TalkingTime vs Cuckoo VO
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TalkingTime
This app announces the current time audibly at user-defined intervals, such as hourly, half-hourly, or quarter-hourly. It operates efficiently in the background after initial setup, conserving battery life. The app adheres to your phone's 12-hour or 24-hour time format.
- Audible time announcements
- Hourly, half-hourly, quarter-hourly alerts
- Set and forget operation
- Battery efficient
- Respects phone's time format
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Hear the time without stopping to look at your screen. TalkingTime gives you spoken time announcements, chimes and personal voice reminders on iPhone and iPad. Use a regular time cue to notice the passing hours while you work, study or move through your day. START WITH EASY • Use the included Easy schedule. • Choose spoken time or chimes, a voice, and 12- or 24-hour speech. • Add your own text to an enabled Easy announcement time. PRO SUBSCRIPTION • Edit Easy announcement times. • Use the separate Custom schedule at any minute, on specific dates or on selected weekdays. LEGACY PRO Your original lifetime access continues to include Easy editing and messages. The separate Custom schedule requires a Pro subscription. SET UP ANNOUNCEMENTS Keep Master Enable on and allow Notifications and Sounds for TalkingTime. Then return to the Home Screen with a normal swipe up or Home button, giving the app time to prepare your schedule. Prepared announcements use iOS local notifications and can sound when the screen is locked. Keep the device powered on. Silent mode, ringer volume, Focus and audio routing can affect what you hear. GET HELP Open It’s not working and tap Get support. Diagnostic information is sent automatically. You can also contact support@fortuisoft.com. The app and Apple purchase sheet show the current Pro price, billing period and any eligible trial. Pro is an automatically renewing subscription unless cancelled. Manage or cancel subscriptions through your Apple account. Privacy: https://www.fortuisoft.com/talkingtime/Privacy.html Terms: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Cuckoo VO
This app functions as a cuckoo clock, announcing the time with cuckoo sounds every hour and half-hour. It offers voice-over support for accessibility and allows direct in-app settings adjustments. Notifications are managed through the iOS notification system.
- Hourly and half-hourly time announcements
- Cuckoo sound notifications
- Voice-over accessibility
- Direct in-app settings
- iOS notification integration
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It is a cuckoo clock app that specializes in the use of a voice-over. You can be informed of the time in the cries of the cuckoo every hour on the hour and every 30 minutes. App screen has to like make settings directly. I am using the iOS notification function. If, when the time signal does not ring, please make sure the items in "Settings" app> "notification"> Cuckoo VO. Note that you can also use in those who are not used in the voice-over.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: TalkingTime at 93% against Cuckoo VO's 56%. TalkingTime also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 17 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). Cuckoo VO's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. TalkingTime sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Cuckoo VO asks for nothing beyond the download.
TalkingTime holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TalkingTime has 309 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 93% of TalkingTime's written reviews are positive against 56% of Cuckoo VO's.
TalkingTime ships an update every 6 weeks, Cuckoo VO every 17 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TalkingTime | Cuckoo VO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (309 ratings) — better | 4.2 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 92.8% of reviews — better | 55.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 309 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks — better | Every 17 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Fortuisoft LLC | Toshihiko Tambo |
Customer experience
TalkingTime
Cuckoo VO
Bugs and requests
TalkingTime
Reported bugs
2 issues- Announcements not working after iOS updates
- Inconsistent behavior with music/audio playback
Requested features
4 requests- More frequent time announcements (e.g., every 10 minutes)
- Custom voice recording option
- Integration with calendar/scheduling apps
- Separate volume control for announcements
Cuckoo VO
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TalkingTime
- Pro upgrade7 Days trial$1.991 Month
Cuckoo VO
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TalkingTime free?
Is Cuckoo VO free?
Which has better reviews, TalkingTime or Cuckoo VO?
Do TalkingTime or Cuckoo VO have ads?
Which is updated more often, TalkingTime or Cuckoo VO?
Other comparisons
