What's new with WhatPulse?

Beta 6 fixes the missing startup setting on Windows, turns on macro blocking by default, and fixes several crashes found in earlier betas.

Launch on startup

• Windows: Launch when computer starts was missing from Settings > General for some users, mostly on all-users installs or after switching install types. A leftover entry from older installers hid the setting and could stop WhatPulse from starting at all. The setting is now always shown and always under your control.
• Windows: if you turn WhatPulse off under Startup apps in Task Manager, the checkbox in WhatPulse now reflects that. Ticking it again turns startup back on in Task Manager too.
• Windows: on all-users installs, every account on the computer keeps starting WhatPulse at sign-in after updating.
• Pro: administrators can set the startup behavior with launch_on_start_policy in settings-overrides.ini. When startup is managed, the checkbox is shown locked with a note, instead of being hidden.

Stability

• Fixed a crash in the collector on macOS while it updated network port information.
• Fixed a crash on Windows at startup while looking up running processes.
• Fixed crashes on Windows when several parts of WhatPulse looked up application information at the same time.
• Fixed a crash that could happen while WhatPulse was quitting, and another during shutdown on Windows.
• Reduced how often a Windows bug in time zone handling, seen on some Windows 11 systems, could crash WhatPulse.

Installer

• The installer now follows your system's light or dark mode, and it's much prettier.
• If you decline or cancel the administrator prompt, the installer now offers to try again or stop, instead of showing a dialog that could be unresponsive.

More in this release

• macOS: the green checkmark in the permissions window is no longer cut off, and screen readers now announce when a permission is granted.
• Repetitive input patterns that look like macros or auto-clickers are now blocked by default, instead of only being logged. Normal typing and clicking are not affected.
• WhatPulse is now built on Qt 6.11.

How to update

You can update to this beta version by enabling the beta channel in Settings > General and using Check for updates.

Beta 5 fixes several crashes found in earlier betas, helps the website tell apart applications that share a name, and brings crash reporting to Linux.

Stability

• Fixed a crash in the Geek Window when a pulse or a settings change arrived while it was refreshing, most often with network bandwidth variables in the layout.
• Fixed a crash in the collector while it shut down.
• Fixed a crash that could happen while WhatPulse was quitting.

Better application recognition

Many applications, games in particular, have generic file names such as game.exe or launcher.exe and no publisher. The website could only match these by name, so unrelated apps were merged into one. WhatPulse now also sends what identifies an app more precisely:

• Windows: the publisher from the app's digital signature.
• macOS: the developer's Team ID from the app's signature, so Mac App Store apps are no longer all attributed to Apple.
• Games: the store and store ID for games installed through Steam, the Epic Games Store, GOG or the Microsoft Store.

Applications you already use are updated once in the background.

Linux

• Crash reports are now sent on Linux too, so we can find and fix crashes there. You can turn this off with Send bug and usage reports in Settings > General.
• Smaller packages: unused database drivers are no longer included.

More in this release

• macOS: the installer disk image now has a clear background with instructions, and the installer is called Install WhatPulse.
• The rows in the league block on the Overview page are now evenly spaced.
• Closing WhatPulse from the command line (--exit_client) now also stops the collector and waits until both have closed. When WhatPulse isn't running, it no longer starts it. This fixes uninstalling through package managers such as Chocolatey.

How to update

You can update to this beta version by enabling the beta channel in Settings > General and using Check for updates.

Your WhatPulse profile page has been rebuilt to show off your stats. Your weekly activity, rankings and newest badges are now at the top, along with how you're doing in this week's league round, including your division, rank and recent form.

Live numbers in your bio now stand out, so visitors can see what's real-time. Hover over a number to see which variable it comes from. Add a few to your bio and it updates itself every time you pulse.

The new Share button sends your profile to friends straight from your phone or browser, or copies the link in one click. Open your profile, check it out, and show everyone what your keyboard has been up to!

Beta 4 adds league standings, fixes inflated stats after deleting a profile, and brings a large batch of Linux fixes.

League standings

When you're in the Leagues, the Overview page now shows your division, rank, zone and the time left in the round, and says so when scores are hidden near the end. Click it to open the full leaderboard. The Geek Window gets matching league variables for your own layout.

Linux

• AppImage updates now replace the installed version and restart WhatPulse, instead of leaving the old version running. The beta channel now works on Linux too.
• AppImage: fixed update checks that could stop working until restart.
• Flatpak: fixed WhatPulse starting without a tray icon or window on KDE Plasma and GNOME, and the collector failing to start at login.
• The WhatPulse window is now grouped with its launcher in the dock.
• AppImage on GNOME: follows a light desktop instead of starting dark, and the tray icon is visible on the dark top bar.
• IPv6 network traffic is now attributed to the right application.
• Wayland: native apps no longer disappear from application uptime when an XWayland app such as Steam is open.
• Wayland: the sidebar flyout opens next to the sidebar instead of mid-window.
• Graphics cards and processors are now detected.
• One autostart entry: removing WhatPulse from your startup applications now also stops data collection at login.
• Fixed a collector freeze while the browser extension was connected.
• Network monitoring now runs in the collector. If you used setcap to allow network capture, grant it to whatpulse-collector instead.

More in this release

• Total uptime now counts only time WhatPulse measured itself, so a wrong system date can no longer skew it.
• Fixed: Some game controllers on Windows are counted again. Since beta 3 they were mistaken for virtual controllers.
• Windows 10: removed a thin gray line along the bottom edge of windows.
• macOS: opening WhatPulse from Finder, Launchpad, Spotlight or Raycast while it is running now opens the main window.
• Fixed: Deleting a profile left its stats behind after copying them to General, so the combined view counted them twice.

How to update

You can update to this beta version by enabling the beta channel in Settings > General and using Check for updates.

Beta 3 is all about stability. Crash reports from the first two betas pointed us at a set of problems in the heatmaps, input capture, network monitoring, and shutdown, and this release fixes them. It also merges the two Uptime application pages into one, introduces virtual game controller counting, and fixes two window layout issues.

Fewer crashes

• Fixed crashes when closing the window, quitting, or switching theme or language while a keyboard or mouse heatmap was still loading.
• Fixed a crash when resizing or zooming a large mouse heatmap while it was being generated.
• Windows: fixed memory corruption in input capture that could crash the collector at random moments.
• macOS: fixed collector crashes when logging out or shutting down.
• Fixed crashes when quitting WhatPulse within a few seconds of starting it, or when launching it again while it was still shutting down.
• Fixed several other rare crashes during shutdown.

Applications page in Uptime

Uptime > Applications and Uptime > Application Activity are now one page. Use the Activity / Data toggle at the top to switch between the 24 hour activity graph and the per-application list, the same way you switch views on Input > Keyboard and Network > Countries. WhatPulse remembers which view you picked.

Virtual game controllers

Some automation tools create a virtual Xbox controller, mostly for remapping and game-support. These controllers were not counted until now. Meaning controller remapping tools keep working for people who actually play with a gamepad. Plug in your controller after starting a remapper and it is picked up within a few seconds.

Network traffic fixes

• On machines with two or more active network adapters, traffic could be attributed to the wrong address, port, or direction. Each adapter is now processed independently.
• On dual-stack connections, IPv4 and IPv6 traffic could be merged into a single entry. They are now kept apart.

More in this release

• Windows 10: the main window no longer opens with its right and bottom edges cut off (including the window buttons and status bar) when restoring its saved size.
• The sidebar flyout that appears when hovering a collapsed sidebar no longer has a strip of empty space along its right and bottom edges.

How to update

You can update to this beta version by enabling the beta channel in Settings > General and using Check for updates.

Beta 2 has a fresh icon set across the whole app, fixes for the milestones settings and the geek window labels, rounded window corners on Windows 10, and better privacy in the diagnostics that beta builds send us.

We got our icon game right

Every icon in WhatPulse now comes from one consistent icon set: the overview, the sidebar, the settings pages, and the title bar. Sharper on high resolution displays, consistent in weight and size, and no more odd one out.

Milestones settings fixes

• Adding a milestone now shows up in the list right away instead of only after reopening the window.
• Deleting a milestone no longer leaves the remaining rows stretched across the old height.
• Editing a milestone's amount now updates the value shown on the row when you confirm it.
• The amount editor no longer opens with a black background in light mode and the other way around.
• Tables in the settings (milestones, profiles, exclusions) now grow and shrink with the number of rows they hold.

Geek window labels stay put

Adding a label to the geek window could silently lose it on the next save, or attach it to the wrong entry so that editing or deleting it changed a different label. Labels are now stored correctly, keep the position you dropped them at, and the whole layout is saved in one go so a failure halfway cannot leave it half empty.

Windows 10: rounded window corners

On Windows 10, small square corners stuck out past the rounded WhatPulse window frame. The window is now clipped to the shape it paints. Windows 11 is unchanged.

More in this release

• Beta and prerelease builds always send bug and usage reports. These builds exist to find problems before a stable release, so the setting is shown checked and locked with a note explaining why. Regular and Pro builds are unaffected.
• Diagnostic log lines sent with crash reports are now scrubbed of web addresses, home folder paths, e-mail addresses, and text values from database queries before they leave your machine.

WhatPulse 7.0 is the biggest change under the hood since the app was first written: stats collection now runs in its own background process, separate from the window you interact with. On top of that, this beta brings a new sidebar navigation, a built-in feedback and problem reporting window, a single universal macOS build, and a long list of fixes.

Collection and interface are now separate

WhatPulse is now two parts: a small background collector that counts your keys, clicks, uptime, and network traffic, and the app window you already know. The collector starts at login and keeps counting on its own, so closing, restarting, or even crashing the window never interrupts your stats. Heavy work in the window, like rendering a large heatmap, can no longer slow down counting. Quitting WhatPulse from the tray still stops everything. If the collector ever stops unexpectedly, the app restarts it for you, and the status bar shows whether the two are connected.

The window is now so fast it's ridiculous.

macOS: permissions need to be granted again

Because the collector is a new program, macOS will ask you to allow Input Monitoring and Accessibility for it once after updating. WhatPulse keeps tracking uptime and network traffic in the meantime and guides you through the prompt. This is a one-time step.

New sidebar navigation

The top navigation bar and the per-page tab strips are replaced by a single sidebar on the left, with all pages and their sub-pages in one place. Collapse it to a slim icon rail and hover to reveal sub-pages. A page header carries the page title and the profile filter. Prefer the old layout? Switch back under Settings > Appearance > Navigation.

Send feedback from inside the app

A new feedback icon in the title bar lets you report a problem, suggest a feature, or send other feedback without leaving WhatPulse. Problem reports can attach your logs and statistics database so we can actually see what went wrong. Also under Settings > Advanced > Report a problem.

One macOS build for Intel and Apple Silicon

The macOS app is now a single universal build, no more separate builds for Intel and Apple Silicon. The installer and updater run natively on Apple Silicon instead of under Rosetta, and everyone converges onto the same update channel automatically.

Smarter updates

When an update is available, an "Upgrade to x.y.z" button stays visible in the status bar until you install it. Beta builds now watch both the beta and stable channels and take whichever is newer, so running a beta never leaves you stuck behind a stable release. Windows patch updates swap the app and the collector together, all or nothing.

Tray and keyboard accessibility

The tray popup is now fully usable with the keyboard and screen readers. On macOS, a right-click on the tray icon opens a native menu with Pause/Resume tracking. Launching WhatPulse from the Dock, Spotlight, or Finder while it is already running now opens the window.

Cleaner window title lists

Titles that change constantly, like FPS counters, media timestamps, download percentages, and unread badges, are now collapsed into one entry instead of creating a new row every second. A background cleanup gradually tidies up titles recorded before this change.

More in this release

• Fixed the mouse heatmap "Prune older than 3 months" setting deleting old heatmap data even when it was turned off.
• Fixed the tray popup's Today and Week views counting everything since your last pulse twice.
• Windows: WhatPulse now detects the "High DPI scaling override" compatibility setting, which broke the tray popup on scaled displays, and tells you how to turn it off.
• Sleep and wake are now detected on Linux, so counting pauses correctly when you suspend your machine.
• Crash reporting is now available on macOS as well as Windows. It follows the existing "Send bug reports" setting and never records what you type, window titles, or app names.
• Online database backups now strictly verify the server's certificate, the update helper is stricter about which files it touches, and the app is more careful with website icons served by misbehaving servers.

Your keys and clicks now put you into a fresh competition every week. You'll compete in a group of roughly 50 active users, starting in Bronze and working your way through eight divisions all the way to Legend. Finish near the top to get promoted, stay safely in the middle, or risk relegation at the bottom.

Your normal WhatPulse activity is all that counts - no timers or extra tracking. Every Monday brings a new group and scores start back at zero, while Friday's final sprint hides your rivals' scores for the last stretch of the competition. Head to Dashboard → Leaderboards → Leagues to meet your first opponents. See you in Bronze!

Changes

• Updated Russian translation, thanks to Minto Hoshikawa
• Fixed the "today" stats values in the tray menu. For some people, it was including the unpulsed stats.

A small follow-up release to 6.3 with a few bug fixes and interface improvements.

Scroll counting fixes

• Fixed an issue where scrolls weren't being counted for some mice using software such as Logitech Options+
• Improved scroll direction detection for certain high-resolution mouse wheels.

Input stats

• Gamepad and dictation device buttons once again show their correct names in the input statistics.

Other improvements

• Slightly larger tray menu icons and text for better readability.
• Added a Download avatar packs link in Settings → Geek Window, making it easier to browse and install new desktop avatars.