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Does the NotchStar timer show a notification

Timers Published

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No. When a NotchStar timer ends it plays a sound and does nothing else. It does not send a macOS notification or draw a banner, and it does not appear in Notification Centre. The sound is the only alert, so if you pick No Sound the end is silent.

What you get instead

  • A sound from a short list, played once at zero. Change it in the sound menu.
  • While the timer runs, the countdown in the Timers tab. Open the notch to check progress. That is not an alert at the end.
  • The reset display when you open the notch: the timer shows its full length again after finishing.

Why this matters

The sound plays once, so you can miss it if you are away from the Mac. Nothing stays on screen to remind you that the timer has finished. With the notch closed there is nothing to see at all.

Ways to cope

  • Choose a distinct sound such as Submarine or Funk.
  • For a long or important block, glance at the countdown now and then.
  • For a reminder that survives a restart, use Calendar or Reminders, which NotchStar also shows in the notch. The Calendar and Reminders page explains it.

Limits

No banner, no repeat, no snooze. The behaviour is described on the Timers feature page and in what happens when a timer ends.

Keep reading.

Timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro in the notch
A timer, stopwatch and Pomodoro with session tracking, always one hover away in the Mac notch. It keeps counting while the notch is closed.
What happens when a NotchStar timer ends
When a NotchStar timer ends it plays your chosen sound and resets to its length. It does not repeat, show a banner or move other windows.
How to change or turn off the NotchStar timer sound
Pick Glass, Ping, Hero, Submarine or Funk for the timer finish sound, or choose No Sound to make it silent. The choice is remembered.

More in Timers.

How to set a timer on your Mac with NotchStar
Open the notch, choose Timers, pick a length from 5 to 60 minutes and press play. Pause and reset sit beside the play button.
How to start a Pomodoro session in NotchStar
Open Timers, choose Pomodoro, pick 25 and 5, 50 and 10 or 15 and 3 minutes, and press play. A ring and four dots track the cycle.
Which timer lengths NotchStar offers
The NotchStar countdown timer offers 5, 10, 15, 25, 45 and 60 minutes from one menu. There is no custom entry. Here is how to pick one.
NotchStar Pomodoro presets: 25/5, 50/10 and 15/3
NotchStar's Pomodoro timer has three presets: 25 minutes focus and 5 break, 50 and 10, or 15 and 3. Here is how to switch and when to use each.
What happens when a NotchStar timer ends
When a NotchStar timer ends it plays your chosen sound and resets to its length. It does not repeat, show a banner or move other windows.
Can you run more than one timer in NotchStar
NotchStar has one Timer, one Stopwatch and one Pomodoro, each with its own state. Only one countdown should run at a time. Here are the limits.
NotchStar app icon

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