The Visual
Timer
A page for release notes
This page. Release notes for every version since 2.0.0, with an entry for each release from now on.
Release notes
This page lists what changed in each version of The Visual Timer, newest first.
The Visual Timer is a free countdown timer that shows time as a colored sector: easy to read at a glance without competing for your attention. Open the timer or start one from a link: thevisualtimer.com/?t=15 counts down 15 minutes.
New shadows and press motion
Shadows across the app are drawn from consistent light sources, now also during interactions. Buttons respond with the same springiness you see when you set the timer.
Performance improvements
While a timer runs, the dial redraws only when its edge moves a visible amount, so the page uses less energy. Drawing the dial is also faster, so dragging is smoother on slower devices.
Works with switch control
Switch control is assistive technology that lets people operate a device using one or more physical switches, head movements or sounds, instead of a traditional keyboard, mouse or touchscreen. The Visual Timer was tested with Switch Control on Mac and iPad. The page's description for search engines and app directories now lists switch control support.
Clearer screen reader announcements
Screen reader users hear every timer they start, pause or restart. This includes the same timer started twice in a row, which Chrome with VoiceOver on Mac used to skip.
Also in this release
- Pausing with the P key while the dial has focus says how much time is left, instead of only "0 minutes".
- Timers under a minute are announced in seconds, such as "30 second timer started."
- The dial describes its keys in one sentence when it receives focus, instead of listing them.
Presets fixed for VoiceOver
With VoiceOver on iPhone and iPad, double-tapping one of the presets around the dial (5 to 55 minutes) did nothing. It now starts the timer, as it already did everywhere else.
Maintenance release
Nothing changes in the timer. The server that receives the anonymous usage counts now logs why a delivery failed, without any visitor data.
Rebuilt from the ground up
The Visual Timer has been rebuilt from scratch. The first version launched at thevisualtimer.com in 2023 and was used close to 25,000 times. The idea stays the same: a distraction-free visual timer that's easy to read at a glance.
Video description (46 seconds, with music)
The video opens on the timer's pink dial behind frosted glass, with the title "The Visual Timer" and the line "The best countdown timer for work, study and play". The dial runs down, and the camera pulls back to the timer on a phone.
"Turn the dial to set a timer." The dial is turned to 15 minutes, and the countdown starts when it's let go.
"On a keyboard, type the minutes." On a laptop, 4 and then 2 are typed, and the dial springs to 42 minutes.
"Or start a timer from a link." In a browser, thevisualtimer.com/?t=25 is typed into the address bar, and the page opens with a 25-minute timer.
"The countdown starts right away." Sped up, the pink area shrinks back to the top until the timer reaches 0.
"Works on any screen size." The timer appears in a phone-sized window, and three successively smaller windows open beside it, each running its own timer. The smallest one moves up and turns into the app's logo.
The video ends on the logo, the name "The Visual Timer", the line "This is your time, take control of it" and the address "thevisualtimer.com".
Setting a timer
- Turn the dial by its round handle, or press anywhere in its center to swing it to that point and keep dragging from there.
- Tap one of the presets around the dial (5 to 55 minutes), or type digits: 2 sets 20 minutes, 2 then 3 sets 23.
- Open a link to start a timer: thevisualtimer.com/?t=15 starts 15 minutes. Put it in a bookmark, a calendar invite or a chat message. While a timer runs, the address bar holds the link to it.
- Every action has a key, wherever the focus is. The arrow keys change the time by a minute (Shift+arrow by five), Enter restarts the last timer, Escape cancels, P pauses and resumes where it left off, and F switches full screen on and off.
- Scroll while the mouse pointer is over the center of the dial to change the time.
Keeping time
- A reloaded or restored tab continues its timer, even after the browser restarts. If the time has passed, the dial comes back at 0, and Enter restarts the same timer.
- Where the browser allows it, the screen stays awake while a timer runs and for three minutes after it finishes, so you can see that it ended.
Faster and sharper
- The new version uses no framework and has zero production dependencies. It downloads about a fifth of what the first version did (20 KB instead of 95 KB) while doing much more, so it loads almost instantly.
- Better architecture makes it easier to keep improving the timer and adding more features.
- Improved rendering keeps the edge of the colored sector sharp on any screen.
- The dial moves smoothly to a new time instead of jumping, and a fast sweep gets a short motion blur.
Changes from the first version
- The dial turns counterclockwise by default. If you used the first version in the same browser in the last six months, it keeps turning clockwise for you.
- There are some (for now) hidden settings available through the browser's developer console, including the turning direction.
- Dragging no longer snaps to whole minutes.
- In full screen, Escape leaves full screen instead of cancelling the timer.
- The full-screen button isn't shown on iPhone and iPad.
Accessibility
- Screen readers can operate the dial as a slider, which reports the remaining time. Starting, pausing, cancelling and finishing a timer are announced.
- The presets are buttons you can reach with the keyboard and a screen reader.
- The dial numbers and buttons grow with your browser's text size and zoom. When there isn't enough room for everything, details are left out so the dial stays usable.
- With reduced motion turned on in your system settings, the dial moves without animation.
Privacy
- No account, no ads, no cookies, and no personal data collected or sold.