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Timer

A minimal, offline Android timer application designed to play alarms exclusively through Bluetooth audio devices, without disrupting ongoing music playback.


Features

  • Countdown timer with start, pause, reset controls
  • Customizable quick-access timer shortcuts
  • Long-press shortcut deletion
  • Alarm playback routed to Bluetooth audio devices when connected
  • Alarm does not interrupt or stop currently playing music
  • Alarm can be dismissed using the play/pause button on a Bluetooth headset
  • Foreground service support (timer continues when the app is in background)
  • Fully offline:
    • No internet access
    • No ads
    • No tracking
    • No analytics
  • Lightweight and fast
  • Built with modern Android tools (Kotlin, Jetpack Compose, Media3)

Motivation & Background

This application was created out of a real, practical need.

I regularly use my smartwatch to time rest periods between sets at the gym. One day, after forgetting to charge it, I had to rely on the native Android timer app. This quickly became a problem: when the timer finished, the alarm played not only through my Bluetooth headphones, but also through the phone’s speaker.

In a gym environment, this is disruptive and annoying to others.

After researching the issue, it became clear that Android’s native timer application does not provide a way to control where alarm audio is routed. There is no option to restrict alarms to external Bluetooth devices only.

The alternative was to use a third-party timer app. However, the available options were:

  • Large applications (50+ MB)
  • Required internet access
  • Required accepting privacy policies and cookies
  • Included unnecessary features and background services
  • Contained ads

The ecosystem for such a simple requirement felt unnecessarily bloated.

So this application was built with a clear goal:

A simple timer that does exactly what it needs to do — and nothing more.


Design Philosophy

  • Minimalism: only essential features
  • Offline-first: no network permissions
  • Respectful: no ads, no tracking, no data collection
  • Lightweight: fast startup, small footprint

Status

This project is provided as-is for personal use. I do not intend to modify, maintain, for develop this application beyond personal needs.

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Bluetooth speaker only timer app for Android

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