How to Keep a Focus Timer on Your iPhone Lock Screen

A timer you have to unlock the phone to check is a timer that pulls you back into the phone. A Lock Screen countdown solves that.

What a Live Activity is

Live Activities are the live-updating panels iOS shows on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island: a delivery on its way, a sports score, a running timer. They update without you opening the app, which makes them ideal for a focus timer: you can glance at the time left without unlocking anything.

The quick option: the Clock app timer

Start a timer in the Clock app and it appears on the Lock Screen. That is enough for a single countdown. It does not know what the time was for, so there is no history, no streak, and nothing that connects the session to the rest of your day.

A focus timer built for it

1. Start from your morning alarm, or tap Focus now on the Home screen at any other hour (one session per day).
2. Choose a length with the slider. 5, 10 and 15 minutes are free; Pro goes up to 120 and lets you extend a running session by 5, 15 or 30 minutes.
3. Start, then lock the phone. The countdown keeps running on the Lock Screen, and in the Dynamic Island if your iPhone has one.
4. When it ends, it counts as your session for the day and, with Pro, is saved as mindful minutes in Apple Health.

Does Rise do Pomodoro?

Rise runs one focused block at a time, any length you pick, rather than a fixed 25/5 Pomodoro cycle. If you like Pomodoro, set 25 minutes, take your break, and start another. Many people find that one longer morning block suits deep work better than strict intervals.