In this series, we take a look back at apps from the past that were very popular back then and that we hear less about today. After remembering Timehop, ES File Explorer, QuickPic, Link Bubble and more, today we might remember theThe most popular alarm app for Android: Timely.
Timely is a clock and alarm app, a category of apps that we don’t normally pay much attention to as long as they’re working properly. However, Timely managed to grab our attention with a design that marked its time.
What was its particularity?
Timely was launched with the slogan “the beautiful alarm clock”, which perfectly defined the application. It was a simple clock and alarms app that stands out for its design and to do the same as other similar apps in a different and more visual way.
We are talking about the days of Android Jelly Bean, with the very established Holo design and the Material Design still in the oven from Google. Back then, Android apps were often quite ugly, while Timely brought bright colors with gradients, animations and various themes to choose from.
Instead of entering the alarm time like in a calculator, in Timely you can use gestures to have a slightly more entertaining experience and with a fully customizable design. All this with very interesting features for the time, such as the synchronization of alarms between devices or be able to postpone the alarm after turning the phone over.
What happened to Timely?
As we mentioned earlier, Timely arrived in 2013, created by a small Swiss company under the name Bitspin. It didn’t take long for the app to catch the eye of Google, which bought it a year after its launch, in 2014.
Bitspin – and Timely – have become part of Google and this has brought good news to users. All premium features have become free (used to cost $ 2.99). Bitspin’s statement regarding the purchase ensured that they would continue to work on the app and that Timely would continue to function as he did until then.
Google bought Timely a year after its launch and since then not much has changed until it closed.
The truth is, Timely received a few updates after his purchase from Google, as did the ability to choose his own alarm sound, but from a certain point stuck in front of the google clock app. Google Clock hasn’t stopped receiving news to this day, and while it was supposed to receive Timely’s designs, it ultimately didn’t.
After years on its own, this year Google announced the closure of Timely and the app disappeared from Google Play in June. Today you can continue to install it from its APK and after accepting the advice it works relatively well.
Does that still make sense today?
Timely was an app that stood out for trying to do things a slightly different and much more visual shape than usual. There are hundreds of clock and alarm apps out there, but not all of them put as much effort into the end product as Timely.
This concept is even more alive today than ever and above all, it can be applied to any application. Not all applications that go beyond the conventional are not always successful, but it is undeniable that they achieve at least stand out from others. A recent example of could be for example Niagara Launcher.
Google Clock is Timely’s spiritual heir, and while its design is much duller and boring than Timely, at least Google has retained the idea of try to go further with a type of application that is a priori simple. Thus, Google Clock has added curious new features such as rest mode or integration with Spotify.