TimerDashboardHabitsAI HelperLabelsGroupsLeaderboardPricing
More
Study PlantGoalsBlogTodo ArchivesBecome a CreatorSettingsAppearanceSupport

Anti-Cheat Measures

How we maintain fair competition on the leaderboard

What does the flag mean?

Users with this flag have been identified with suspicious activity patterns that suggest impossible or unrealistic study times. This helps maintain fairness on the leaderboard.

✅ Good news: After 3 weeks of normal study behavior, the flag is automatically removed!

If you believe you were flagged incorrectly, you can appeal by contacting support with evidence of your legitimate study sessions.

How We Detect Suspicious Activity

Impossible Daily Hours

Any account showing more than 24 hours of study time in a single day is automatically flagged. This is physically impossible and indicates timer manipulation.

Unrealistic Weekly Patterns

Users studying more than 100 hours per week (avg 14+ hours/day) are reviewed. While possible, this pattern is highly suspicious when sustained.

Extremely Long Sessions

Single study sessions lasting more than 12 hours without breaks are flagged. Real studying requires breaks for food, sleep, and rest.

Account Age Analysis

New accounts with excessive study hours relative to account age are reviewed. For example, 200 hours in the first 3 days is highly suspicious.

Consequences for Cheating

1st Offense: Warning Flag

  • • Flagged with ⚠️ on leaderboard (visible to all users)
  • • Suspicious sessions may be reviewed and removed
  • • Email notification sent to admin team
  • • You can still use all features normally

2nd Offense: Session Deletion

  • • Suspicious study sessions permanently deleted
  • • Total study time and stats recalculated
  • • Warning flag remains visible
  • • Timer and premium features still accessible

3rd Offense: Leaderboard Ban

  • • Permanently removed from all leaderboards
  • • Profile hidden from public view
  • • Cannot participate in competitions or rankings
  • • ✅ Timer, goals, groups, and premium features remain fully functional

You Can Always Use StudiesTimer

Even if you're banned from the leaderboard for extreme cheating, you will NEVER lose access to:

  • ✅ Study timer and Pomodoro features
  • ✅ Personal statistics and analytics
  • ✅ Goals, labels, and custom themes
  • ✅ Study groups and social features
  • ✅ Premium features (if subscribed)
  • ✅ All other StudiesTimer functionality

Our goal is to keep leaderboards fair, not to punish users. You can still benefit from StudiesTimer's productivity tools even if you can't compete on the leaderboard.

🤔 Think You Were Flagged Unfairly?

We understand that legitimate users may occasionally be flagged due to unusual (but real) study patterns, such as intense exam preparation or deadline crunches. If you believe you were flagged by mistake:

✨ Automatic Removal After 3 Weeks

Continue studying normally, and after 3 weeks of regular behavior, your flag will be automatically removed. No action needed!

Or, if you want an immediate review:

  1. Contact our support team with your username and the dates in question
  2. Provide context (e.g., "I had finals week", "Working on a major project")
  3. Include any evidence of legitimate study sessions
  4. Our team will manually review your case within 48 hours
Contact Support

Our Commitment to Fair Play

StudiesTimer is built to help students genuinely improve their study habits. We take cheating seriously to ensure the leaderboard remains a source of motivation and healthy competition for our community.

Questions? Contact us