Candle TimerCandle Focus Timer

A quiet focus timer.
No pep talks, no countdown

Stop watching the seconds tick by. Light a candle, let it slowly burn down as you study or work, and watch your days build up on a habit grid. For deep work, reading, meditation and winding down before sleep.

Get it on Google Play

Android 7.0+ · Free, with optional paid plans in the app

A candle burning in front of a rainy window, with no numbers on screen

Forget the clock. Get absorbed in what's in front of you

When you want to focus, a ticking "minutes and seconds left" is exactly what pulls you away. Candle Timer shows no numbers while the candle burns. Glance up, and the candle's length tells you how much time has passed.

  • Turn the circular dial to set the time, then light the candle
  • Tap the screen to see the time left, or to put the candle out early
  • The timer keeps running when you leave the app or turn off the screen. A chime, a vibration and a notification tell you when it's done
The screen after the candle burns out. Smoke rises from the holder, and it only says: Your candle has gone out, 15 minutes

No guilt trips. No noisy gamification.

When the candle burns out, there's no "Well done!" and no celebration. Put it out early and nothing is taken away. The flame goes out, a wisp of smoke rises, and the time it burned is saved.

If a streak starts to feel like pressure, hide it for any candle. Notifications never mention your streak.

Drift mode

Like a real candle, it burns out a little before or after the time you set, for when you'd rather let go of "exactly 25 minutes". Afterwards you'll see how long it actually burned. Turn it off when you need an exact time.

The habit screen. For each candle, English (green) and Math (blue), the days you lit it fill a grid, with the streak, longest streak, days lit and weekly goal

Watch your days fill up on a habit gridFree

Each day you light a candle is marked on the habit grid for that subject or habit. No pep talks needed: the filled-in days show how far you've come.

  • Set weekly or monthly goals and follow your streak
  • Set a reminder for each candle, at the times and days you choose
Widgets on the home screen: a grid for English, a day streak for Meditate and a grid for Reading

Home screen widgets and a month calendar with notesPaid

Put a grid or streak widget on your home screen and see your progress without opening the app.

On the month calendar, jot a short note about what you studied or noticed that day. You can also fix days you forgot to log and set rest days.

  • Weekday goals, like Mon, Wed and Fri
  • Tags, like "Study," to view candles together

Unlock Habit features to use widgets, the month calendar, daily notes and more.

The setup screen for Study. The dial is set to 25 minutes, Repeat is checked, and it shows a 5-minute break and 4 candles

Flow through Pomodoro-style focus and restFree

Check "Repeat" and light the candle. When it burns out, a break starts on its own. After the break, a new candle is set in the holder and lit.

No resetting the timer each time: keep a rhythm like 25 minutes of focus and a 5-minute break. Choose the break length and the number of candles, or keep going until you stop.

A month of history. Candles stand for 60 minutes each, with the total time, sessions, average and days lit, and a bar chart by day

See where your hours go, subject by subject

Make a candle for each subject or use, like "English," "Math," "Certification study" or "Reading," and every session is saved automatically. See totals, session counts and time for each subject in charts, by day, week, month and year.

Basic history is free. Unlock Habit features to see your all-time total, the times of day you focus best, and each candle over time.

The northern lights background, with a candle burning on a brass chamberstick The cherry blossom background, with petals drifting and a candle burning on a blue-and-white dish The night sea background, with a distant lighthouse and a candle burning on a gold holder

Immersive scenes and ambient sound

Rain, waves, a stream, wind, plus white noise, pink noise and brown noise. The sound starts when you light the candle and fades out when it burns out. It plays alongside music in other apps without stopping it.

A rainy window, a snowy night, a starry sky, the northern lights, a night sea, a forest spring, a study, shoji screens, a tea room, a castle window and more, plus daytime scenes: a riverside, a sunny shore, cherry blossoms and a rainy moss garden. Snow drifts, waves roll in, mist moves and fireflies wander. The candle sits on a wooden table and lights it softly.

The candle and holders show the look of real wax, metal, stone, clay and wood. Choose a copper, slate, earthenware or black iron holder.

Rain, the color noises and some backgrounds, including the rainy window, are free. Unlock Appearance for the sounds of waves, a stream and wind, the other backgrounds, and more holders such as a brass chamberstick.

The setup screen for Before bed on a snowy night. Sleep mode is checked, with the note: No chime at the end. The screen fades to dark

Sleep mode: drift off without an alarm waking youFree

Stretching or reading at night while watching the flame to the sound of rain? Turn on "Sleep mode". The candle burns out without a chime or vibration; in the last few minutes the screen slowly dims, then goes dark.

A silent notification lets you know it has ended.

Each candle remembers it, so only your bedtime candle stays quiet.

The setup screen for Yoga, with a forest spring background, the sound of a stream and a barley twist wooden holder

Switch the whole scene for each use

Make a candle for each use, such as "Study," "Meditate," "Yoga" or "Before bed," or for each subject, like "English" or "Math."

Each one remembers its own name, color, holder, background and ambient sound, so picking a candle changes the whole scene.

The free version lets you make a limited number of candles. Unlock Habit features to make as many as you like.

Made for

  • Test prep and entrance exams
  • University coursework and exam prep
  • Studying for certifications
  • Remote work and focused tasks at home
  • Small daily habits, like reading, languages, journaling and stretching
  • People who find cheering or game-like apps tiring
  • Meditation and mindfulness
  • Candle gazing (trataka)
  • Yoga, stretching and breathing
  • A bath, a break, or winding down before bed
  • Falling asleep (Sleep mode)

Free and paid plans

The free version includes the full timer, Repeat, Sleep mode, the habit grid, streaks, weekly and monthly goals, basic history with charts, and backup export (JSON / CSV). There are two paid options: Appearance, which unlocks more scenes, holders and sounds, and Habit features, which help you keep going.

Free
  • The timer, Drift mode and Sleep mode
  • Repeat (Pomodoro-style)
  • The habit grid, streaks, and weekly and monthly goals
  • Reminders (a limited number)
  • Basic history and charts (day, week, month, year; time for each candle)
  • Backup export (JSON / CSV)
  • A time display for each candle
  • Some backgrounds, including the rainy window
  • Ambient sounds: rain and color noises (white, pink and brown)
  • Holders: copper, slate, earthenware and black iron
  • Candle colors (except custom colors)
  • Candle presets (a limited number)
  • A small banner ad on the setup screen
Appearance (one-time)
  • Every background
  • More holders, such as a brass chamberstick and a barley twist wooden stand
  • Every ambient sound (waves, stream and wind)
  • Custom candle colors you mix yourself
  • Longer timer durations
  • No ads
Habit features (subscription or one-time)
  • Unlimited candles and reminders
  • Home screen widgets
  • A month calendar and daily notes
  • Fixing forgotten days, and rest days
  • Weekday goals
  • Tags to view candles together
  • Detailed history (all-time total, time of day, each candle over time)
  • Restore from a backup
  • Everything in Appearance

Appearance is a one-time purchase: pay once, with no recurring fees. For Habit features you can choose a subscription or a one-time purchase. The subscription has a free trial and renews automatically; cancel any time under "Subscriptions" in Google Play. Prices are shown in your local currency on Google Play.

FAQ

Are there ads?

The free version shows a small banner ad at the bottom of the setup screen, before you light the candle. There are no ads while the candle burns or after it burns out, and no full-screen or video ads. Buying either Appearance or Habit features removes ads entirely.

How much can I do for free?

The timer, Drift mode, Repeat, Sleep mode, the habit grid, streaks, weekly and monthly goals, basic history with charts, and backup export are all free. Some backgrounds, including the rainy window, the copper, slate, earthenware and black iron holders, and the rain and noise sounds are free as well. The number of candles and reminders you can make is limited.

What's the difference between Appearance and Habit features?

Appearance is a one-time purchase with every background, holder and ambient sound, custom colors, longer timer durations and no ads. It changes how the candle looks and sounds, and nothing about your records.

Habit features give you unlimited candles and reminders, widgets, the month calendar, daily notes, edits to past days, weekday goals, tags, detailed history and restore from a backup. They include everything in Appearance.

Subscription or one-time purchase for Habit features?

You get the same features either way. The subscription is monthly or yearly, has a free trial, and renews automatically after the trial. Cancel any time under "Subscriptions" in Google Play; you keep access until the end of the period you've paid for. The one-time purchase is paid once, with no recurring fees.

If I stop subscribing, do I lose my records?

No. Your history and grids stay. After you cancel, what Habit features added goes back to the free version's range. You can show as many candles as the free version allows; the others are only hidden, and their records stay. Notes you wrote are still readable. Widgets show a note that they're a Habit feature. If you subscribe again, everything comes back.

Won't a streak add pressure?

You can hide the streak for any candle. Notifications never mention it, and there are no penalties or pep talks for a day you didn't light a candle. You simply look at it on the list and habit screens when you want to.

Does the timer keep running when I leave the app?

Yes. The timer keeps going when you leave the app or turn the screen off, and a chime, a vibration and a notification tell you when it's done (notifications need permission). While the app is open, the screen stays on so you can keep watching the candle. Ambient sounds play while the screen is on.

What is Sleep mode?

With Sleep mode on, the candle burns out without a chime or vibration. In the last few minutes the screen slowly dims, then goes dark, and a silent notification lets you know it has ended. Each candle remembers the setting, so only your bedtime candle stays quiet. It's free.

Will ambient sounds stop my music?

No. They play alongside sound from other apps. If your headphones are unplugged or disconnected, only the ambient sound pauses.

Can I check the time left, or pause?

By default, no numbers are shown while the candle burns. Tapping the screen shows the time left, and you can put the candle out early from there. If you want to see the time all the time, turn on the time display for a candle. There is no pause. Just like a real candle, once it is lit you either put it out or let it burn down.

Can I use it like a Pomodoro timer?

Yes. Turn on Repeat, and after each burn you take a break, then a new candle is lit. Choose the break length and the number of candles, or keep going until you stop. It's free.

What is "Support the developer"?

An optional purchase that appears in the menu for people who have bought Appearance or Habit features. It helps keep the app going. You can pick an amount and give as many times as you like. Nothing changes in what the app can do.

I got a new phone. Can I keep my purchases and records?

For purchases, if you use the same Google account, tap "Restore purchase" in the app's menu or settings screen to get them back at no extra charge. For records, backup export (JSON / CSV) is free. Restoring from an exported backup is a Habit feature.

What languages does the app support?

English and Japanese. The app shows Japanese when your device’s primary language is Japanese, and English in every other case. There is no in-app language switch.

Is my data private?

Your sessions, habits, notes and candles are stored on your device and are never sent to minimalab’s servers. No account is required. Ads in the free version are served by Google AdMob, which may process your advertising ID. See the privacy policy for details.

Get it on Google Play

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BrandSizeSame size on the tag. Different fit on you. Repeat NotificationSet it once. Let it remind you.

Requires: Android 7.0 or later

Pricing: free, with additional features as in-app purchases (Appearance is a one-time purchase; Habit features are a subscription or a one-time purchase; prices are shown in your local currency on Google Play)

Languages: English and Japanese (follows your device’s primary language)

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