your next break is at … or Your next meal break is at … instead of starting it. When your company's policy allows early starts, the available action is Take my break early.

Important: Use the break control once. Do not slide to check out and back in for a scheduled break.

End a Break

Tap the orange countdown tile.
Review the time left on the break.
Tap End my break.

What happens next depends on your company's policy:

Manual end: The break ends when you tap End my break, and the tile returns to the next scheduled break time.
Full-length required: An early end request keeps the break open. The app shows Your break will end at … or tells you that you cannot end it until its full length.
Automatic end: The break ends at its planned time without another tap. The app tells you that the break ended and that you are back on the clock.

End an active break before you check out of the shift whenever possible.

Answer a Missed-Break Prompt at Checkout

When you slide to check out after a scheduled break time has passed without a recorded start, the app may show It looks like you missed one or more of your breaks.

Review each Missed break and its scheduled time.
Answer Did you take this break? - Choose Yes, taken as scheduled if you took it but did not record it in the app. - Choose No, not taken as scheduled if you did not take it as planned.
If you answer No, explain What happened that caused a break to be missed, late, short, or interrupted?
Tap Continue. The button stays unavailable until every break is answered and any required explanation is entered.

Answer accurately. Your response becomes part of the timekeeping record, and checkout continues after you submit it.

Troubleshooting and Break States

The orange break tile is missing. Make sure you are clocked in and viewing that location's Main tab. If it is still missing, ask an administrator to confirm how you are allowed to clock in and which Meal and break settings apply to you, the location, and the shift.
The tile shows a clock time. That is the next scheduled break. Tap it to see whether the break is available now.
You see Take my break early. Your company allows that scheduled break to start before its normal time.
You have no breaks scheduled for today. There are no remaining breaks in the current plan. If you already completed your breaks, no action is needed. If you expected one and have not taken it, ask your supervisor to check the shift.
A break is already in progress. Return to the active break and end it before trying another. If you use more than one device, continue on the device where the break started.
Breaks can only change while you're clocked in. The check-in is already closed, so the break cannot be started or ended from the phone.
You're not allowed to punch this break. Confirm you are signed in as the employee on the active check-in. A shared-device or account assignment may also need correction.
Couldn't update the break. Check whether the tile changed to a countdown before retrying. If it did not, reconnect, open MORE > Sync, return to CURRENT SESSION, and try once more while still clocked in.

The app can keep a configured break in local state during a connection loss, but the server owns the final break record and company policy. Use one device for the shift and sync after reconnecting to avoid conflicting break states.