The display is split into several areas:

• A Settings button and the type (Work or Break) and number of the current period.
• A countdown timer showing the time remaining for the current period. This is represented with a circular graphic and numbers showing minutes and seconds.
• If selected, the name of the current Timer Profile. Tap the name to choose from a list of timer profiles.
• Stop, Start/Pause and Skip buttons.

Pommie is very easy to use:

• Tap Start to start the timer running. The Start button changes to a Pause button.
• Tap Pause to pause a running timer.
• Tap Stop to reset the timer back to the start of the current period.
• Tap Skip to move to the next period.
• Tap the circular timer to toggle between the main countdown view and the Planner View.
• Tap the Timer Profile name to choose from a list of other profiles.
• Tap any other part of the display to cycle between hiding the buttons, also hiding the timer digits, or showing everything. Hiding some of the content lets you focus on just the countdown timer.

External keyboard shortcuts can also be used to control the timer or open the Settings screen on iPad. Press and hold the ⌘ key to see the available commands.

A running timer counts down to 00:00 and plays an alarm sound when the next period begins, indicating that you should take a break or start working again. The sounds that are played for each type of period can be configured in the Settings screen.

You can close Pommie, switch to other apps, listen to music or play video while the timer runs in the background.

I recommend beginning each day from the first period rather than continuing from wherever the timer was paused or stopped the previous day. Skip forward repeatedly or press and hold the Stop button to reset the timer back to the first work period.

Tap the circular timer to toggle between the main countdown view and the Planner View.

• The countdown timer reduces in size and a 12 hour analogue clock face appears.
• A small white triangle indicates the current time (9:41 in this screenshot).
• The upcoming Work and Break periods are shown around the clock face, indicating the time that each period will begin and end.
• If the timer is running, the segment for the current period reduces in size until it ends.
• If the timer is not running, the segments will slowly rotate around the clock face.
• The length of each period type and number of work periods per round can be configued in the Settings screen.

If Pommie is not running when a period ends, an iOS notification appears. If your device is unlocked, either a temporary or permanent alert will appear. The iOS Permissions section explains how to configure the alert style.

The appearance and behaviour of notifications depends on which version of iOS you are using. In all cases the notification can be used to open the app or swiped/pressed to reveal a custom view which shows the current state of the timer.

The notification view itself includes Stop, Start/Pause and Skip buttons to control the iOS app’s timer, similar to the larger Home Screen Widgets. Tap outside the notification to dismiss it.

Missed notifications can be found in Notification Center. Opening Pommie will clear all its notifications.

Pommie includes Widgets to let you quickly see the iOS app’s timer from the Home Screen or Today View. All widget sizes are available.

Tap the Widget to open the iOS app.

The medium, large and extra large Widgets include Stop, Start/Pause and Skip buttons to control the timer. Due to technical limitations of widgets, this will also open the app.

Note: iOS limits how often a widget can be updated. Using a notification action or Siri shortcut to control the timer sometimes does not update the widget. Open the app to force the widget to update.

Widgets need to be added before they can be used. See, for example, this article on imore.com on How to use widgets on iPhone and iPad.

On iOS 16.1 or later, Pommie includes Lock Screen Widgets to let you quickly see the iOS app’s timer. Rectangular and circular sizes are available.

Tap the Widget to open the iOS app.

Pommie also includes an iOS 13 style Widget. It also lets you quickly see the iOS app’s timer from the Today View.

Tap the circular progress indicator to open the iOS app.

The Widget includes Stop, Start/Pause and Skip buttons to control the iOS app’s timer. These operate directly without having to open the app.

The old-style widget can still be used on iOS/iPadOS 14 and later, but I recommend not using both styles simultaneously. As with notification actions and Siri shortcuts, sometimes using the old-style widget to control the timer will not update the new-style widget until the app is opened.

Tap the Settings button in the top left to display the Settings screen. This screen has a few settings to control the behaviour of the app and links to other screens.

The Disable Auto-Lock setting controls when the app disables auto-lock: Never, Timer Running or Always. The default is Timer Running.

On devices that support it, the Quick Actions setting can be used to control whether a long press on the app’s icon shows shortcuts to quickly change the Timer Profile.

The length for each type of period can be configured from several options.

The number of work periods before a long break can be configured from 1 to 10.

Adjusting the timer settings here also updates the currently-selected Timer Profile’s settings.

The alarm sound that is played when each type of period begins can be configured from over 35 options (including None).

The External Display setting controls whether a full size timer is shown on an external display. A change to the setting will not take effect until the external display is reconnected or the app is killed and restarted.

Pommie Lite only allows the Disable Auto-Lock setting to be configured.

The Help page contains a few options to help you learn how to best use Pommie:

• A link to this User Guide.
• An easy way to send me mail if you have any questions or comments.

The About page contains information about the app and Hacknicity.

Pommie:

• The version of the app.
• A link to the web site for the app.
• A link to the privacy policy for the app.
• A link to the App Store page for the app.

Hacknicity:

• A link to the Hacknicity web site.
• A link to all my apps on the App Store.

The Do you like this App? section contains several ways you can support Pommie:

• Write an App Store review.
• Share the app with other people.

The Share it with other people option allows recommending the app by Mail, Message, Twitter, Facebook, AirDrop and more. Choose QR Code to display a QR code that links to the App Store page for the app. The other person can scan this with their camera app.

I am very grateful for your support to make more people aware of Pommie.

There is also a link to all my apps on the App Store and an easy way to send me mail if you have any feedback.

A Timer Profile groups together the settings for Work/Break Lengths and number of Work Periods Per Round. Timer Profiles are managed in the Timer Profiles section of the Settings screen.

• Tap a profile to select it.
• Tap Add Timer Profile to add a new profile.

Tap the Edit button to edit the profiles.

• Tap a profile to edit its settings.
• Drag a profile to move its position.
• To delete a profile, tap the red delete icon and then the Delete button that appears.
• Tap the Done button to leave edit mode.

The default None Timer Profile cannot be renamed, moved or deleted. It can be edited.

A long press shows a preview of the timer profile’s settings. Tap the preview to edit it. Tap the Delete button and confirm to delete the profile.

Swipe a timer profile to the left to reveal Edit and Delete actions.

The settings for a Timer Profile are configured in the Add/Edit Timer Profile screens:

• Give the profile a short name.
• The length for each type of period can be configured from several options.
• The number of work periods before a long break can be configured from 1 to 10.
• Tap the Cancel button to abandon changes.
• Tap the Save button to save the settings.
• When editing an existing profile, tap Delete Timer Profile to delete it.

Timer Profile configurations are shared with the Apple Watch app but each app can select a different profile.

Timer Profiles are also available as Siri shortcuts.

Timer Profiles are indexed with iOS so they can appear in search results.

• Swipe down from the middle of the Home screen to reveal the iOS search screen.
• Depending on the version of iOS and your configuration in Apple’s Settings app, you can also swipe down from the top of the screen in any app, or to the right when in the lock screen or left-most Home page.
• Start typing the name of a Timer Profile in the Search field.
• If any Timer Profiles match the search term they will appear in the results.
• Scroll to see more results. Over time, iOS will learn which results are most relevant to you and prioritise them.
• Tap a Timer Profile search result to open Pommie and change the profile.
• The timer itself will not be changed. Skip forward repeatedly or press and hold the Stop button to reset the timer back to the first work period.

Pommie supports Siri shortcuts. Shortcuts are managed in the Siri Shortcuts section of the Settings screen, the Shortcuts app, or in the Siri & Search section of Apple’s Settings app.

• Shortcuts can be used to control the timer or view the current timer status.
• Shortcuts can be used to select a Timer Profile, including the default None profile.
• Pommie’s shortcuts can be used with Apple’s Shortcuts app.
• Phrases that were created in the past which refer to timer profiles that no longer exist will be shown in a Deleted Timer Profiles section. These should be deleted.
• Phrases for selecting timer profiles that were created before Pommie v4.1.3 will be shown in a Deprecated Shortcuts section. They will work but cannot be run in the background. These should be deleted and, if still required, re-created.

• Tap a shortcut with an Add to Siri label to add a phrase.
• The interface that appears depends on which version of iOS you are using.
• Pommie suggests prefixing each shortcut phrase with the word “Pommie” but you can choose whatever phrase you like. Depending on your accent and how well Siri hears you, the word “Pommie” might be mis-heard as “Call me”. If this happens regularly, use different phrases.
• You can type a personalised phrase to run a shortcut using Siri. On iOS 15 and later, Pommie’s suggested phrase is used by default. Use the Change Voice Phrase button to change it.
• Tap a shortcut with an existing phrase to edit or delete the phrase.
• The phrases for each shortcut must be unique across all apps.

If iOS detects a regular pattern of usage, Siri may suggest shortcuts on the Lock Screen or in Spotlight. Tap a shortcut or use your personalised phrase in Siri to invoke the shortcut.

• Shortcuts will run without opening the app.
• A custom response view shows the current state of the timer. This looks very similar to the iOS 13 style Widget, but shows the current timer profile (if any) instead of timer control buttons.
• Tap the response to open the app, if required.
• Shortcut phrases created on iPhone also work on Apple Watch but can take a little while to become available.
• If the Watch app is installed, invoking a shortcut on the Watch will affect the Watch app. If the Watch app is not installed, it will affect the iPhone app.

The text that is shown and spoken by Siri when running a shortcut is configurable.

• Tap the information icon in the table row in the Default Siri Response section at the top of the Siri Shortcuts screen to configure the default response.
• Tap the information icon for an individual shortcut to configure it to use either the default response or a custom response.
• The response can include the timer profile name, current period, timer state and/or time remaining.
• Use the on/off switches to choose which information is included in the response.
• Drag a row to change its position.
• An example response is shown at the bottom of the screen.
• Shortcuts run on the Watch will use the same response configuration.

Pommie also provides actions which can be used in Apple’s Shortcuts app.

• Shortcut actions can be used to control the timer or get the current timer status.
• The Select Timer Profile action can be used to select a Timer Profile, including the default None profile. You can select a particular timer profile when building your shortcut or be prompted which profile to use each time the shortcut is run.
• If an action has Show When Run enabled then a custom response view shows the current state of the timer.

The Timer Status action also returns an array of strings describing the timer status. This is not affected by choices in the Siri Shortcuts screen to configure the Siri response.

• A full response with commas separating each of the following four components.
• Timer profile name or No profile if the the default None profile is active.
• Current period.
• Timer state: timer stopped, timer paused or timer running.
• Time remaining.

The style of notification alerts that appear when your device is unlocked and Pommie’s timer is running in the background is configurable in the Apple Settings app. Pommie can take you to the appropriate section directly. This only works after you have started the timer and the app has asked for permission to send you notifications.

• Tap the Settings button in Pommie and then tap iOS Permissions. The Apple Settings app will open.
• Tap on Notifications.
• Ensure Allow Notifications is turned on.
• On iOS 13 and later, select where notifications appear and a Banner Style.
• On iOS 15 and later, notifications are marked as Time Sensitive to allow them to break through a Focus.
• Press the back button in the status bar to return to the Pommie app.