# Develop! Film Timer — Film Development Timer

> Film development timer with custom recipes and darkroom mode. (iPhone/iPad app by Todd Breslow.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Todd Breslow](https://appshunter.io/developer/568421867)
- Category: Photo & Video, Lifestyle
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.76/5 from 416 App Store ratings · 115 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 7 MB
- Languages: English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Chinese
- Released: 2013-01-14
- Data updated: 2026-11-13
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864/reviews.md

## What is Develop! Film Timer?

Develop your film with a smile!

Develop! is a flexible, elegant timer for developing film and working in the darkroom. Build your own development recipes in a few taps: as many steps as you need, each with its own agitation intervals. It's entirely up to you; you're in full control.

Notable features:

- Voice Control: Hands wet? Just say "NEXT" to move on to the next step. Recognition runs on your iPhone, no internet connection needed.
- Keeps time in the background: Leave the app or lock your phone and the timer keeps running. You'll get a notification when a step ends and at every agitation.
- Intervals: A built-in interval timer handles things like "beep after the first minute, then every 30 seconds." You'll see at a glance how long until your next inversion.
- Darkroom Mode: A strict red-on-black theme for darkroom use.
- Flexible: As many recipes and steps as you like, steps of up to 90 minutes, named your way, with notes for every recipe.
- Easy to read: A large timer you can see across the room, styled after a classic camera body, right down to the vulcanite.
- Import: Bring in recipes straight from FilmDev.org.
- Share: Send a recipe as a file with Mail, Messages, AirDrop or anything else on the share sheet.

No more losing track of time or forgetting to agitate every 30 seconds. Concentrate on being the best photographer and alchemist you can be, and leave the timing to Develop! Now go out there and shoot a roll of film. Good luck!

100% free. Always.

## Key features

- Customizable development recipes
- Multiple steps and intervals per recipe
- Darkroom Mode (red-on-black theme)
- Integrated interval timer
- Import recipes from FilmDev.org
- Share recipes via social media

## What do users think of Develop! Film Timer?

Reviews of Develop! Film Timer are mostly positive: the Photo & Video app is rated 4.8/5 from 416 App Store ratings. What users like most: straightforward and useful, customizable timers and recipes. Top complaints: occasional crashes or bugs, cannot run in background. Summarized from real user reviews.

**Pros**

- 🚀 Straightforward and useful
- 👍 Customizable timers and recipes
- 👍 Helpful voice prompts
- 👍 Simple and easy to use
- 👍 Excellent for film development
- 👍 Versatile and flexible
- 👍 Saves time and effort
- 👍 Chime feature to aid agitation

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 🔋 Cannot run in background
- 👎 Quiet chime/alarm volume
- 👎 Difficult to add/edit tasks
- 👎 No darkroom mode or red light option

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Crashes on startup for some users
- Timer stops when switching apps or locking phone
- Issues with saving and editing recipes

**Most requested features**

- Ability to pause and resume timers
- Option to clone/duplicate existing recipes
- Integration with development charts or databases
- More detailed task descriptions and notes
- Ability to skip optional steps
- Larger font size for better visibility
- Background music playback without interruption

## Is Develop! Film Timer safe?

Develop! Film Timer appears safe based on user ratings. The AppsHunter Safety Score for Develop! Film Timer is 94 out of 100. This assessment is based on 416 user ratings, with an App Store average of 4.8 out of 5. Of 374 App Store ratings, 95.2% point to a safe experience, 1.9% suggest some concerns, and 2.9% point to a risky experience.

## Is Develop! Film Timer legit?

Develop! Film Timer appears legitimate, with a few gaps. The AppsHunter Legitimacy Score for Develop! Film Timer is 78 out of 100 points across 7 verification signals from App Store and developer data.

## Recent user reviews (10 of 115)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/develop-film-timer/id568421864/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Perfect

*2026-07-17, version 3.0.1*

Simple, useful and user friendly.  Great little app.    Surprised it’s free to be honest. Interface is clean and uncluttered and you can fine tune the steps you need to Top marks for this one.

### 5/5 — Fabulous!

*2026-06-19, version 3.0.1*

Simple, awesome, and free. Genius. THANK YOU!!!

### 5/5 — Great tool

*2026-06-14, version 3.0.1*

I use this frequently for storing and using development recipes for a wide range of film. I’ve been using it for a few years now with no issues.

### 5/5 — This is what you are looking for.

*2025-09-20, version 3.0.1*

This is the app you are looking for. It has exactly what you need to time your development, nothing more, nothing less. If j could request one feature, it would be the option to add 2% to a previously used setting. For re-use of chemicals. But I can do that manually for now.

### 5/5 — Does exactly what is needed. Thank you!

*2024-12-08, version 3.0.1*

The app is economical, efficient, to the point and simple to negotiate. Rarely does that happen. Definitely a go to when I am developing film.

### 5/5 — Has everything you need

*2024-11-08, version 3.0.1*

It’s a great app, you can customize the timers to fit every need. Saves me so much time while developing and you can save your configurations as Recipes. Love it!

### 1/5 — Don’t use it!

*2024-06-25, version 3.0.1*

Waist of time! Couldn’t save times!!

### 5/5 — Exactly what I needed

*2024-02-29, version 3.0.1*

Straightforward and useful

### 3/5 — Reset in case of error

*2023-10-21, version 3.0.1*

I like the app other than one thing. I accidentally stopped the process mid flow, and was unable to catch-up with the sequence. I then had to improvise with timings and agitation sequences.

I suggest adding the ability to go back and the restart the sequence at any one of the steps; and/or have a SKIP option to enable moving to the next stage of the sequence.

In the meantime for users of the app and in case of a twitchy trigger finger I suggest having a back up timer, I used my iPhone clock app that has a stopwatch function, with lap timer which I used for the agitation sequences.

### 5/5 — Perfect

*2023-06-25, version 3.0.1*

Was able to do exactly what I wanted. The customization was precisely what I was looking for. 10/10 would Develop! Again.

## Frequently asked questions about Develop! Film Timer

### What does the Develop! app do?

Develop! is a film development timer designed for film and darkroom use. It allows you to create and manage custom development recipes with multiple steps and intervals, ensuring precise timing for your film processing.

### What are the key features of this app?

Key features include a flexible recipe creation system with unlimited steps and intervals, a dedicated Darkroom Mode with a red-on-black theme, an integrated interval timer for precise agitation reminders, the ability to import recipes from FilmDev.org, and options to share your recipes.

### Is this app free to use?

Yes, the Develop! app is 100% free to use. There are no costs associated with downloading or using any of its features.

### What devices is this app compatible with?

The app description does not specify exact compatibility details. However, it is designed for mobile devices, implying compatibility with most modern smartphones and tablets running iOS or Android.

### How can I create a custom development recipe?

You can create custom development recipes through a simple and intuitive process within the app. You can add as many steps as you need, name them as you like, record notes, and set multiple intervals for each step, giving you full control over your development process.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.0 — 2026-11-12

Develop! is back, rebuilt for today's iPhones.

FIXED: NO MORE CRASH WHEN MUSIC IS PLAYING
If Develop! ever quit on you at the end of a task while you had music on, that's fixed. Your music, podcast or audiobook now dips under each beep and comes back, whatever app it's playing in.

NEW
- The timer keeps running when you leave the app or lock your phone, with a notification when a task ends and at every agitation chime.
- Tasks and intervals can now be up to 90 minutes.
- All-new Voice Control: faster, more accurate, and it works without an internet connection. Say NEXT, OK, BACK, CANCEL or RESTART.
- A new timer look, styled after a classic camera body.
- Darkroom Mode is now strictly red on black, everywhere in the app.
- Share recipes as files through Mail, Messages, AirDrop and more.

GOOD TO KNOW
- Beeps now sound even when your phone is on silent, so you won't miss the end of a task.
- Old flm.to recipe links no longer work. Ask the sender to share the recipe file instead.
- With Voice Control on, your music pauses when a task ends so the app can hear you, and picks up again when the next task starts.

### 3.0.1 — 2018-06-14

This app has been updated by Apple to display the Apple Watch app icon.

Bug fixes. Temporarily removing notifications. (They'll be back).

### 3.0 — 2018-06-12

Fixes issues with crashing due to iOS updates.

New Features
--------------
- Background: You can put the timer in the background and bring it forward and all is well.
- Notifications: You can switch to another app and you'll get notifications for each interval within a task and at the end of the task.
- Interruptions: The timer remains accurate after a phone call or Siri (or similar interruption)
- 90 minute max timer

Known Issues
--------------
- Not localized, new text is English only

### 2.1.4 — 2015-07-09

- You can import recipes from FilmDev.org that have five-digit codes
- Timer completion/cancellation now returns to the recipe detail
- Louder interval chime

### 2.1.3 — 2015-05-23

- Fixes a minor text alignment issue on the Settings screen under iOS7.
- Fixes a rare problem when trying to edit the last task in a recipe.
- Many thanks to Thilo Nass for the German translation.

## Apps similar to Develop! Film Timer

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Massive Dev Chart Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/massive-dev-chart-timer/id402405770) | 3.7 (56) | $9.99 | Photo & Video |
| [Lightme - Logbook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lightme-logbook/id1544518308) | 4.8 (104) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Viewfinder Preview](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/viewfinder-preview/id1216484605) | 4.7 (301) | $4.99 | Photo & Video |
| [FilmMeter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/filmmeter/id6753060069) | 4.8 (65) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [DevelopFilm: Darkroom Lab](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/developfilm-darkroom-lab/id6749870154) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Photo & Video |
| [Reciprocity Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reciprocity-timer/id459691262) | 2.5 (4) | $1.99 | Photo & Video |

## Related topics

[film developer timer pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/film-developer-timer-pro) · [film developer timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/film-developer-timer) · [darkroom timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/darkroom-timer) · [film developer](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/film-developer) · [luis arndt](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/luis-arndt) · [alfredo delgado](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/alfredo-delgado)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-11-13.*