Tip: press Space to start / pause. Screen stays awake while running.
Vibration timer alternative that actually alerts you
Websites can't vibrate an iPhone and Android blocks buzzing in background tabs, so this timer alerts you two better ways: a silent full-screen flash while the page is open, and a system notification at the deadline once Tickline is added to your Home Screen — so it still reaches you after you switch apps or lock the phone.
Why phone vibration doesn't work in a browser
The Web Vibration API is the only way a website can buzz a phone, and it is unavailable where people actually need it. iOS does not implement it in Safari or Chrome, browsers block it inside embedded frames, and Android suspends it once the tab is in the background. A "vibration timer" on the web is therefore a promise most phones cannot keep, so Tickline replaced it with two alerts that do work.
What Tickline does instead
| Situation | How you're alerted |
|---|---|
| Page open, quiet room | Full-screen red flash and red digits, no sound — the silent timer |
| Page open, sound allowed | Looping alarm that keeps playing until you dismiss it |
| Switched apps or locked the phone | System notification at the deadline (Tickline installed to the Home Screen) |
| Desktop | Sound, tab-title countdown and a desktop notification |
Set up alerts that survive leaving the browser
- Open tickline.app in your phone browser and tap Share, then Add to Home Screen.
- Open Tickline from its new icon.
- Tap Allow notifications in the card under the timer, then send yourself a test alert.
From then on the completion alert arrives as a normal phone notification — with your system sound and haptics — whether Tickline is in the background, another app is open, or the screen is off.
Prefer no sound at all? Use the silent flash timer. Need the opposite? The loud alarm timer keeps ringing until you stop it.
Frequently asked questions
Can a website vibrate my phone when the timer ends?
Not reliably, and never on an iPhone. iOS does not expose the Vibration API to any browser, including Chrome, and Android browsers block it whenever the tab is in the background — which is exactly when a timer alert matters. Tickline no longer pretends otherwise: it uses a silent full-screen flash and a system notification instead.
What should I use instead of a vibration timer?
Two options. For a quiet room, the silent timer flashes the whole screen red at zero with no sound at all. To be alerted after leaving the browser or locking the phone, add Tickline to your Home Screen and allow notifications — the alert then arrives as a system notification with your phone's own sound and haptics.
Will the alarm still ring if I switch apps or lock the screen?
Yes, once Tickline is installed to your Home Screen and notifications are allowed. The finish time is stored on the server and a system notification is delivered at the deadline, even if the app is closed. In a plain browser tab the phone suspends the page, so no in-page sound can be guaranteed.
Does the countdown stay accurate in the background?
Yes. The timer runs off a fixed end timestamp rather than counting ticks, so when you return to the tab it immediately shows the correct remaining time, or fires straight away if the deadline has passed.
Is there any way to get haptics on iPhone?
Only through system notifications. If your iPhone is set to vibrate for notifications, the Tickline completion notification will buzz — that is the closest a website can get to a vibrating timer on iOS.
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