The classic Pomodoro technique — typically 25 minutes on, 5 minutes off — only works when you actually stay on. Focus Dog enforces it the easy way: every focused minute earns donuts, and if you close the app mid-session, the donuts vanish.

Setting up a Pomodoro session

  1. Open the app and pick a duration. The app stores recent durations so you can re-run them with one tap.
  2. Optionally add a tag (Work, Study, Reading) and a one-line note to label the session in your stats.
  3. Tap start. Your phone is now off-limits — the moment you leave the app, the machine stops.

Auto-stop on completion (Pro)

With Focus Dog Pro, the session ends itself when the goal is reached. You don’t have to remember to tap stop. See also: Auto-stop not working.

Siri shortcuts

Start a Pomodoro by voice. Supported preset durations: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 45, 60, 90, 120 minutes.

Hourly challenges

The challenge board refreshes regularly with bonus rewards for hitting time goals. Running a Pomodoro at the right hour can stack the challenge reward on top of normal session XP. See also: Challenges explained.

Tags & stats

Every session can carry a tag. The stats screen breaks your time down by tag, day, week, month, and year, with a calendar heat map and CSV export (Pro).