Shared Timer vs Availability

The iPhone Clock app can't share a timer, and the apps that can go quiet the moment the ringer is off. Shared Timer fixes both: set it once, send the link, and every phone rings at the same second, even on silent. HOW IT WORKS 1. Set a timer, by duration or by picking an exact time ("dinner's out at 6:15"). 2. Share the link through Messages, WhatsApp or any app you already use. Recipients just tap and they're in. No sign-ups. 3. Ring together. Every device rings at the same absolute moment, even offline, with the app closed or with the phone on silent. 4. Change it while it runs. Edit the time, name or color, or add a minute with one tap, and every phone follows. RINGS EVEN ON SILENT On iOS 26, every countdown in Shared Timer is a system alarm, the same kind the Clock app uses. The Silent switch doesn't mute it. Do Not Disturb and other Focus modes don't hold it back. Your iPhone sounds and shows a full-screen Stop button, whether the app is open, closed or the phone is locked, and it keeps ringing until you stop it. No more missed timers because the ringer was off. On iOS 17 and 18, timers alert with a notification instead, which follows your Silent switch and Focus settings. EVERY TIMER IS ITS OWN ALARM Run the pizza, the laundry and the nap at once. Each timer is scheduled as its own alarm, so stopping one never silences another. Change a timer or add a minute and its alarm moves with it, on every phone sharing it. When a timer rings or you stop it, its Live Activity clears itself from the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. Nothing to swipe away, nothing left ringing at the wrong time. OR TIME ANYTHING, LIVE Count-up timers work like a shared stopwatch: for naps, workouts, study sessions, anything. Everyone you share with watches it tick and sees how long it ran. WHY PEOPLE USE IT • Kitchen coordination: "Dinner's out at 6:15," and every phone in the house knows it. • Game nights and watch parties: sync the start so nobody misses kickoff. • Workouts and study sessions: start an interval together, even from across the country. • Kids and chores: "Screen time ends at six," backed by an alarm instead of an argument. • Meetings and calls: a countdown to "go time" the whole group can see. • Long distance: "Call me the second this hits zero." BUILT THE WAY A TIMER SHOULD WORK • Real alarms on iOS 26: they ring through Silent mode and Focus, and keep ringing until you stop them • Every timer is its own alarm: stop one and the others keep going • Create a timer by duration or by picking an exact time • Edit a running timer, or add a minute with one tap; every phone follows the change • See how many people joined each timer you shared • Repeat daily, on weekdays or weekly • Share instantly through Messages or any app • Alarms fire at the same moment on every device, even offline • Only the creator can edit or stop a countdown; everyone else watches it count down • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, plus a Live Activity in the Dynamic Island • Works on iPhone and iPad, with timers kept in sync between them • Apple Watch app: see your timers, get haptic alerts and stop count-ups from your wrist • Nine colors to keep multiple timers straight at a glance • Light and dark appearance SIMPLE, HONEST PRICING Free: create as many timers as you like, receive and follow timers, Apple Watch, widgets, timer history, and your first three shared timers. One small one-time purchase: unlimited sharing, forever, on iPhone and iPad together. The people you share with pay nothing. No subscription. No ads. Shared Timer is made by an independent developer, me, and I care. It doesn't ask for your name, your email or an account. It just keeps everyone on the same clock.

Availability turns scheduling into a single message. Open any conversation in Messages, tap +, choose Availability, and send. The other person sees the times you’re actually free, picks one, and it’s booked — no links to copy, no accounts to create, no back-and-forth. SEND IN TWO TAPS Pick an activity — Coffee, Lunch, Drink, Meeting, or one you create — and send. Each preset remembers its own length, date window, and hours, so “grab a coffee” is one tap and done. ALWAYS ACCURATE Availability reads your calendars on your device and hides anything that’s busy. If your week fills up after you send, the times you offered update automatically. Nobody can book over a meeting. THEY DON’T NEED THE APP Recipients pick a time right inside the message bubble, or on a simple web page if they don’t use iMessage. No sign-up, no email address, no app download required. They confirm, tap Add to Calendar, and they’re done. IT LANDS ON YOUR CALENDAR Confirmed bookings go straight into the calendar you choose — iCloud, Google, or any calendar on your iPhone — and the time is instantly held so nobody else can take it. TUNE ANY SEND Change the meeting length, the date range, or the hours (mornings only, afternoons, evenings, or custom) for just this message without touching your defaults. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Event titles, notes, and attendees never leave your phone. Availability only uses busy/free time to calculate what to offer. SET UP ONCE Choose which calendars to check for conflicts, which calendar to add bookings to, your normal working hours, and your default meeting length. After that, everything happens in Messages. Availability is the missing scheduling button in Messages.