Intermission for Mac

@alexg473 Nice, it would be great to add integration with Apple Watch and other iOS devices. Specifically proximity sensors (BLE) and others. Alex, have you tested this with multiple screens? An integration with a calendar would be nice to have too.

@eugenehp Thanks Eugene! There is an iOS app in the works, although it probably will not sync. I’m curious, how would you expect them to interact?

@alexg473 Idea would be to limit the screen time across the devices. Not just switch from one device to another, right?

Another thought: add an option on the intermission screen to pause the video before taking the intermission?

@mohen_li Hi Mohen, thanks for using Intermission! It's funny, because with the latest update I spent a lot of time trying to do exactly what you describe. If you're interested in the technical details, keep reading... There's no easy way to detect if a video is playing on your computer, though it might be possible with a custom browser extension. But that would ignore any videos played outside of the browser, and would probably require some pretty invasive permissions, not to mention a lot of work to build extensions for multiple browsers. What I did attempt is to use audio as a proxy for this, and came very close to a solution. As a developer I can send a signal to play/pause your computer's audio, which of course could pause a song on Spotify/iTunes/etc, but it also works for any video/media which is the source of the audio-- so a YouTube video for example. While I was able to pause/play the audio, I was not able to figure out a way to detect if there was actually any audio playing to begin with. So if you weren't listening/watching anything and your Intermission began, Intermission would send the "signal", which would begin playing something-- the exact opposite of what I want to happen. I've asked a question on the Apple Developer Forums about this but have not heard anything yet: https://developer.apple.com/foru... I'd really like to add this and other "smart" things into Intermission in the future. Let me know if you ever have more great ideas! alex@tryintermission.com

@mohen_li Could you clarify-- Do you mean having a pause audio/media button on the heads-up notification?

@alexg473 Thats great! Your method does show some promise for sure. I was thinking maybe there could be a button on the Intermission break screen below the "skip" option such that when you click on it, it briefly takes you out of the break screen (for maybe 5-10 sec, have an optional small floating timer that shows you the time?) so you can pause/save whatever you were playing/watching/doing. The button could be label as "Let me pause/save" or something along those lines. After that, the Intermission screen would automatically kick in for the normal duration. This might be a temporary solution until you can find a way to automate the video pausing. As a bonus benefit, this "let me pause/save" button on the break screen would be a great way to remind people to save their work.

@gabriel_schemoul Thanks! Let me know what you think.

@mohen_li Hi Mohen, thanks! This is not the first of its kind, but I truly believe it to be one of the best. That said, there is still much room to improve! Many other apps do not block your full screen, or don’t allow you to customize how the reminders work, or are so overloaded with features that they are confusing to use. Intermission is focused on keeping things simple, but effective, so that more people feel comfortable adopting it as part of their routine.

@alexg473 I love the simplicity and customization, purchasing it now!

@vrsanchezj Haha! There used to be links to health articles on the “Rewards screen”. I removed them but have considered adding tips somewhere within the preferences/settings window.

@chris_ching It’s definitely an interruption that takes a little getting used to, but you’d be surprised how quickly it becomes a habit. You’re able to turn on a “Head’s Up” notification so you’re given a warning either 5 or 20 seconds before the Intermission. From that notification, you’re able to either skip the intermission or snooze/delay it for a few more minutes. So if you’re in focus and definitely can’t stop, it’s flexible.

@snowingpines Thanks Richard!