Comparison

JoyaTimer vs Side Search

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 I originally made this app for New Year’s Eve 2011 and actually used it.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

Side Search

Launch your preferred AI assistant or search engine using the Side Button or Action Button. Customize assistants with custom URLs or integrate with Apple Foundation Models, Claude API, or Google Gemini API.

Highlights
  • Launch AI assistants via Side/Action Button
  • Custom URL-based assistants
  • Apple Foundation Models integration
  • Claude API support
  • Google Gemini API support
  • Side Bridge for custom endpoints
Features
Read full description

Quickly launch your preferred AI assistant or search engine as a voice assistant from the Side Button or Action Button. ### Launch from Side Button ### On iPhone in Japan, you can assign Side Search to the Side Button. You can start your favorite assistant by pressing and holding the Side Button. ### Assistants ### --- URL Based Assistant You can turn various AI assistants and search engines into assistants by setting a custom URL. --- Apple Foundation Models You can converse with privacy-focused models on devices that support Apple Intelligence. --- Claude API You can ask Claude to perform web searches or ask questions using your own API key. --- Google Gemini API You can converse with Gemini and ask it to perform web searches using your own API Key. --- Side Bridge For advanced users, you can use any assistant by creating an endpoint called Side Bridge.

Screenshots

JoyaTimer4 screens
Side Search3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Side Search at none against JoyaTimer's 1. Side Search also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs every 2 months). JoyaTimer's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 27.0). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model 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

Both are free to download. JoyaTimer sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Side Search asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, Side Search every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on August 26, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
JoyaTimer versus Side Search: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterJoyaTimerSide Search
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 6 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better27.0
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB36 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperDaishin UeyamaCizzuk Shihu

Customer experience

JoyaTimer

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

Side Search

Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral100.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

JoyaTimer

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

Side Search

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is JoyaTimer free?
JoyaTimer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Side Search free?
Side Search is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do JoyaTimer or Side Search have ads?
Neither JoyaTimer nor Side Search shows ads.
Which is updated more often, JoyaTimer or Side Search?
JoyaTimer ships an update every 2 months, and Side Search every 6 days. Most recently, JoyaTimer was updated on August 26, 2026 and Side Search on September 16, 2026.

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