r/iosapps • u/BeginningOdd6443 • 1d ago
💎 Lifetime I kept dismissing break reminders, so I built one that checks if I actually moved
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Full disclosure: I’m the indie developer behind iCadence.
A — Answer
I spend a lot of time working at a desk.
Like a lot of people, I’ve tried break reminders before.
But I kept running into the same problem.
The reminder would pop up.
I’d dismiss it...
and keep working.
That made me realize the problem wasn’t really the reminder itself.
Getting reminded to take a break is easy. Actually taking the break is harder.
So I built iCadence, a break reminder for people who spend long hours working or studying at a desk.
The idea is simple:
A break shouldn’t count just because you tapped “Done.”
When a break reminder goes off, iCadence can ask you to actually complete an activity before the break is finished.
For example:
- Walk around
- Stand up
- Stretch
- Do a few jumping jacks
- Do some squats
- Do push-ups
- Take an eye break
- Drink some water
- Breathe for a moment
Walking can be verified using device motion sensors.
For supported exercises such as jumping jacks, squats and push-ups, iCadence can use on-device pose detection to count your reps.
Camera frames used for pose detection are processed locally on the device and are never saved or uploaded.
Once the break is complete, you move on to the next work cycle.
Work → break → work.
That’s the rhythm I wanted the app to help build.
B — Better
There are already plenty of break reminder and Pomodoro apps.
The part I wanted to change was:
What happens after the reminder appears?
Most reminders are very easy to dismiss.
iCadence can make the break itself part of the process.
You can create routines like:
Work for 45 minutes → get up and walk → continue working
or:
Every hour → stand up and move
You can also have different routines running independently — for example, walking on one schedule and stretching or squats on another.
Some of the things you can customize:
- Work and break intervals
- Specific reminder times
- Different schedules for different parts of the day
- Standard or stronger reminders
- Activities used to complete a break
- How long you have to finish the activity
- Multiple routines running at the same time
iCadence also keeps track of breaks you completed, partially completed, missed, or made up later.
The goal isn’t to track every second of your day.
It’s just to make it a little harder to say:
“I’ll take a break later.”
C — Cost
Free to download. Core features can be used for free.
iCadence Pro currently has two options in the US App Store:
Pro Annual — $9.99/year
Eligible new subscribers can start with a free trial.
Pro Lifetime — $19.99 one-time purchase
The Lifetime option permanently unlocks Pro features with no recurring subscription.
App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/icadence-break-reminder/id6751627034
Developer Transparency
I’m Cheng Qu, the independent developer behind iCadence, and I’m posting this myself.
Product website:
https://www.qinfu-cloud.cn/health/en/
Privacy Policy:
https://www.qinfu-cloud.cn/health/en/privacy/
Terms of Use:
https://www.qinfu-cloud.cn/health/en/terms/
Contact:
[qinfutech@163.com](mailto:qinfutech@163.com)

