Pomodoro - Focus Timer Reviews

I’ve been using Pomodoro for about a week. It’s very easy to use, and helps me be more productive. Would definitely recommend buying premium. It’s only five dollars and you only pay once. Not an annoying subscription that you have to pay every month. Also, with the premium comes lots of customization options and the rest of the sounds that play during the timer.

However. A few improvements could definitely be made here. It would be nice to be able to use things already on my phone for the customization, such as backdrops for the timer and the alarm sound (because i like piano but that’s not an option).

But overall, great app.

I used Pomodoro for a few days with just the free features, and I liked it so much that I bought premium for life. Unfortunately, it was only after that point that I started noticing some serious shortcomings.

Most importantly, the focus timer appears to stop counting down if you switch apps or lock your phone. I had a few sessions today that felt suspiciously long, so I checked the timer and saw that only a couple of seconds had elapsed. That’s a big enough drawback by itself to cause me to look for a different focus timer app.

Additionally, you can’t rename the default timer from “this app”. I wanted to create a “Work” timer and rename the default timer to “Study”, but I had to create two new timers to accomplish the same. Annoying, but not a huge deal.

Unfortunately, the statistics tab does not break down focus time by timer as I had hoped it would. You can go through the itemized history to see which timer you used for which focus session, but the visualizations combine all timers into one. Without premium, you can’t create additional timers, so I wasn’t able to check this before going premium.

I’m giving Pomodoro 2 stars instead of 1 because the ambient sounds are nice, and it works okay if you use only the basic features and are careful to always leave Pomodoro open when you’re using it. Still, I would recommend finding a different focus timer app.

I started doing this technique a while ago but didn’t start using Pomodoro until recently- up until then i was just using my phone. But this experience is seamless every time and the stats page is really helpful. It, unlike other this app apps, is perfectly effective without the premium version, and honestly I only bought the premium version (priced VERY reasonably, by the way) just so I could support the developer because I love Pomodoro so much. highly recommend for anyone who needs help focusing and staying oriented with a goal!!!!

I do work on my iPad every day and used this timer for months. It worked extremely well. Today, I updated it and I was sorely disappointed. The timer doesn’t count down anymore when I switch apps on my iPad to do work. How am I supposed to use the timer when it doesn’t even count down?

I would have rated it 5 beforehand, but no more. It’s no longer usable for me. This is so sad; Pomodoro was perfectly fine and I don’t understand the need to fix something that worked perfectly before. Unfortunately I’m going to have to find a new timer app.

My rating is 3 because it still works well if you stay on Pomodoro . But my work is all online/digital now and I can’t really do that, so minus 2 stars. Thanks for Pomodoro while it still worked.

Pomodoro is great when it works but at least once I’ve experienced a broken version update that completely crashed Pomodoro every time I tried to open it. And there is no way to contact the developer to repot the issue.

The “App Support” link in Pomodoro Store just goes to Pomodoro Privacy Policy. Which doesn’t list an email to contact the developer, either.

So minus one star for the lack of support capacity. Since I’m always worried before updating Pomodoro that it will break again. And it doesn’t have a big user community that I’m aware of to be able to check and see if there are know issues reported by others before updating.

Overall Pomodoro has gotten better I overtime with updates. However there are a few things that still need to be dealt with. The main one is a ringtone that is less annoying. Even just a simple beeping like an old school bedside alarm would be fine. The ones here are really bad. Another issue is for the price you should really be able to see how much time you spent on each timer. The stats groups it all together. And last, probably the worst one, even on a brand new iPhone 13 with empty storage Pomodoro still crashes during certain tasks. It’s really annoying. Overall it’s pretty good but not worth the 11 dollars for the full version unless a couple things are changed.

I downloaded that other this app app at the top of the list but then realized that they wanted you to pay to change any settings so I downloaded this one. And I LOVE IT! The interface is so simple and it’s very customizable- and you don’t have to pay a dime. I can also see my history and connect it to Siri. You set it to continue automatically and just use Siri to notify you, which is what I do. Just be careful though I once left it on running in the background for almost 22 hours!

This was the BEST this app app to use on Apple watch. Features like Voice feedback, auto continue, and the ability to switch between the working session and the break session without having to complete the timer, and the focus enhancing white noise collection are AMAZING! However, about 2,3 weeks ago, it stopped functioning properly. As soon as my watch goes to sleep, the timer STOPS. and a lot of times, the white noise won't play either. I desperately want this watch to work so I made sure that the OS on my phone and my watch are updated as well as Pomodoro itself. I uninstalled and reinstalled Pomodoro . And reset my connection setting, too but unfortunately, nothing worked. Like I said, it is THE BEST this app app when it did work. I am patiently waiting for the bug to get fixed!!!

*update* hitting the “restore” link returns premium features without having to pay more money. Still not thrilled about that so -1 star. Otherwise, Pomodoro does as advertised.

I am using the premium version of Pomodoro. But now I’m locked out of premium features and it’s asking for more money?! Not cool. I purchased this awhile ago as it helps with keeping track with the this app method. I enjoyed the white noise options (with noise canceling headphones) especially when working in a distracting environment. It worked for what it said it does (hence giving 2 stars), but I am not happy with the surprise cash grab.

I am exploring productivity tools that provide organization and mindfulness, like this this app app. The scenes and relaxing tunes are wonderful and diverse. It is straight forward too.

However, I would have loved to create my to do list, perhaps have a priority component, while I tune out all distractions with the amazing, mindful white noise in the same app. I have to have go between this and a separate priority app, which in itself can be counterproductive to my goal to be focused. I would gladly learn along if this function already exists, before I give it any more props.
Thanks,
GAgyap

I’ve never understood why it was so hard to find a simple this app app.
1- keeps the display awake will the this app is running
2- you can adjust the time of the this app in the main screen
3- in the bottom you can find how many Pomodoros you already completed in the cycle
4- you can choose your background and noise (I don’t understand why most of the other apps choose a red background, which is bad for concentration).
5- lets you choose if you want the pomodoros to start continuously or you have to select to start them.

Some other apps you have to jump through hoops to start a this app this one is simple, straightforward and serves its primary function without any of the complicated or extra gadgets.
Fully recommend trying.
Really looking forward to the Apple Watch companion.

Pomodoro has everything I need from a this app app. Plus, it’s free and it doesn’t have any ads. I don’t really use the statistics feature, but it’s interesting anyway. You can customize the length of the work sessions or the breaks. There’s also an option for a longer break every few sessions. It also has a Siri shortcut, which is very helpful. Overall, Pomodoro rocks.

Trying to use the Watch iOS version so I can focus while using my phone for dictation. Each day is a new experience. Sometimes it’s fine, next day Pomodoro won’t launch; today there is only one option for sound. This is the paid version. Support says to hit restore. I have done that in the past successfully but now it is not even available. At least I did not pay much for it. When it works, it is great!

Edit: OK I found the “restore” button but why does Pomodoro keep doing something different all the time?

Pomodoro functions nicely and watch app is also nice. I think 2 things can be added for improvement
1. Sync between the phone app and the watch app would be really useful. Now, each apps work kind of separately, and only the number of tomatoes are synced.

2. I cannot change remaining time on the watch app. In the phone app I could change the remaining time when paused. For the watch app, I couldn’t find a way to do it.

So I downloaded Pomodoro and after I had used the 25 minute timer they have I realized they didn’t have a 5 minute break timer so I was like oh let me go create one and I had the button on the top right that enable me to make another timer but I found out that you had to pay like a monthly subscription thing and I was like so you actually pay money..:. But it’s a mobile app you shouldn’t have to pay a subscription for this type of app it’s so simple there’s nothing special about its just a timer. Though if you took away the payment it would be great👍

Love Pomodoro, it’s simple, sleek, works for what I need. But if the creator of Pomodoro wants people to subscribe monthly or pay for the premium version, they NEED to update the functionality. I shouldn’t have to press the + button 120 times to get to 2 hours for a timer. There also should be an option to use whichever emoji we want for any new timer we create.

I’ve subscribed for one month of premium, but I will cancel that if these things don’t change cause they are quite frustrating.

I bought this entirely for the Apple Watch and it has two main problems:

1.) There’s no way to turn off voice alerts (“You have completed a this app! Take a break.”) on your watch. I wish there was a way for it to vibrate when the session is over and see that text message when I look down at my watch like any other notification.

2.) If you start a timer on your phone/watch/iPad, it has to finish on that device. For example, if I start the timer on my phone, I can’t check how much time I have left on my watch. Once that this app cycle is complete, the devices will sync and it will show as having completed that cycle, but nothing before then.

If those two issues are fixed, it’s easily a 5 star app.

Used to be able to mute it once , but now you have to mute every time you switch between timers. Who thought ticking clock sounds were a good idea for a focus app anyway.

Edit: given the responsive developer and the fact that Pomodoro does everything i need very well, I have changed my rating. Good developers need our support

I purchased the premium version of the pamodoro app just so I could select a colorful background that would make me feel better during my studying. It worked for about a week and then all of a sudden just went to a pitch black screen and won’t let me change the background. It also erased my entire study log history and almost seems to have locked me out from changing any of the settings. I’m so frustrated and there is no link that allows me to reach out to tech support to help me with my account. Please don’t waste your money on purchasing the premium!

This is a wonderful app! Beautifully designed and very versatile! Only one ask for future features (if this doesn’t already exist and I missed it): a way to sync your data/history between your iPhone/iPad to pick up your history/focus session where you last left off. Again, love it and thanks!

I have a hard time focusing, especially when reading dense theory stuff (common in my major). The only thing I found that worked were ambient noise videos or apps and setting a timer. I can do both in Pomodoro. The verbal notification feature (when a session is done) is also SUPER helpful.

I’ve tried other this app apps, but this one works best for me. I love the clean interface and simple functions, and what really sets it apart is the availability of background white noises. You have to upgrade for the largest white noise collection, but that’s been a great choice for me. Playing white noises in the background greatly improves my concentration and focus.

easily one of the best interpretations of this work timing idea. i felt an immediate boost in productivity at work. even the unpaid background noises are diverse enough to pick exactly what suits you best, or you can go with mute and have your own music playing. the customizable “siri” voice telling you when work/break time is over is an amazing addition that i find works way better than a more typical notification or generic alarm sound. finally, tracking how many work cycles you do in a day is a great way to compare production levels day to day. really excellent app, cannot recommend enough.

It has been helping me keep on track with my studies! Very, very helpful if I submit and let myself follow the timer. I only wish I could save different time intervals for different activities, i.e. 1. Write for 25 minutes , and 2nd one set for Reading for 15 minutes.

I have tried a lot of this app timers but this is the best! I work best to white noise, which they have plenty of options. And the voice command to start work or break is a nice change from bells and buzzers. My productivity has increase enormously and I’m grateful!

Its a pretty straightforward implementation of a sequential collection of timers and its mostly easy to interact with. There are some usability things that are a little counterintuitive (i keep trying to start and stop the timer by pressing in the center of the circle and on the ios widget thing on the leftmost screen there) but its nothing too bad

I haven’t really started using yet but like what I see so far. My only question is can I have multiple profiles? One for times of 1h, 15m, 30m. Another for 25m, 5m, 15m. It would be nice not to have to change manually each time.

I love Pomodoro, it’s simple and effective. But every time I go to stop the timer it restarts itself. Sometimes multiple times. I have to sit and wait to see if it restarts itself and keep hitting stop until it stays done. Else I’ll be in the middle of something else and get a loud alert telling me a break is over or I’ve finished a this app

This is a great time management tool. I’ve been more productive because of it. This is especially useful for you university types as it can keep your productive rate up whilst giving you in between breaks to prevent mental burnout.

I really like how simple Pomodoro is and the option to have a background noise turned on easily with just clicking on the picture! Highly recommend!

It’s very frustrating when the application resets itself and loses track of where it was, if I access another app on my phone.
I was wondering if anyone else has the same problem, but I can only view three of the 38 ratings in Pomodoro Store.
Otherwise I like Pomodoro ok so far.

I found Pomodoro to be perfect especially because it has the option to play white noise. This has helped me concentrate and study better. Thanks!