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Pomodoro Timer

Pomodoro timer on the Lock Screen, Dynamic Island and Home Screen

Start the timer and a Live Activity lands on your Lock Screen, and on the Dynamic Island too if your iPhone has one, showing the phase and the time left. The Home Screen widget in small, medium and large sizes is a Premium feature, and on iOS 18 or later a Control Center button can start or pause the timer without unlocking the phone.

2 min read · Updated 2026-09-16

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Why see the timer outside the app?

The whole point of a focus block is not touching the phone. A countdown you can read at a glance on the Lock Screen answers "how long until the break?" without an unlock, right at the moment most distractions actually start.

What each place shows

Where the timer appears outside the app
PlaceWhat you seeHow it appears
Lock ScreenPhase, time left, session number in the cycle, task label and progressStarts by itself when you start the timer
Dynamic IslandCompact countdown; press and hold to expand itSame Live Activity, on iPhones with a Dynamic Island
Home Screen widgetSmall, medium or large view of your focusAdd it from the Home Screen; listed as a Premium feature
Control CenterA button to start or pause the timeriOS 18 or later; add it from Control Center

Set up the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island countdown

  1. In the iPhone Settings app, open the app's page and make sure Live Activities are allowed.
  2. Open Pomodoro Timer and tap play on the Timer tab.
  3. Lock the phone: the countdown appears on the Lock Screen.
  4. On an iPhone with a Dynamic Island, go to the Home Screen or another app to see the compact timer at the top.
  5. When the phase ends, the Live Activity updates; tap it to open the app and start the next phase.

Add the Home Screen widget

  1. Touch and hold an empty spot on the Home Screen until the icons jiggle.
  2. Tap the add button, find the app in the widget list and choose small, medium or large.
  3. Place it and tap Done.

Worth knowing upfront: the upgrade screen lists Home Screen Widgets as a Premium feature, so budget for that if the widget alone is why you're installing this.

Start or pause from Control Center (iOS 18 and later)

Open Control Center, tap edit, add the Pomodoro Timer control, and you can start or pause without opening the app at all. On older iOS this control doesn't exist; the Live Activity still works fine without it.

If the countdown doesn't show up

  • Live Activities turned off for the app, in the iPhone Settings app.
  • The timer is stopped, not running or paused. Stopping ends the Live Activity along with the session.
  • No Dynamic Island on your iPhone. That's fine, use the Lock Screen view instead.

Questions and answers

Does the pomodoro timer show in the Dynamic Island?
Yes, on iPhones that have one. It shows the running countdown while the timer's active and expands when you press and hold it.
Is there an Apple Watch complication?
No Apple Watch app at all, so the countdown lives only on the iPhone: Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, Home Screen widget, Control Center.
Why does the Lock Screen countdown disappear when I stop?
Because stopping ends the session, and the Live Activity goes with it. Pause instead if you want the countdown to stick around.

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