CalDown vs Shortly

CalDown – Focus. Clarity. Time Awareness. What is happening now? What comes next? How much time is left? CalDown turns Apple Calendar events into a focused timeline across iPhone, iPad, widgets and Apple Watch. Choose your calendars and see your day without the clutter. A TIMELINE BUILT AROUND NOW • Follow your current event with a countdown and remaining-time bar • See all-day, upcoming and recently ended events • Look ahead by 3, 5 or 7 days • See gaps, overlaps and timed reminders • Create and edit events with the Apple Calendar editor • Hide individual occurrences without changing Apple Calendar, and restore them whenever you need LIVE ACTIVITIES Keep a large countdown on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, optionally showing upcoming events. Start from CalDown, an event’s play button or the dedicated Lock Screen control. You can also enable starting when opening CalDown. Live Activities do not automatically start for every event while the app is closed. Calendar changes refresh when CalDown runs or you request a refresh. WIDGETS FOR A QUICK GLANCE • See your current or next event on the Home Screen or Lock Screen • Choose focused countdowns or event overviews • Place Presentation A and B side by side for a larger Lock Screen countdown • Show gaps and overlaps, or hide the highlighted event, in supported layouts APPLE WATCH — WITH PRO • View events available on your Watch without your iPhone nearby • Follow your iPhone’s calendar selection or choose separate calendars • Choose circular, corner, inline and rectangular complications • Presentation Dynamic emphasizes the leading time unit • Presentation Fixed keeps hours, minutes and seconds in a consistent layout • A prominent “In” distinguishes upcoming events from running events • Event Overview shows two events and highlights the current one • Expand event and reminder details Widgets and complications use your selected Upcoming range. Refreshes and Always On updates are managed by the system. CALENDAR NOTIFICATIONS Create calendar groups with alerts before, at, during or near the end of events. Choose sound settings for each group on iPhone. CalDown alerts are separate from Apple Calendar alerts, so both may notify you. Delivery depends on permissions, Focus settings and system background refresh. APPLE REMINDERS — BETA, WITH PRO Show dated tasks alongside events, keep overdue tasks in Today, complete tasks and review dated tasks completed today. Use Apple Reminders to create, edit or reopen them. Undated tasks are not shown. Reminders do not occupy time or appear in widgets and complications. Watch completion requires the paired iPhone; offline requests remain pending. Both devices need reminder access and the same account. Some accounts may not match tasks reliably. NOTES AND CHECKLISTS Keep notes and checklists with events. Watch changes require the paired iPhone to save and confirm them. Your calendar account manages synchronization. MAKE TIME EASIER TO READ Choose System or OpenDyslexic for CalDown, widgets, Live Activities and Apple Watch. Preview and customize Remaining Time Colors and warning thresholds. Apply them to the timeline, widgets and Watch independently. These are visual cues; notifications are configured separately. SIRI AND SHORTCUTS Ask about Current, Next or Today’s schedule. Hide an occurrence, restore the last hidden event, or open Today and Upcoming. YOUR DATA, YOUR RULES • No CalDown account, ads, subscriptions or analytics • On-device processing, with no external CalDown server • Hidden-event preferences sync only with your paired Watch • Optional diagnostic reports you review and choose to share START SIMPLE. UNLOCK MORE WITH PRO. Use one calendar at a time and basic widgets for free. A one-time purchase unlocks multiple calendars, additional widget layouts, Apple Watch and Apple Reminders integration. Your time. Your focus. CalDown.

Shortly shows your next calendar event right where you'll see it - on your Home Screen and Lock Screen - with a live countdown so you always know how much time you've got. No app to open, no list to scroll. Just glance and go. WHAT SHORTLY DOES Puts your next event front and center with a countdown that ticks down in real time ("45m", "1h 20m", then a live timer in the final minutes). Shows the event title, start time, and a color dot matching its calendar. Works on both the Home Screen and the Lock Screen. HOME SCREEN WIDGET Small and Medium sizes. Choose how many events to show - 1, 2, 3, or 4 at once. Tap the X on any event to skip it; the next one slides right into place. LOCK SCREEN WIDGET Rectangular and inline styles for the perfect glanceable view. Your next event and its countdown, without unlocking your phone. MADE TO STAY OUT OF YOUR WAY Pick exactly which calendars appear, grouped neatly by account. Ignore events you'd rather skip - from the widget or the app - and restore them anytime. "All clear" when your schedule is empty, so you know at a glance there's nothing next. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your calendar is read entirely on your device. Nothing is ever uploaded, shared, or transmitted. No account. No login. No network connection required. No analytics, no advertising, no third-party tracking of any kind. Preferences are stored locally using Apple's secure App Group storage. Add the Shortly widget once and get on with your day. Your next thing is always one glance away.