SkieWhat happens on the device when a schedule window starts or ends?
At the boundary the device switches its allowed app set to that of the new window. Apps outside it are hidden or suspended, and apps allowed in the new window appear again. Nothing is deleted, so data is kept. Open apps that are no longer allowed are closed from view.
A window boundary is a change of rules, applied on the device at the scheduled minute. When a lesson window gives way to break, the break apps appear. When the school day ends and night mode begins, the games and videos are hidden and only the dialler and clock remain.
Apps are hidden or suspended, not uninstalled. This is why a student returning to an app after the window finds their progress as they left it. The data is not wiped, because the app was never deleted.
Expect a short margin around the exact minute, because the device acts on its own clock check, and tell students and staff to treat times as approximate to a minute. If two windows overlap, the first matching one wins, so the change at a boundary follows the order of your list.
Because the clock is locked to automatic, changing the date does not move a boundary. If the tablet is offline, it still uses its cached schedule. A practical tip: before going live, stand next to a pilot tablet at the start of a window and watch the switch happen. Note whether an app a teacher expected is missing from the new set, and fix the list before the whole class meets it.