Leave a Review Focus Keeper
Good but ignores the whole point
App is good and subscribed upfront as soon as I saw there were individual settings for tasks - perfect! and watch app… BUT you’re ignoring the very essential point of having a focus app: no distractions! And ONLY having an iOS app takes us to the source of all distractions in the universe: our phones!!! Watch app is crap, just a timer basically with no complications, very disappointing… ok if your task is a workout (there’re better apps for that!) but useless overall. For anyone that uses for work, the ideal would be having a MacOS app or that the website synced the tasks when logged in… but the app doesn’t create an account for you and, even subscribing, the website seems to be a different thing because you may create an account with the same email used for subscribing the app that nothing happens! App and website are not synced or seem to be related at all. Anyway, what looked perfect doesn’t seem so good when put to work in real life. I’m not sure I’ll keep using the app. Hope you address these soon.Show lessmmcmsp
Replaced my Daily Planner
I’m a time management nut. Time is our most precious commodity. Years ago, I was blessed to take a course by Charles Hobbs. His goal was to teach us how to free up time, and make the use of our efforts most productive. Mr. Hobbs changed my life. Strongly suggest his book, “Time Power.” The central point if his teachings was the Day Timer (an excellent paper tool). I searched for years for an app replacement, and this program comes closest. Modifications would include being able to move to-do’s up and down the list to set the priority of the day. The colors are helpful (red=“A priority, etc.), but the list can become too long and interfere with what I am trying to accomplish. And, I’d really like to be able to use it across platforms - & feel many would gladly pay an extra fee for these add-on add-ons. Many thanks to the developers.Show lessSigmanuguy
Extreme privacy data collection
I downloaded this and ditched it after going to their link and reading their privacy policies. They are quite extreme, and be skeptical if the developer replies and makes it sound like you can opt out of them. Their own site says in clear terms that opting out makes the app basically nonfunctional. I’ve used many apps, including having tried several Pomodoro apps, and this is one of the worst as far as your privacy rights. Your personal data should not be for sale or shared with entities like Facebook, Google, and others for advertising or ANY purposes. You’re already paying a subscription fee. There are other issues like their statement that they can retain your data as long as needed, but they don’t tell you what that period is after you delete your app. Flimsy wording like this is a sign of a developer who only has his own interests in mind, and I refuse to patronize developers who gather and share my personal data to this extent. Privacy matters. Regardless of any possible future response by the developer to downplay these issues I’ve mentioned, I encourage you to click the link and read their privacy policy for yourself.Show lessAppleUserID18
LOL! So many other ADHD reviews! Yes!
This is a game changer for me. It’s an external structure for organizing your time. Because if you have ADHD, you DO NOT HAVE AN INTERNAL ONE. The cue in between breaks and focus time is the most pleasant little ding.
Working from home has been awful for me because brain wants to putter and clean house, but I HAVE to get work done. This easily helps me tick tock between 25 minutes of HAVE TO and 5 minutes of putter/ping around. I can stop myself from wandering off to do the thing I want to do because I’m anticipating my break. I can stick it out because I can see that it’s just another 14 minutes until I can do all the little “oh! I ought to…” tasks. ♥️♥️♥️Show lessKenMarieKen
Great Tool for Those with ADHD
I've been diagnosed with ADHD for about 10 years now, and as such, I've been through quite a few apps when trying to figure out a method of studying. I know this isn't the only place to access a pomodoro timer but it is definitely my favorite. The app is super intuitive to use (just hit a button to start and you're good to go). Even the price for pro is something I'd consider paying if you find it worth it. Normally, I scoff when I see the price of the "premium" version of an app, when in reality it's just a paywall to ensure I have to pay money to get the true functionality of the app, but Focus Keeper is super affordable and actually doesn't limit much by having pro features. All you really need the app for is the timer, and it's got that covered. The only thing you miss out on by not going pro is having a breakdown of your stats and editing the length of timers.Show lesslaypersonn
Minor Improvements, Major Costs
First off I want to say that I have been using this app for years now and it is my go to app to help focus and has helped me keep my sanity through some tough deadlines. During this time I have noticed small improvements like the charting for progress and more flexibility to use the timer in the way that fits the way you work. I have also noticed the increasing cost to use this app. Initially it was free, then a one time payment, and now a subscription service. I paid the one time fee but now end up having to keep paying every time a minor improvement is made. I really love this app and understand the developers need to make money off of it but it’s too much for what the app is. Not everything is meant to be a subscription service. I’ll probably use a different app or just go back to setting timers.Show lessLazyNinja77
Awesome app, but most features require subscription
This is an absolutely fantastic app for structuring your time trying to be productive. I use it almost every day for work.
I believe I paid less than $10 to unlock all the features back when this was a one-time purchase. Now it is a $6/year subscription. Yes, it’s very cheap, but I wish they had just kept it as a one-time purchase for newcomers. Thankfully I’m grandfathered into the Pro version with my initial purchase. I just had to go to the app settings and select “restore pro” to get all my features back.
I can’t comment on the “tasks” part of the app since it seems pretty basic and unnecessary. Personally, I already use Todoist (another excellent productivity app) for task management.Show lessSelf-promoting
New version is terrible
There is no option for silence during a focus session, and then seamlessly switching to ticking or rain or whatever during breaks. I used to enjoy hearing the difference between break and work. Now, if I have it muted, because I don’t want sound while I’m working, I will miss the sound that alerts me to break time.
I’ve never been able to use the music feature, but even now, I can’t even switch to “music” and let it be silent.
The task list makes no sense and doesn’t help.
Instead of seeing how many minutes are left in a session from the Home Screen on my iPad (it used to show minutes left in the corner of the icon just like any app with alerts), it shows how many tasks I have left, or just nothing if I don’t have tasks and am only using the timer.
Moving to a task-based system for a timer is just weird.
Focus keeper app is now absolutely useless. I cannot use it like this. Please revert back. This is one of the few apps I’ve ever paid for the full version of because I really liked it and used it all the time. Now I can’t use it at all. The new changes have totally eliminated every useful feature the app had. I don’t know how to further stress the point that the new changes have made the app unusable, as in, any feature a person would want from a pomodoro timer app is no longer included in the app.Show lessBex n effex
Solid, but with a couple key flaws
While this version of the app has more features than the previous, I have two main complaints. The first is that the app icon’s badge no longer reflects how much time you have left in a session. I relied on this to quickly command-tab while writing and see how much time I had left without overly interrupting my work flow. Now I must go all the way into the app to find this information, which is more disruptive.
Second, and more fatally, this is now a subscription app. While I understand that developers would like to have a steady income, not every little app (such as a timer) warrants constant payments. I appreciate that the developers may feel that the added functionality warrants this, but for what I want, which is a simple pomodor-style timer, the cost is just too much. Think I’ll stick with the one-time $2 payment “pro” version and hope that keeps working.Show lesstabascom
NEW UPDATE RUINED IT
I use to love the previous version of Focus Keeper. It was simple and effective, I was able to pause the time and exit the app and still have my study time saved for the day so I could pick up where I had left off. I would’ve given this a 5/5 if it weren’t for the new version. The new version seems more complicated and just unnecessary, the features are the same but there are many times when I have to pause my timer, for example at the time 12/25 minutes, and exit the app. Then, I suddenly lose my study hours and it goes back to beginning with 25 minutes. This used to not happen with the previous version at all! This is extremely frustrating for me because there are times when I really have to pause the timer and go to another app, but when I come back to the app I’d expect to pick up to where I left off.
Really hope they improve this version or set it back to the previous version, because the previous version was very simple and effective, with no lags at all.Show lessYashu_gurazada
