# Ultra Intervals Workout Timer — HIIT, Tabata, Custom Intervals > Text-based interval workout timer with spoken cues and custom notifications. (iPhone/iPad app by Tapio Kuusisto.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultra-intervals-workout-timer/id1486825021 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Tapio Kuusisto](https://appshunter.io/developer/978979861) - Category: Health & Fitness, Sports - Price: Free - Rating: 4.50/5 from 4 App Store ratings · 9 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 13.0 · 9 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2020-01-06 - Data updated: 2026-08-22 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultra-intervals-workout-timer/id1486825021/reviews.md ## What is Ultra Intervals Workout Timer? Define basic interval timers and custom interval workouts with ease:  Write the workout as plain understandable text and save it, launch the timer and start exercising! As an example, basic 'Tabata' interval timer can be defined by just typing this text: 8x 00:20 Work hard! 00:10 Rest Type those three lines in the text editor, save the file and launch the timer, then do your workout assisted by big display texts, spoken audio, sound cues and more. 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work, 10 seconds rest! Same way you can define more complex workouts, with multiple interval sections consisting of any number of exercises. Check out the screenshots! Running, cycling, kettlebells,..., yoga: Ultra Intervals speaks the exercise names and custom notifications as you define, being capable of guiding you through a full workout with 'phone in your pocket' mode - just *listen* to the instructions and focus on the workout. No need to see the device screen at all. Ultra Timer supports 20+ languages (most languages supporting the iOS text-to-speech functionality are supported). Intervals, HIIT, Tabata, Circuit...equally easy to set up. Customise each workout separately: Choose if you want to have the interval names and notifications spoken or rather have the timer beep instead. Customise colours as you like, all the way to having each exercise step shown with a different colour. Mix timed and non-timed sections in one workout: Ultra Intervals can also guide you through your gym workout or weight training, timing just the breaks and rest periods acting as your set coach. Play music with your favourite music player. Ultra Intervals 'ducks' the music during spoken notifications and brings the volume back on ones audio cue has ended. ULTRA INTERVALS FEATURES: CREATE AND EDIT WORKOUTS WITH EASE Type your workouts in as text plain text, following just few super simple rules. Since the workouts are defined as text, they can be edited on a Mac or PC and imported from cloud services. SPEAKS EXERCISE NAMES, TIMES AND NOTIFICATIONS. AND IT BEEPS TOO. Speaks exercise names, times and custom notifications as you define (or you can turn speech off altogether). You can customize the notifications as you like. Choose between various 'beep' sounds or turn them off as well. SAMPLE WORKOUTS - USE AS SUCH OR AS TEMPLATES Comes with plenty of example workouts and timers which can be used as such or as templates for new ones. Copying a workout file can be done with one swipe & tap. MULTIPLE SECTIONS IN ONE WORKOUT You can define multiple interval sections in one workout. Again, super easily - see the App Store screenshots to get the idea how simple this is! CLEAR DISPLAYS READABLE FROM AFAR Large animated display of time, current and up-next workout steps. Big text you can truly read from afar. CUSTOM NOTIFICATIONS WITH 'TOKENS' Define custom notification messages spoken during the workout, use 'tokens' in the notifications, for example referring to name of the current or the next exercise, time of the next exercise, time remaining of current exercise, interval round number, heart rate and more. MIX TIMED AND NON-TIMED WORKOUT STEPS Following a simple rule (just add the '&' character in the exercise name!), you can make the timer pause automatically for a 'manual' step in your workout and then with one tap restart for the rest period. RUNS IN THE BACKGROUND You can lock the screen, put the phone in the pocket and do the workout guided by the spoken audio instructions. IMPORT, COPY, EXPORT WORKOUTS Straightforward one-step functionality for importing text files from the cloud, copying files and exporting to cloud, email and more. MUSIC Allows you to listen to music during the workout, lowers the music volume for spoken audio. CUSTOMIZABLE FEATURES (CAN BE SET FOR EACH WORKOUT SEPARATELY) For *example*: Language spoken, silent mode, speech/beeps in use, speech/beeps options, countdown time, HR monitor in use, colors and many many more! ## Key features - Create custom interval workouts using plain text - Spoken exercise names, times, and notifications - Customizable sound cues and visual displays - Support for HIIT, Tabata, and circuit training - Mix timed and non-timed workout sections - Music ducking for notifications - Pre-loaded sample workouts ## Recent user reviews (9 of 9) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ultra-intervals-workout-timer/id1486825021/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Great app - could do with update *2026-04-13, version 1.02* I really do like the way one can customise a workout routine with this app including timers etc I do use it for relevant workouts to this day. However it’s not been updated in 6 years! ### 3/5 — Good but with a big problem… *2024-12-19, version 1.02* Every time the app plays audio (like “321”) it mutes whatever audio is already playing (like workout music) and then doesn’t turn the music back up, which is super frustrating. Would love them to fix ### 5/5 — Love this app. *2024-10-06, version 1.02* I’ve used so many timers & can attest that this is the best. I use this app every day for so many different purposes. You can fully customize your timer to speak, beep, count down, tell you how many seconds or minutes left, and the list goes on. And it’s so easy to use. To the developer: thank you for providing this app fully free. It truly deserves so much more likes & recognition. ### 5/5 — The best timer I’ve ever seen *2022-10-20* All the apps should be like this. This is a wonderful timer, I can write my circuit workout on a text file and then simply copy/paste in the app, that’s it! The timer is ready to run! **Developer response:** Thanks for the kind words and enjoy your workouts! Update Oct 2023: Just released new app ”WODbanger” - it has many same features as Ultra, but the workout after editing on iPhone, is executed on the Apple Watch. ### 5/5 — Most Flexible Free Interval Timer *2022-09-09, version 1.02* Clearly a lot of work went into making this app as flexible as possible. I’m surprised it has so little reviews here when other, simpler timer apps, are full of adds and in app purchases. The text-based instruction format can be a little daunting at first, but the instructions and examples are clear. Since timers are just specified as text, they’re easy to share with others. I also love that the timer UI allows me to “preview” the timer by skipping forward and back between steps. ### 5/5 — Simple and customizable ! *2021-02-01* I tried several of similar apps very briefly, this one is the only one that suited me because it is both extremely easy to use and 100% customizable to make your own programs as you wish, without any limit. I use it daily. Thank you for it :)! **Developer response:** Thank you for the nicest feedback! Update Oct 2023: Just released new app ”WODbanger” - it has many same features as Ultra, but the workout after editing on iPhone, is executed on the Apple Watch. ### 5/5 — I love this timer *2020-08-15* Great combination of easy to use and endlessly customisable. You can make a timer with any number of different lengths, label them and then get those labels read out to you throughout the timer via text to speech. There’s about ten help screens at the beginning of the app that make it seem like it’s going to be overwhelming but once you actually get into making your own timer, pretty much one button opens up the entire range of options in a very simple way. I do (untimed) burpees followed by yoga so I made a yoga timer with things like ‘get ready for ___ pose’ and then ‘start ___ pose.’ I use the UK English voice as I wanted a male and the Australian voice seems only to have female. I like his voice but it would be good to be able to access male and female voices of each language. But I can say that apart from this minor thing, the developer really does seem to have thought of everything a timer app could possibly need. But anyway, I love this app very much. **Developer response:** Thank You for the nicest feedback. Will work on the male/female thing too :). Let’s see... Update Oct 2023: Just released new app ”WODbanger” - it has many same features as Ultra, but the workout after editing on iPhone, is executed on the Apple Watch. Doesn’t talk though … ### 5/5 — Best workout timer I’ve used *2020-06-23, version 1.02* I used the previous version for years and I am very pleased to see this new version with even more features and flexibility. It’s the best timer for people who want workouts combining circuits with different timings; with untimed sets possible too. ### 5/5 — Absolutely perfect!!! *2020-01-12, version 1.0* I’ve been a long-time user of the other timer from this developer and have never found anything that comes close to it with flexibility and limitless possibilites—until now!!! This new timer is amazing!! And naming it a “timer” is just not enough, it’s a whole workout app. you can easily create your entire workout so easily and customize down to the color during different times! I just copy and paste my workouts from some of my online workout scripts, then adjust my times and off I go! Please note, this app on the surface may seem confusing but it’s not!! Just start using it, the instructions are clear! ## Frequently asked questions about Ultra Intervals Workout Timer ### How do I create workouts in Ultra Intervals? You can create workouts by typing them as plain text in the app's editor, following simple rules. For example, '8x 00:20 Work hard! 00:10 Rest' defines an 8-round Tabata timer. The text-based approach allows for easy editing and importing from cloud services. ### Does Ultra Intervals support different workout types? Yes, Ultra Intervals supports various workout types including basic interval timers, custom interval workouts, HIIT, Tabata, and circuit training. You can also mix timed and non-timed sections for gym or weight training. ### Can Ultra Intervals guide me through workouts without looking at my phone? Absolutely. The app can speak exercise names, times, and custom notifications, allowing for a 'phone in your pocket' mode. You can focus on your workout and just listen to the instructions. ### What languages does Ultra Intervals support? Ultra Intervals supports over 20 languages, primarily those that have iOS text-to-speech functionality. This ensures a wide range of users can benefit from the spoken guidance. ### Does Ultra Intervals have ads? No, Ultra Intervals does not contain advertisements. It is a completely ad-free experience for users. ### What is the rating and price of Ultra Intervals? Ultra Intervals is rated 4.5 stars based on 4 ratings and is available for free. There are no in-app purchases or subscription fees. ### What devices is Ultra Intervals compatible with? Ultra Intervals is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed for iOS users. ### How often is Ultra Intervals updated? The latest version of Ultra Intervals is 1.02, which was last updated on January 18, 2020. The initial release date was January 6, 2020. ## Version history (last 3 releases) ### 1.02 — 2020-01-18 New functionality: The 'hotkeys' in the workout text editor can now be set by the user. Bug fix: Sharing a workout on the iPad works now correctly. ### 1.01 — 2020-01-14 Added a new option based on user request: With one line now possible to add (for example) a rest interval between all exercises in a workout. ### 1.0 — 2020-01-06 No release notes. ## Apps similar to Ultra Intervals Workout Timer | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Interval Timer - Tabata Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interval-timer-tabata-timer/id406473568) | 4.5 (19,032) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Interval Timer: Tabata & HIIT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interval-timer-tabata-and-hiit/id6443672034) | 4.9 (370) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Custom Interval Timers](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/custom-interval-timers/id1552160706) | 5.0 (11) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [F45 TV](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/f45-tv/id1052050365) | 2.3 (18) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Box Timer - Simple WOD Clock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/box-timer-simple-wod-clock/id1547518531) | 4.9 (2,787) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Interval Timer X Workout Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/interval-timer-x-workout-timer/id1448144846) | 4.8 (686) | Free | Health & Fitness | ## More apps by Tapio Kuusisto - [WODbanger: Workout Master](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wodbanger-workout-master/id6468968807) - [TextFlash: Text files to cards](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/textflash-text-files-to-cards/id6744561294) All apps by Tapio Kuusisto: https://appshunter.io/developer/978979861 --- *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 2026-08-22.*