App Profile: Bluebird Focus Timer

SchemeViller

Rating: 5/5

Not in leaps and bounds, but in small steps. I’d been looking for a time-tracking/pomodoro app, but most apps treat the two as completely separate things. Bluebird marries both quite well. I was also looking for Apple Watch, iPad, and IPhone sync + a one-time purchase option (was only about 10 mins in before I bought the lifetime purchase!). The app currently fits the bill & I’m happy to hear that they will be releasing a Mac app, as well. Overall, Bluebird has helped my work seem more manageable and approachable because I’m aiming for a time goal rather than trying to get the whole thing done at once. I struggle with procrastination and being able to set customizable timer durations toward my overall goal is a huge motivator. Additionally, I really love the focus reminders feature. I get notifications on whichever device I started the timer on, they’re unobtrusive and just help me refocus if I’ve gotten distracted. The due dates on tasks is also especially helpful because I get to track my assignments alongside personal goals & tasks. Anyway, I’m thrilled to have discovered this app and have gotten in as an early adopter. Wishing it and its indie developers so much success & longevity. All the best.

—AS—

Rating: 5/5

Of the myriad of methods out there, employing a timers-based workflow to manage tasks and projects is the best way to make to make progress on all that we wish to accomplish. There are many productivity apps that recognize this and offer a timers-based approach, but Bluebird is completely without peers. And the reason for this is that the app is at once simple, powerful, and beautiful. The experience is intuitive, the interface is straightforward and native, and there is clear polish throughout. The only way an app can be intuitive and powerful at once is if the developers behind it have a sense for design and a care for their craft. These qualities come together to create a comfortable and dependable experience, making Bluebird truly one of a kind in its field.

Jianshi Wu

Rating: 4/5

I've been looking for a good focus timer / icloud app for years and this app finaly checks most of the boxes!!! Bravo for the devs. If you are on the same boat, JUST BUY this app and support the devs! With that said, A few things I noticed that could be improved: 1. the Apple Health integration is not stable, 90% of the time it does not write minutes to the Health Data. (yes I have the settings turned on.) 2. The Apple watch small complication should show the countdown timer instead of a logo when a session is active, just like Apple's timer app. (Unless it's a OS restirction?) 3. I like the bold timer ring design on the watch, but the iOS and macOS ring design is super thin, which is hard to see clearly at a glance. 4. This could be a bug - whenever the watch or phone is locked, the always-on-display timer bar (either on the watch complication or in the Live Activities widget) will resume to 100%, where it shouldn't 5. As a fellow designer, I wish there could be more color cariations. I know the branding is blue, but it would be nice to distinguish focus session and rest session with blue and green, for example. It helps with the mental model and ease of use. Currently, everything is just different shades of blue. I just wish the rest sessions could be in green, so people know even from peripheral vision what session is active. All in all, these are just me being picky with an almost perfect app. Thanks again for the great work.