A countdown timer, a lap stopwatch and a Pomodoro cycle in one tab โ nothing to install, works on your phone
How to use it
- Pick a tab: Timer, Stopwatch or Pomodoro. The timer opens first.
- For the timer, tap a preset (1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 30 minutes or 1 hour) or type hours, minutes and seconds, then hit Start. +1 min extends a running timer; pause and reset sit right underneath.
- When it reaches zero you get three beeps, a flashing screen and the tab title changes to "โฐ Done!" so you can see it from another tab. Tap Enable notifications once and your browser will also pop a notification.
- The stopwatch runs Start โ Lap โ Stop. Each lap records the split and the running total, and Copy laps grabs the whole list as text.
- Pomodoro alternates 25 minutes of focus and a 5-minute break, with a 15-minute long break after every fourth focus block. Change the minutes to suit you; today's completed count is kept in this browser.
Keyboard works too: outside an input, Space starts or stops and R resets. Your last timer setting is remembered for next time.
Timer vs stopwatch vs Pomodoro
| Timer | Counts down from a set time. Cooking, laundry, timed exams โ anything where you want to be told when time is up. |
|---|---|
| Stopwatch | Counts up from zero. Runs, rehearsals, how long a task really took. Laps keep the splits. |
| Pomodoro | A timer that repeats a fixed rhythm of work and rest. Built for studying and desk work. |
What the Pomodoro technique is
Francesco Cirillo came up with it in the late 1980s using a tomato-shaped kitchen timer (pomodoro is Italian for tomato). The rules are simple: 25 minutes of focus, 5 minutes off, and after four rounds a longer 15โ30 minute break. The 25 isn't sacred โ plenty of people do 50/10. The point is that the break is scheduled in advance, so when a distraction shows up mid-block you can park it until the timer rings instead of acting on it.
Why it stays accurate in a background tab
Browsers throttle JavaScript in tabs you aren't looking at, so a timer that simply subtracts one every second drifts by seconds when hidden. This one records the end time the moment you press Start and, on every redraw, shows the difference between now and that end time. Switch tabs, come back, and it still matches the clock. Closing the tab or letting the phone sleep will stop it, though.
No sound or notification?
| No beep | Check that ๐ is on. On iPhone the silent switch mutes web audio too. Browsers only play sound after you've interacted with the page โ pressing Start counts. |
|---|---|
| No notification | Tap Enable notifications and allow it in the browser prompt. If you blocked it earlier, reopen the permission from the padlock icon in the address bar. iOS Safari only delivers notifications from web apps added to the home screen. |
| Late alarm | A sleeping phone pauses the browser. For cooking, keep the screen awake or turn the volume up; low-power mode can also delay it. |
Handy presets
| Instant noodles | 3 minutes. Firm noodles: 2:30 typed in. |
|---|---|
| Eggs | From the boil: 7 min soft, 9 min jammy, 11 min hard. |
| Study 50/10 | Pomodoro tab, focus 50, break 10, long break 20. |
| Tabata 20 s / 10 s ร 8 | Use the timer for 20- and 10-second rounds, or the stopwatch laps for a 4-minute block. |
| Presentation rehearsal | Stopwatch, press Lap on every slide, copy the laps to see where you ran long. |
FAQ
Does it keep running if I close the tab?
No. Switching tabs or minimising is fine, but closing the tab stops it. For long timers, leave the tab open.
Can I run two timers at once?
One per tab. Open this page in a second tab for a second timer; the remaining time shows in each tab title so you can tell them apart.
How accurate is the stopwatch?
It displays hundredths, but real accuracy depends on your device and browser. Your own reaction time pressing Start and Stop is a bigger source of error, so don't use it for official records.
What gets stored?
Only your last timer setting and today's Pomodoro count, in this browser. Nothing is sent to a server.
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