Visual Countdown Timer Reviews

by Shejoh

For me this would be a 5 star App IF I could set the timer on my son’s iPad then let him play on the iPad while it did it’s thing in the background. I set it up with a custom picture of him on his potty seat. I had hoped that it would go off while he was playing on his iPad as a audible/visible reminder to go potty to help him learn to initiate it. He’s developmentally delayed and is just now potty training at 5 1/2. He often has his iPad with him at all times listening to music or books as well as using it for communication so having a fun timer on that was what I was hoping for (and one he can’t jack with unlike the timer the iPad comes with). There are so many other things I could have used this for, especially with the ability to put a custom picture that would essentially tell my son what it is time for but since it won’t function if you are doing other things on the iPad it’s a waste for us. Super disappointed.

by Odins_Grrl

This visual timer has helped us in so many ways I couldn’t even begin to tell you about them all.
We very rarely have meltdowns from activity changes anymore. It even helped us potty train!
If I had to make any changes I would suggest making the ticking sound optional as it can bother some kids and definitely gets a lot of looks in public. Otherwise this has literally changed our lives. Given the visual cues and enough time my son now transitions so easily from even his most preferred activities. All of his teachers, therapists and aids have VisualCountdownTimer as well now.
Thank you for such an amazing simple solution.

by Miss Elissia To The G

I love this visual timer! It's simple and uses seconds to help during my therapy sessions. The sounds and pictures are pretty great. I have a few suggestions/recommendations to make for an upgrade. The first one is if there could be an option to have the sound continue making the noise once the time is up. Another is if we choose to have a custom picture, could we also choose to have a custom sound. Possibly something that we can record our self, such as a persons voice saying "times up" or "what's next". Besides the few adjustments that hopefully can be made I really do value VisualCountdownTimer. I've shared it with all my therapy friends...SLP's, PT's, RT's and Psych's.

by MaMaLy-AB

I love the simplicity of this timer. Really, all I was looking for was a timer that would turn from green to yellow to red to help our kids know when it's time to leave for school, and it does that reasonably well. What would make it better? The iPad shouldn't go to sleep while the timer is running-- kind of defeats the point of a visual timer for kids. Also, it would be nice if you could optionally set the time when it changes to yellow/red instead of it being a flat percentage every time. (E.g. My kids might understand red better if red always = 5 minutes instead of a percent of a variable amount of time.)

by Cufiuie

This is a great app. I love how it’s visual so a kiddo who doesn’t understand time super well can still see how much time until it goes off. It’s also great that you can change the pictures that’s revealed to whatever you want. It’s simple and easy to use. There are some downsides to the free version (ads, can only add one picture), but I think that’s understandable since it’s offered for free and since there is a paid option in which you can eliminate those problems.

Only two complaints (1) the ticking is really loud. I find myself turning my phone down to a one or two because it’s so loud I would like it if it was a little quieter. (2) you can only increase the time by 10 second intervals. It would be ideal to do it by seconds or at least 5 second intervals (but seconds would be even better.

Overall I would recommend VisualCountdownTimer.

by JanineSw76

VisualCountdownTimer is pretty wonderful. We began using it at bedtime for my 4 year old, but I could also see the benefit of using it in a special needs class or during therapy sessions. I agree with the other suggestions of adding an option for sound when the time is up, and adding an option to pause, but one other thing I would love to see is the option of also being able to see a number countdown at the same time, so I can tell at a quick glance how much time is remaining.

by Superman0713

I have been utilizing VisualCountdownTimer as a de-escalation technique for a couple of years. When the little ones have gotten to the point where they are unable to self-regulate, this is an amazing distraction technique where they can sit and take deep breaths while watching the colors change, hear the sounds, and trying to guess the picture. I can even get them excited by using a picture of them for the countdown. Thank you!

by Elephant815

We just started using this timer to motivate our 4 year old to complete necessary tasks in a reasonable amount of time. So far she loves it! That’s why I paid up for more pictures and what I thought would be an end to ads after each timer session. Ads still appear, so perhaps I was mistaken?

Edit: VisualCountdownTimer developer contacted me right away to discuss the problem. They discovered a bug and fixed it with an update. No more ads!

by JupiterElf

I have a 2 year old (almost 3) and we had issues with transitions. We used to set Alexa timer but he would get upset when that was done. Now we use this and it’s a world of difference. We set the timer and show him how much time he has and every so often show him how much time he has left during activity. When it gets close to being done I ask if he wants to want it explode. He understands when timer is done he is done with activity (usually playing for a few extra minutes) and is actually happy to go on with his routine. We have not had as much whining after timer is done and when we have it’s been minimal. I think being able to SEE how much time he has left is great and he is able to understand that much more then being told he has 5 minutes.

by CaliMama707

Mealtimes with my toddler were becoming an absolute nightmare - she would take so long to eat that we'd miss out on other things. The timer has helped so much! My daughter is still too young to understand minutes and seconds, but she does understand that time is passing with the colors and pictures. Besides our meals being pleasant again and of a normal length, my daughter thinks the timer is really fun and gets excited whenever she sees it!

by Allymic7

VisualCountdownTimer is a wonderful tool during my speech therapy sessions. I have recommended it to parents and caregivers as well. It can be used to help children who have a difficult time changing activities. I do wish;however, that there was an option to have a sound play when the picture is fully revealed. I love that the pictures can be customized! Looking forward to the update for the sound option when picture is fully revealed. Thank you!

by Kschlu

I use it to teach the concept of time, but I show when we are done “working” and it is time for play. It is great for my son who has autism. When the timer goes off, he can have free time. When the timer goes off, we need to clean up, and so on. They can visually see how much longer it will take for the next step. If you don’t like the ticking, simply turn your phone down or use the ticking to teach about how long a second is, minute, hour, and so on.

by Allison2810

This timer works great for my four year old. The interface is simple but also customizable if you choose. Probably my only complaint is that it doesn’t go longer than an hour - sometimes it would be nice to have a visual of a longer period of time for instances like “we are leaving for the airport in two hours”. Otherwise, I would recommend it!

by Jkw2004

Our child's occupational therapist recommended using a visual timer for various activities. We used to use the regular iPhone timer, but this one is way more motivational and obviously easier to understand! All our kids love it though! We also use it for cleanup or finishing meals when they need motivation to do so (no dessert if don't finish before reasonable timer length). They always get excited about what the surprise image/sound is going to be. (4 year old boy and almost 3 year old girl).

by Max, California

This visual timer is helpful for speech therapy sessions so the students can see how much longer they have to work. I went into settings and turned off the ticking sound and the progressive picture reveal so that the kids are not distracted. One suggestion, I would use this more if VisualCountdownTimer rotated so it can be used properly when my iPad is in the horizontal position. VisualCountdownTimer doesn’t rotate from vertical to horizontal. That is my only criticism. Other than that, the free version with the ads is working well for me. Thanks.

by Anjbo25

VisualCountdownTimer is a great tool to use for time-out or sharing items/toys! Awesome visual cue of timer that shows the count down, which is great for young toddlers who cannot read the clock yet. They enjoyed this timer and will remain seated in their time-out until the count down is over. They also knows they have certain minute/s to share an item/toy with someone else after holding/playing with it. VisualCountdownTimer has a different pictures that my child would choose to reveal at the end of countdown, which motivates them to watch and listen to the sound at the end.

by Biggz Liz

I was using my regular phone to set timers for my son (3) to finish his meals, play etc. Because he has little sense of time and my screen-saver kept coming on it had limited effectiveness. This timer is simple and effective. I use custom pictures of him to encourage him to get stuff done. I have a picture of him playing which is displayed slowly and as time passes. He loves races so he now tries to beat the timer. Eat your meal in 30 mins then you get to play before bath time. The timer stays on the entire time--no black screen/screen-saver. I like it and would recommend it to you time conscious parents.

by Totallyfrozen

We use this for Time Out discipline and for play timers. Our daughter responds very well to timers. If you tell her it’s time to do or not do something, she sometimes reacts poorly. If we set a timer and let her know “you have [x number] of minutes left (to do whatever)” she will police herself and stop the activity when the timer goes off. This works great because your child can hear the timer clicking. Also, as the time winds down (30 seconds, then 10 seconds) the pitch raises a bit giving a sense of “time running out” urgency. We use the default Duck quack sound. When the time runs out, a duck quacks. Highly recommend this!

by @@9827!!LAMOM"

Great timer! We love how it ticks, so there are both visual and auditory cues. The reward image at the end is great for kiddos that need motivation to stay and wait until the end. Our son has Autism and this is a great timer that we constantly use. It has helped him wait out temper tantrums, potty training, and so many other things. We have recommended VisualCountdownTimer to several other parents and even his therapists use this now as well! Our son actually also loves the commercials at the end of the time so it doesn’t annoy us. It’s actually one of his “rewards” and he looks after it :)
One thing we also love is how the ticking sound accelerates as it gets closer to the last one minute mark. It’s a great free app!

by Pre-k Teacher In North Chicago

I love this cute timer. I am a preschool teacher and I use it everyday, but there is one problem. The kids love to guess what the picture will be and watch it appear, but when the timer goes off they will miss the final result unless they are right in front of it. I would give VisualCountdownTimer 5 stars if the timer would continue to make noise and show the picture until the user turned it off. Please consider making this modification to your app so the kids can enjoy it even more.