Apple's iOS 14.7 and iPadOS 14.7 software has gained a new feature that allows you to set timers on your HomePod speaker from within the Home app on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
iOS 14.7 brings HomePod timer controls to Apple’s Home app
Timer
TimerIcon gives the Clock app an animated timer countdown icon
It was only yesterday that we showed you a jailbreak tweak dubbed Gears, which animated the Settings app icon on the Home Screen such that the gears depicted inside the icon actually rotated, much like one used by the OTA software update mechanism from the days of iOS 7.
Today, we look at an entirely different type of animated Home Screen icon – one that impacts the likes of the Clock app to depict the current state of any active timers you might have counting down in the background. Such an icon is brought to us by way of a new jailbreak tweak called TimerIcon by iOS developer Idefix0202.
BigSnooze makes it less frustrating to snooze or stop an iPhone or iPad’s alarm
Anyone who uses their iPhone’s native alarm feature to wake up each morning probably understands the struggle of trying to turn the obnoxious noise off when it begins firing. On the other hand, you might only be half-awake when you attempt to do so, resulting in repeated blind taps on your nightstand only to find that you continuously miss the correct button to stop the alarm.
BigSnooze is a new jailbreak tweak developed by Cole Cabral that tries to remedy this problem by making the snooze and stop buttons easier to tap when you’re on the cusp of awake and incoherent while the alarm fires at the crack of dawn. The result? No more tapping around and missing the desired button with your finger when you’re groggy.
Treat your iPhone to the alarm and timer interface it deserves with BetterAlarm
Many iPhone users rely on their handset's native alarm feature to wake them up each and every morning. Some iPhone users may even rely on the handset’s native timer feature to ensure that they don’t overcook their dinner. Whatever you use your iPhone’s alarm or timer features for, chances are that you may be able to benefit from the likes of a newly released jailbreak tweak dubbed BetterAlarm by iOS developer NoisyFlake.
Right off the bat, you’ll notice that BetterAlarm supplants iOS’ traditional alarm interface with a beautiful new full-screen experience that makes it easier to interface with a firing alarm or timer. Even so, to say that BetterAlarm stops with a full-screen alarm and timer interface replacement would be a grotesque understatement.
WhatsTheDate brings a smarter timer display to your iPhone’s Lock Screen
One of the things I like about iOS is how it displays any active timer on the Lock Screen, just below the time. But as much as I like having this subtle reminder when I pick up my iPhone, the implementation is somewhat imperfect. For example, it often gets in the way of viewing the Lock Screen’s native date display, which is something I find equally as useful when glancing at that particular interface.
If you’re in the same boat, then WhatsTheDate by iOS developer iCraze is a newly released and free jailbreak tweak that you won’t want to miss. It effectively solves the aforementioned problem by forcing the Lock Screen’s timer display to disappear after a few seconds, instead transitioning to the current date thereafter.
How to use the Alexa app for your alarms, reminders and timers
Learn how to use the Alexa app to set alarms, reminders, and timers on your iPhone or your Amazon smart speakers, such as the Echo Dot.
The best free time trackers for Mac to log the hours you work
If you’re a freelancer, remote worker, or another job type where you need to log your time, then you want a good time tracking app for Mac.
Time trackers come in all shapes and sizes. From those that have a basic start and stop button to those that have built-in task management features, do you have the time to try them all and see which is best for you?
To help you out, we’ve tried several time trackers for Mac and have narrowed that list down to these best ones.
The best free Mac apps to help you focus when working from home
When you work from home, there are a lot of distractions. And while you certainly have interruptions in a physical office or workplace, those you have at home are just a bit different. So if you aren’t used to working at home every day, you need to prepare for these disruptions.
To help you readjust after an interruption and concentrate better on your work, we’ve assembled a list of Mac apps to help you focus. These apps use different techniques and combinations of them such as the pomodoro timer and Eisenhower Matrix methods.
If you need some assistance getting used to working in a home office, these apps should help.
How to set a sleep timer for an audiobook in the Apple Books app
Learn how to set a sleep timer for your audiobook in the Apple Books app so the playback stops automatically after the set time without you having to worry about waking up in the middle of night to pause it manually.
Sleepizy makes it easier to fall asleep to your favorite music
Your iPhone’s native timer feature includes a function to play music from your library until the timer ends right out of the box, and this is particularly useful for falling asleep to your favorite music. But a newly-released jailbreak tweak called Sleepizy by iOS developer AnthoPak can make falling asleep to your favorite music more accessible than ever.
In a nutshell, Sleepizy lets you set a timer to stop your music directly from the Control Center interface, and it plays nicely with any music-playing application, be it Apple Music, SoundCloud, Spotify, YouTube, or something else.
How to set and manage multiple timers on HomePod
Find out how to set multiple timers on your HomePod using Siri or the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
The best free focus timers for Mac to work, break, and concentrate
When you’re hard at work on your Mac, sometimes you forget to take a break. Then there are other times when that’s all you can think about doing. In both cases, a handy focus timer can help.
Set the timer, focus on the job at hand, and take a short break when time is up. This helps you stay focused on what you need to do for a certain amount of time and take that necessary break without forgetting.
Check out these awesome free focus timers for Mac you can snag on the Mac App Store.