# RetroDotTimer — Countdown, Pomodoro, stopwatch > Countdown, Pomodoro, stopwatch (iPhone/iPad app by Andean Bear Studios GmbH.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrodottimer/id6761271003 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Andean Bear Studios GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1852873091) - Category: Utilities, Productivity - Price: Free with in-app purchases - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 18.0 · 6 MB - Languages: American English, French (France), German (Germany), Chinese (Simplified, China), European Spanish - Released: 2026-04-20 - Data updated: 2026-08-19 - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retrodottimer/id6761271003/reviews.md ## What is RetroDotTimer? A full-screen countdown that looks like the dot-matrix displays of vintage arcades and early computing. Set the time, put your iPhone or iPad face up on your desk, and let the pixel grid count down. ONE TIMER, FULL SCREEN • A large dot-matrix countdown, readable across the room • Tap the display to start, pause, or resume — or turn on the Start/Pause button if you prefer one • Optional landscape mode that fills the whole screen • Keep the screen awake while a timer runs, with an only-while-charging option LOCK SCREEN AND DYNAMIC ISLAND • The Live Activity shows a real dot-matrix face, not a plain text label • It counts down on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island • It follows the color scheme you chose in the app, including changes made mid-run • At zero it morphs into a checkmark and chimes once WIDGETS, CONTROLS, AND SIRI • A Home Screen widget that mirrors the timer, display-only • Control Center buttons to start a Pomodoro or a preset without opening the app • Siri and Shortcuts: start a timer, a preset, a Pomodoro, or the stopwatch, and pause, resume, or reset TIMER MODES • Presets: 5, 10, 25, and 45 minutes • Custom duration, 1 to 180 minutes • Classic Pomodoro: 25 minutes of work, 5-minute breaks, a 15-minute long break, 4 rounds • Stopwatch with a live hundredths-of-a-second sub-display • Multi-phase custom timers for intervals, rounds, and routines DISPLAY STYLES • Dot Matrix — the original pixel grid, with adjustable dot weight and square or round dots • 7-Segment — slanted LED calculator digits • Flip Clock — split-flap digits with animated transitions (Pro) • Big & Small — blocky digits with size-varied segments (Pro) COLOR • Transparent, Dark, and Light schemes • Six premium schemes: Amber, Green Terminal, Blue Glow, VFD Cyan, Sunset, Neon Pink (Pro) • Any text and background color you like (Pro) • Multicolored digits with Rainbow, Pastel, Neon, and Sunset palettes (Pro) WHEN TIME IS UP • Freeze at 00 or morph into a checkmark • A notification when the countdown ends • Sound and haptic alerts between Pomodoro and custom-timer phases WHAT THIS IS NOT Retro Dot-Matrix Timer runs one timer at a time. No task lists, no labels, no session history, no analytics, no cloud sync. It is a single, quiet countdown. PRIVACY No accounts, no tracking, no analytics, no data collection. Everything works offline. FREE AND PRO The app is a free download and stays useful forever without paying. Presets, custom durations, the Dot Matrix and 7-Segment displays, square dots, Pomodoro, the stopwatch, the widget, Control Center buttons, Siri shortcuts, and the Live Activity are all free. Pro is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription. On iPhone and iPad it adds the Custom Timer Editor, six premium color schemes, custom colors, multicolored digits, and the Flip Clock and Big & Small displays. Pro is a Universal Purchase — the same payment unlocks the Mac menu-bar app. Every Pro feature is unlocked free for 14 days, starting automatically at first launch. No signup, no payment details. When the trial ends nothing is charged, Pro features simply return to the free tier, and any custom timers you saved stay runnable. LANGUAGES English, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), German, French, Simplified Chinese. REQUIREMENTS iOS 18.0 or later. iPhone and iPad. SUPPORT contact@andeanbearstudios.com ## Pricing and in-app purchases Base price: Free. **One-time purchases** | Purchase | Price | Type | | --- | --- | --- | | RetroDotTimer Pro | $4.99 | one-time | ## Version history (last 4 releases) ### 1.5.0 — 2026-08-19 Version 1.5.0 NOW ON IPAD Retro Dot-Matrix Timer runs on iPad, with the dot-matrix face scaled up to fill the larger screen. In landscape the full set of controls stays on screen, and the display re-fits cleanly as you rotate. FIXES • The display no longer overflows its frame when a running timer crosses an hour and the digit count changes • Unlit dots are visible again across the dot-matrix grid • The bloom halo is no longer clipped, and no longer shifts layout at different display sizes • Appearance live previews render bloom legibly • The stopwatch keeps counting past an hour • The Save button in the Custom Timer Editor keeps its label contrast ### 1.4.0 — 2026-08-09 Version 1.4.0 DOT-MATRIX ON THE LOCK SCREEN The Live Activity now renders a real dot-matrix timer face on the Lock Screen and in the expanded Dynamic Island, with its own ticking font, color-scheme changes that apply mid-run, and a checkmark morph with a single chime at zero. 14-DAY PRO TRIAL Every Pro feature is now unlocked free for 14 days, starting automatically at first launch. No signup, no payment details. A one-time alert states when the trial ends, which features revert, and the one-time price. When the trial ends nothing is charged, Pro features return to the free tier, and saved custom timers stay runnable. MORE IS NOW FREE Custom durations (1-180 minutes), the 7-Segment display, the square dot shape, and running multi-phase custom timers have all moved from Pro to the free tier. Pro is now focused on authoring and personalization: the Custom Timer Editor, premium color schemes, custom colors, multicolored digits, and the Flip Clock and Big & Small displays. FIVE NEW LANGUAGES The app, its widget, the Live Activity, and Siri phrases are now localized into Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), German, French, and Simplified Chinese. Settings › General links straight to the system per-app language page, which also switches widgets, Live Activities, and Siri. STOPWATCH MILLISECONDS The stopwatch now shows a live hundredths-of-a-second sub-display beneath the main counter, on the Dot Matrix and 7-Segment styles. NEW MODE PICKER Timer and Stopwatch now sit on one row, with Preset, Pomodoro, and Custom on a second row beneath. REFINED SETTINGS Settings has been rebuilt on native iOS patterns. FIXES • Live Activity no longer shows a stale preset after you change presets • Fixed a one-second offset in the paused Live Activity • Better contrast on low-contrast Lock Screen backgrounds and timer backgrounds • The Appearance Edit button now appears when it should • The completion checkmark holds a stable size across all display styles • The mode picker no longer truncates in longer languages ### 1.3.0 — 2026-06-11 - Stopwatch mode — count-up with Live Activity and Siri support - Multicolored digits — curated rainbow palette presets (Pro) - Settings redesign — NavigationStack-based settings with dedicated detail views and pinned live preview - Keep Screen On — optional setting to prevent idle while timer runs - Custom color swatch palette with dot-matrix preview (Pro) - Color picker redesign — independent Digit Color and Background axes, WCAG contrast warning - Several swatch stability and UI polish fixes ### 1.2.0 — 2026-05-27 No release notes. ## Apps similar to RetroDotTimer | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Compass Maps - Digital Compass](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/compass-maps-digital-compass/id6451059416) | 4.6 (636) | Free | Utilities | | [Universal Controller for TV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-controller-for-tv/id6758099098) | — | Free | Utilities | | [KORP VPN](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/korp-vpn/id6757106500) | — | Free | Utilities | | [Cyber Flip Clock - Neon Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cyber-flip-clock-neon-timer/id1557903549) | — | Free | Utilities | | [QuietClock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/quietclock/id6748567862) | — | Free | Utilities | | [My Wardrobe - Outfit Closet](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/my-wardrobe-outfit-closet/id1463372370) | 4.1 (628) | Free | Utilities | --- *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 2026-08-19.*