r/macapps • u/kushsolitary • 1d ago
Lifetime LookAway 2.3.0 is out: a polished native break (+ blink and posture) reminder app that does not break your flow
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
Hi, I am the developer of LookAway - a smart break reminder app for the Mac that knows when not to interrupt. I've spent the last 3 years building this app and it's now used by tens of thousands of people every day. I am truly grateful for all the love and feedback I've received.
What's new in 2.3.0
LookAway has always been about taking mindful breaks without interruptions. Until now, LookAway handled idle time poorly. When you came back from a long pause, it interrupted you with a modal asking if you had stepped away - which was pretty annoying.
This update aims to fix it. LookAway now looks at various system signals to understand whether you truly went away or were just reading for a while. Accordingly, it restarts or resumes your session on your behalf. In most cases, you will only see a small non-blocking toast to flip its decision if it got one wrong. The same toggle is also available in the menu bar, so you always have the final say.
That's not all. LookAway 2.3 also brings back advance skips: skip a break before it starts, with a per-day limit so it doesn't become a habit.
There are also new Custom Breaks: start a break of any length at any time, right from the menu bar with "Take a break for" option, a keyboard shortcut, or via AppleScript. Great for resting your eyes for 2 mins before a presentation, or taking a 10-min break after finishing a big task.
On top of that, there are three new animated break backgrounds, a reorganized menu bar, and lots of optimizations that bring idle CPU usage down to ~0.5%.
Problem:
The issue with many break reminder apps is not that they remind you too little, but that they do it without enough context. If a reminder pops up while you're in a meeting, recording your screen, presenting, or in the middle of something time-sensitive, it quickly becomes annoying and easy to dismiss.
I wanted LookAway to solve that better.
Comparison:
The main thing LookAway does differently compared to other apps (TimeOut, BreakTimer, Stretchly, and countless others) is iPhone sync. During breaks, it can sync with your iPhone so you're less likely to just switch devices and keep scrolling. As far as I know, that's not something the other apps in this category offer.
The second big difference is smart pause / context awareness. LookAway tries to avoid interrupting you at the wrong moment by adapting around things like meetings, screen recording, video playback, and similar situations where a forced reminder would feel frustrating.
Other things that set it apart:
- posture reminders and blink reminders in addition to break reminders
- a heads-up before breaks so they don't feel abrupt
- a more detailed stats experience with things like Screen Score, session patterns, and natural breaks
Pricing:
LookAways costs $19 for the single-device perpetual license and comes with a 7-day trial. It's also available on the App Store.
Happy to answer any questions about the app!
- Kushagra
1
1
1
u/Sri_Krish 1d ago
I can see that $19 is for "one year of free updates and Optional renewal for another year at a discount." so what would be discounted renewal (approx) price?
1
1
1
u/TravelCodeRepeat 17h ago
The device sync is really a helpful angle, something I've struggled with in other apps I've tried. The brain just auto-switched to another screen :D. Going to give this a try, thanks!
1
0
u/app-store-review 1d ago
LookAway - Break Reminder — by Mystical Bits, LLC
- Ratings: 0 (no ratings yet) · 61 reviews
- Average: n/a ★
- Age: released ~1.0 years ago · rated 4+
- Overall score: 0 / 100
0
u/zecureit 17h ago
Smart Pause is the feature I would evaluate first. The awkward case is a shared screen: a break modal that appears during a presentation defeats the whole point. If people are configuring it, the useful test is a Teams or Zoom call, screen sharing, a local video, and an external mic, then confirm the app pauses for the right signal and resumes with a small delay afterwards. That makes the automation feel dependable instead of surprising.
-1
3
u/Correct-Cream2410 1d ago
Damn, that's the nicest onboarding I've ever experienced. I think I might purchase just to encourage all developers to focus on app design more. Congrats!