Pomodoro Timer: frequently asked questions

Work on one thing for a set block, usually 25 minutes, then take a short break, usually 5. After a few blocks, 4 by default, you get a longer break, usually 15. Pomodoro Timer just runs that sequence and tells you when each phase ends so you don't have to watch a clock.

With the default Study mode, 4 focus blocks of 25 minutes, 3 short breaks of 5 minutes and one long break of 15 minutes add up to 130 minutes: 100 of focus and 30 of rest. If you change the lengths, the cycle changes with them.

Yes, and the breaks too; 25/5/15 is only the default. In Settings, the Timer section sets focus from 5 to 90 minutes, short breaks from 1 to 30 and long breaks from 5 to 60. The custom mode editor in the Modes tab allows focus blocks up to 120 minutes.

Yes, and this is the detail that matters most about it. The app stores the moment the phase will end and works out the time left from that, so locking the phone, switching apps or iOS killing it in the background doesn't stop it. A 25-minute phase that spent 400 seconds locked shows 18:20 when you come back.

No. There is no login and no sign-up anywhere in the app. Everything is stored on the device you use.

Yes. The timer, focus modes, tasks and stats all run without a connection. The network is only used to show ads on the free version and to process purchases.

Free: the timer with your own lengths, the Study mode, one custom mode, up to 3 pinned tasks and stats limited to the last 7 days and the last 10 sessions, with ads. Premium removes the ads and adds Deep Work and Light Focus, unlimited custom modes, auto-continue, ambient sounds, full history with a 90-day heatmap, goals and export. You can also unlock a locked mode for 1 hour by watching a short video.

Partly. Without Premium you see your totals, streak and history for the last 7 days, and the history list shows the last 10 sessions. Older history, the 90-day heatmap, charts, goals and data export need Premium.

Almost certainly the square stop button. It throws the session away instead of saving it, no confirmation dialog, nothing. Skip saves the minutes you did so far, and a session that runs to zero is always saved, even if the app was in the background.

So it can tell you that a focus block or a break is over when you are not looking at the screen, and warn you before an automatic start of the next phase. It asks for no other permission: no camera, microphone, location, contacts or health data.

No. Each device stores its own sessions and settings, and there is no iCloud sync in the app today. If you use both, treat them as two separate timers.

No. Pomodoro Timer runs on iPhone and iPad only. On iPhone, the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island show the running countdown.

On the free version, each phase waits for you to tap play, which gives you a moment to stand up or finish a thought. With Premium, a mode can start breaks and focus blocks automatically, with an optional countdown of 3 to 30 seconds before the next phase.

No. The seven ambiences are generated live by a small sound engine inside the app, so there is nothing to download and they never loop. They are part of Premium and play only while a focus phase is counting down.

There is a banner on the timer, stats and settings screens. Full-screen ads appear after a focus session ends or when you switch modes, at most once every 2 finished focus sessions, at least 10 minutes apart and no more than 8 a day. Premium removes all of them.

Yes, with Premium. Export Data in Settings saves your sessions as a CSV or JSON file for the last 7, 30 or 90 days, the last year, or all time.

Depends who you ask. Some people find a short, timed block easier to start and finish; others do better with blocks longer or shorter than 25 minutes. This is a timer, not a treatment: it just lets you pick lengths that suit you, say a 15-minute focus block in a custom mode.

It is deleted with the app, because it is stored only on that device and not in an account or cloud. Export your sessions first if you want to keep them.