History clock widget for Android
Your phone's clock, read as a year of English history
At 12:15 CrownMinute shows 1215, the year of Magna Carta. At 17:07 it shows the Act of Union of 1707. Through the day the widget moves across 22 centuries, so you learn history just by checking the time.
Free · No ads · Works offline
Right now, on your clock
CrownMinute's widget is showing the year 1215, or the most recent event before it.
How the history widget works
Every year in the timeline has its own minute of the day. Between those minutes the widget keeps the most recent event, and a tap opens its full story.
MOST OF THE DAY
00:01 – 20:26
The time reads straight as a year: 16:05 is the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, 19:14 is 1914. A year like 1485 can't be a time, so it waits for the evening.
LATE EVENING
20:27 – 23:36
The years that can't be written as a time, such as 1066, 1588 and 1666, each get their own minute.
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
23:37 – 00:00
The BCE era, from the earliest human footprints in England to Julius Caesar's crossings in 55 and 54 BCE.
Inside the app
605 carefully written events across more than 22 centuries: kings and queens, battles and treaties, charters, plagues, revolutions and the turning points that shaped England and the United Kingdom. Each has a short story, what happened, why it mattered and its sources.
Free, with an optional Premium
No subscription and no ads. Premium is a single purchase handled by Google Play.
Free
In English
- The history widget that turns the time into a year
- 605 events from the BCE era to the 21st century
- Short stories with "why it mattered" and sources
- Browse century by century and pick up where you left off
- Works offline, no account, no sign-in
Premium
One-time purchase
- Life in the UK test practice: 1,200 multiple-choice questions in 50 themed sets, every answer explained
- 24-question practice papers with a 75% pass mark and a record of every paper you finish
- A quiz widget with a new question every two minutes
- A Life in the UK focus for the timeline and the widget
- Russian and Ukrainian translations of the events and the quiz
Practice for the Life in the UK test
If you are applying for British citizenship or settlement, the Life in the UK test asks about British history, traditions, laws and everyday life. CrownMinute Premium covers the same ground in 50 themed sets, with papers of 24 questions and a 75% pass mark, the same length and pass mark as the real test.
HISTORY
Britain before 1066, Norman and medieval Britain, the Tudors and Stuarts, Georgian and Victorian Britain, the World Wars and post-war Britain.
GOVERNMENT AND THE LAW
Parliament and how laws are made, the monarchy, devolution, voting and elections, courts and the rule of law, police powers and victims' rights.
EVERYDAY LIFE
Rights at work, renting and housing, health services, taxes and National Insurance, consumer rights, travel, money, education and emergency help.
CULTURE
The four UK countries, notable British people, literature, music, sport, religions, celebrations and World Heritage sites.
Questions
How does the widget turn the time into a year?
Most clock times read directly as a year: 12:15 is 1215 and 17:07 is 1707. From 20:27 to 23:36 the widget shows the years that cannot be written as a time, such as 1066 or 1588, and from 23:37 to midnight it covers the BCE era. Between events the widget keeps the most recent one. To add it, open the menu in the app and choose "Add the history widget to the home screen".
Is CrownMinute free?
Yes. The timeline and the history widget are free in English, with no ads and no account. The Life in the UK test practice, the quiz widget, the Life in the UK focus and the translations are part of an optional one-time Premium purchase. There is no subscription.
Are these the official Life in the UK test questions?
No. CrownMinute is independent and not affiliated with the Home Office. Its questions are written for practice and are not the official test questions. Official information about the test, including how to book it, is at gov.uk/life-in-the-uk-test.
Does it need the internet?
No. The app's features work offline, and your reading and quiz progress stay on your device. Google Play is contacted only for the optional Premium purchase.
Is there an iPhone version?
Not yet. CrownMinute is available for Android on Google Play.
CrownMinute is an independent app and is not affiliated with the UK Home Office or the official Life in the UK test.
Sources: quiz facts about UK law, government and public services are checked against GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk, UK Parliament (parliament.uk) and the Office for National Statistics. Each history event lists its own sources in the app.