+1 for RichardBrooks' post.

I haven't ever managed to maintain a relationship for more than about 10 months. I either come across as "uninterested" or "boring".... apparently.

Like Richard has said though, I think a large part of that is simply because we don't experience our emotions and interactions the same way others do.
To me, it's not boring to do the same thing every day if it's something I enjoy.
To me, I am interested even if I don't want to meet up every day of the week or always stay over (I like my own bed and I like my own house and space because my routines fit better with that, less anxiety).

Emotions for me are a tough one, they are usually very on or off. I only recently came to understand that most people not on the spectrum experience a 'technicolour' of emotions. That is to say, you can feel more than one emotion at a time and to varying degrees. For me that isn't the case, if I'm happy then I'm happy. There is no degree to which I am happy, I simply am. The same is true if I'm sad, which is a difficult one to experience because it can last anywhere from hours to weeks and being sad and only sad is not a nice way to be. This can make relationships (not just romantic ones) difficult.

My thoughts work in a similar fashion, I'm very prone to 'singular thought' where if I'm thinking about one thing or worrying about one thing in particular, then nothing else around me is even considered. That doesn't mean it's not important to me, it's just not what I'm thinking about right now. Which I would say is probably how your friend was when trying to set the clock on his phone.