I love using my Apple products to set timers, usually while I’m cooking. I always use my Apple Watch for this, raising my dirty hand and telling Siri to start the timer. I also love my HomePod for the same reason. If you touch your phone while cooking, it will get dirty.
I have a Nest Hub in my kitchen, and it’s my go-to timer for two reasons. For one, it has a display, which is very useful for seeing at a glance how much time you have left (this situation can also be solved with an Apple Watch, but it’s easier when you have multiple timers running). ). But another reason I like to use Google’s products to manage my timers is because they offer a very simple, high-stakes feature that Apple still hasn’t offered after all these years: timers. Because it offers additional functionality.
Why did Apple miss this?
It’s 2018, and Apple is about to release the original HomePod. The press tour provided an overview of the functions in each room of the rental home. Play music in the bedroom, trigger the kettle in the kitchen, play music in the living room… (music playback was a big part of it). pitch).
The kitchen demo asks about multi-timer support when setting the timer. After all, it’s something I always use. Pasta should be in the water in 10 minutes, bread in 12 minutes and roasted vegetables in 15 minutes. The Apple representative looked at me as if he had expected the question. “Not available at this time,” was the well-prepared PR-esque answer. This is always a funny way of saying that a product doesn’t have a feature.
Apple eventually fixed this oversight in a software update about six months later, making the HomePod the only Apple product to support multiple timers. 5 years Up to iOS 17 and macOS 14.2 (was not included in the original macOS 14 release).
I remember wondering why this basic feature wasn’t included in a product that was so much more expensive than its competitors. Didn’t they have a bunch of Apple employees test this before it was released? I’m sure many of them will mention the inability to set multiple timers and how all competing products (Alexa and Google Home products) offer this common, useful and simple feature. ?We all knew Apple’s smart speaker would be hampered by flaws in Siri (which lagged far behind competitors in 2018), but it relies on AI to set multiple timers.? That’s not true.
I just want to add time to the timer!
Let’s try again… There’s 5 minutes left on the timer for roasting vegetables, but when I check, it definitely needs a little more time. With Nest Hub, all you have to do is say, “Hey Google, add 4 minutes to my timer.” On any Apple product, whether you’re using Siri or the screen, you can either wait for the timer to end and then start a new 4-minute timer, or cancel the current timer and start a new 9-minute timer. You need to create a timer.
It can be a hassle, especially when you have several timers running in a busy kitchen. Alexa and Google Assistant solved this year. Google also has a simple “Add 1 minute” button at the top of the default Clock app’s timer interface. This is the equivalent of the “add 30 seconds” button on your microwave, and is just as useful. Everyone has been doing this since before the days of digital timers: Pick up an egg timer and turn the dial to adjust the remaining time.
Let’s do it, Apple. this could be easily It will be part of iOS 18.2. There is already the ability to set and name multiple timers. Just add an arbitrary amount of time to the timer, and no single engineer’s development effort will exceed one week. If you’re working with 3 or 4 people, you can also add a handy “Add Minute” button to the clock interface.
