Comparison

JoyaTimer vs Stereo Microphone

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

JoyaTimer

This app helps you precisely time bell strikes, inspired by a Japanese New Year's tradition. It allows customization of strike intervals and counts, with a special mode to ensure the final strike lands exactly at midnight. Features include sound and vibration alerts, with additional modes for quick starts and timing challenges.

Highlights
  • Customizable strike interval and count
  • Joya Mode for precise midnight timing
  • Sound and vibration alerts
  • Device stays awake while timer runs
  • Compass for orientation
  • Start Now and Game Mode (Beta)
Features
Read full description

JoyaTimer is a specialized yet simple timer app inspired by a Japanese traditional New Year’s Eve event called “Joya no Kane”. At many Buddhist temples across Japan, priests strike the temple bell 108 times on New Year’s Eve. The final strike should sound exactly at 0:00 a.m. on January 1st. This app helps you ring the bell at precise timing with sound and vibration (iPhone only). I originally made this app for New Year’s Eve 2011 and actually used it. It was convenient, so I decided to publish it. Key Features • Set the interval (seconds) between strikes (default: 20 seconds) • Set the number of strikes (default: 108) • “Joya Mode” (default: ON) automatically calculates and displays when you should start the first strike so that the last strike finishes exactly at midnight • Sound alerts at the configured interval, plus vibration support (iPhone only) • If Joya Mode is OFF, you can pause the timer • While Joya Mode is ON, the Start button disappears after starting to prevent accidental taps • The device will not sleep while the timer is running (please watch your battery) • Compass: find north on the timer screen (supported devices only) Tip When you press Start, it counts as the first strike. If you plan to ring 108 times, setting the count to 109 and ignoring the first “strike” can make the operation easier. How-to Video https://youtu.be/CQwCRaXpC9I New Features from Ver. 7 • Start Now (Beta): quick-start support for late-evening use • Game Mode (Beta): timing challenge for accurate bell strikes • End-time setting: choose when the ringing should finish Improvements after Ver. 7 • (7.1) Improved judgement accuracy and score display • (7.1) Enhanced mic threshold tuning and effects • (7.2) Enhanced scoreboard and high-score effects • (7.3) Internal code optimization and maintainability improvements Notes / Important • Please make sure your iOS device clock is accurate • Airplane Mode is recommended (the app is configured not to run in the background) • Test and simulate the timer in advance • If pressing Start exactly at the first strike is difficult, set the count to 109 and begin from the second alert • “Time Correction” was added in Ver. 2.9 because it is hard to adjust iOS clocks at the second scale. If your device is 5 seconds ahead of actual time, set it to “-5”. Since Airplane Mode is recommended, network time sync (e.g., NTP) is not assumed; manual correction works best • If you find any bug, please contact the support page (Facebook page) Sound List (sound number mapping) Sound quality is not good yet; we plan to re-record in the future. 1. Electric sound 2. Big bell (Electric) 3. Big bell in Jyousenji temple (bad sound due to a crack) 4. Bell in Jyousenji (Large Kin) 5. Bell in Jyousenji (Medium Kin) 6. Sawari in Jyousenji

About

Stereo Microphone

Transform your device into a powerful microphone or audio recorder. Enhance your sound with built-in effects like pitch shifting and equalization, and choose from various high-quality recording formats.

Highlights
  • Device as microphone
  • Audio recording
  • Pitch shifter effect
  • 10-band equalizer
  • Multiple recording formats
  • Noise reduction
  • System voice processing
Features
Read full description

Use your iPhone/iPad as a microphone and output sound to headphones or speakers. You can also use it to record audio instead of playing sound. The app comes with four built-in effects. Stereo input is available on compatible devices only. The microphone on the iPhone is positioned vertically, so by using it in landscape orientation, you can experience a greater sense of stereo sound. Please note that this app was created just for my personal use, and I cannot guarantee its performance on devices I do not own. Voice preprocess: - System Voice Processing - Noise Reduction - Auto Gain Control Included effects: - Pitch shifter - Chorus - Reverb - 10-band equalizer Supported devices with stereo input (unconfirmed): - iPhone XS or later - iPhone SE 2nd generation or later - iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation or later - iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation or later Recording file formats: - MPEG4 AAC 44.1kHz 192kbps Stereo (.m4a, Up to 24 hours) - MPEG4 AAC 44.1kHz 128kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - MPEG4 AAC 48kHz 192kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - MPEG4 AAC 48kHz 256kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - MPEG4 AAC 48kHz 320kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - MPEG4 AAC 44.1kHz 96kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - MPEG4 AAC 32kHz 64kbps Stereo (.m4a, 24h) - PCM 44.1kHz 16bit Integer Stereo (.wav, 6h) - PCM 48kHz 16bit Integer Stereo (.wav, 6h) - PCM 44.1kHz 32bit Float Stereo (.wav, 3h) - PCM 48kHz 32bit Float Stereo (.wav, 3h) * You can add a timecode when you use a PCM format. If you are using an external stereo microphone, please set the input channel to stereo in the settings. Please note that: - The screenshots are simulated images. The actual display may differ. - This app and descriptions contain machine translated text.

Screenshots

JoyaTimer4 screens
Stereo Microphone4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Stereo Microphone at 85% against JoyaTimer's 0%. Stereo Microphone also leads on rating (4.5 vs 2.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). JoyaTimer's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

JoyaTimer is free to download; Stereo Microphone costs $2.99 up front. JoyaTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Stereo Microphone asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stereo Microphone holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 8 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of JoyaTimer's written reviews are positive against 85% of Stereo Microphone's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, Stereo Microphone monthly. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
JoyaTimer versus Stereo Microphone: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoyaTimerStereo Microphone
PriceFree — better$2.99
Rating2.0 (2 ratings)4.5 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews85.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings28 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaishin UeyamaRyouta Kira

Customer experience

JoyaTimer

All ratings2 ratings
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral50.0%
Negative50.0%

Stereo Microphone

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative10.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

JoyaTimer

One-time1
  • Donate a cup of coffee.$0.99
None

Stereo Microphone

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JoyaTimer free?
JoyaTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Stereo Microphone free?
Stereo Microphone costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, JoyaTimer or Stereo Microphone?
Stereo Microphone is rated higher. JoyaTimer averages 2.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Stereo Microphone averages 4.5 from 8 ratings.
Do JoyaTimer or Stereo Microphone have ads?
Neither JoyaTimer nor Stereo Microphone shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JoyaTimer or Stereo Microphone?
JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, and Stereo Microphone monthly. Most recently, JoyaTimer was updated on August 26, 2026 and Stereo Microphone on September 21, 2026.

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