The timer development is all over the place. Tons of apps are constructed round strict periods, breaks, and nudges. I downloaded the one making the rounds proper now, however I will not be utilizing it. Typically the device that works for everybody else simply doesn’t match how your mind ticks.
Focus Pal is a cute, pleasant app
Bean is a pleasant mascot for productiveness
With a concentrate on a cute animated bean character, Focus Pal is the newest focus timer app individuals have been speaking about. It’s developed with Hank Inexperienced—a YouTuber, writer, and biologist—and was launched in August 2025. It’s free and accessible for each iOS and Android.
I’ve used screentime discount apps with success, however I’m all the time searching for different choices to assist me focus. Focus Pal intrigued me with its pleasant and smooth vibe and its rounded and cute illustrations within the interface.
Obtain: Focus Pal for iOS | Android (Free)
How Focus Pal works
It’s a easy idea
You may title your bean character, or preserve the default “Bean” title. This immediately turns Focus Pal right into a Tamagotchi of the fashionable day. It’s like naming a pet that lives in your telephone.
Though Focus Pal is free, there are alternatives to buy different bean character skins like “Hank Bean,” “Jelly Bean Pack,” or “Kitt-ney Bean.” You could possibly additionally buy Focus Pal Professional for extra premium knitted items or decorations—though this gained’t assist your focus, I’m certain.
The house display screen prompts that “Bean wants assist focusing” and makes use of a body-doubling-esque approach to encourage that when Bean focuses, so must you. Choosing Focus helps you to select for a way lengthy in 5-minute increments. Physique-doubling is a well-liked focus tip, equally to creating a time-lapse of your self to carry accountability.
What’s Bean specializing in? It’s possible you’ll ask… Knitting socks or scarves, in fact.
When Focus mode is on, you’ll solely see Bean knitting, dealing with away from the display screen so you may see its cute illustrated bean bottom. Along with your telephone’s quantity on, you’ll additionally take heed to the stress-free lo-fi music Bean knits to.
Bean will knit for so long as you keep in focus; the longer you’re centered, the extra knitted items—socks or scarves—you’ll get in consequence. Canceling your focus means Bean’s knitting goes to waste.
Bean’s knitted items can be utilized to “buy” decorations in Bean’s room/house with gadgets like flooring paint, a trash can, wall artwork, a desk, and extra. I haven’t centered sufficient to buy any, however I imagine there are additionally room expansions for Bean’s house with continued Focus credit.
Your reward for focusing is having the ability to gamify your digital pet’s house. Though cute and enjoyable, I imagine this may find yourself encouraging you to make use of your telephone extra and overlook the primary objective of Focus Pal.
Choices for deep or smooth focus modes
Focus Pal offers you the selection
Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.
When Focus Mode is on, Bean knits. That’s all that’s in your display screen throughout this time. It’s a repeated animation loop of knitting, quite than a progressive animation exhibiting how a lot Bean has knitted, so it’s not thrilling to look at and gained’t distract you.
Though the display screen doesn’t present something distracting in Focus Mode, you may nonetheless obtain telephone notifications from different apps. Fortunately, there’s an choice to change to Deep Focus Mode, which prevents exterior notifications throughout focus time.
You may change these modes underneath the settings tab on the Focus Pal house display screen. Deep Focus additionally helps you to select if any particular apps ought to enable notifications to look, so that you don’t must be fully blocked from the digital world.
Within the settings, you may also select to take heed to the calming music whereas not actively within the app, though this may drain your telephone’s battery considerably sooner. The choice for music whereas utilizing Focus Pal is nice, though the music doesn’t change, so it would result in madness after extended focus periods.
Focus Pal is simply too gimmicky for me
It’s a pleasing app, however I gained’t be utilizing it
Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.Screenshot by Ruby Helyer, writer. No attributon required.
I can see why loads of individuals would get pleasure from utilizing Focus Pal because it’s such an inviting and cute app to make use of, however that’s precisely why I don’t suppose I’ll proceed utilizing it.
For me, focus apps must be as hands-off as doable. They need to have a purposeful interface, however not one which I need to have interaction in—the concept of those apps is to discourage telephone use, to not encourage it. Focus Pal is simply too inviting.
The gamified facet of Focus Pal would lead me to choose up my telephone between each focus spherical and scour by means of the ornamental stock deciding tips on how to beautify Bean’s digital house. Earlier than I do know it, I’ve misplaced my focus once more, and it’s the app’s fault.
For me, particularly, Focus Pal isn’t so useful since I change to my laptop computer for work-based actions and infrequently put my telephone away anyway, like locking it in a cabinet to maintain it out of attain. Focus Pal isn’t accessible for desktop—however perhaps it will likely be at some point—so utilizing it really encourages me to maintain my telephone close by, which isn’t helpful for me to focus anyway. Fortunately, there are many desktop-based focus instruments to make use of as a substitute.
Nevertheless, I acknowledge that many individuals would profit from a knitting bean mascot. The concept of dedicating focus time to adorning a digital house may encourage them to place their telephone down and concentrate on their duties. I feel Focus Pal is price making an attempt, as even when it would not work on your focus wants, it is a healthful app to maintain in your telephone simply in case.
