The notification that never came
A notification that never showed up is a familiar Android problem: manufacturers restrict background work to save battery, and the phone stays as quiet as if the reminder had never existed.
The missed task is not the expensive part. The expensive part is that nobody can tell “it never arrived” from “you never did it” - you included. A month later you still cannot say whether this thing works for you: there is no one to ask and nothing to check.
And when it does arrive, nothing changes
The notification lands, you swipe it away, and an hour later it is already “I think I did that”. An ordinary reminder app names the time and stops there: press its button and the app opens, leaving you to mark the thing by hand.
A week later nothing is left in the phone but a feeling. Not one answer to “which of these did I really do”.
Here you can see whether it arrived
It is not you - and you can see that. If the notification was never shown, the history says not delivered, in those words. No guessing whether you forgot or the phone stayed quiet. The Connection check screen shows what is blocking them: notification permissions, exact alarms, your manufacturer's battery restrictions. It also sends a test notification, so you can check instead of guessing.
How it works
- Create a reminder in a couple of taps: pick a ready-made template or write it in your own words.
- At the right moment a notification arrives showing the action itself instead of the word "Reminder", with the emoji you picked. You spot it in the shade right away, even among messengers.
- Answer with a button right there in the shade. That's it, and you never had to open the app.
The answer is not a tick for the sake of a tick. Every reminder goes into the history with its own outcome and time: done, skipped, or no answer if the notification was left alone. The history answers the question of what actually happened.
Marked the wrong one? You can correct the outcome afterwards and leave a note.
The notification below is real, not a picture. Press any button and you will see what ends up in the history.
The same thing happens in the notification shade, without opening the app.
🧘 Take a breath
Waiting for your answer
The buttons are live - try answering.
"Did I actually do it?"
A familiar doubt: was the pill taken, or were you only about to? Is the door locked? Turn on the follow-up and 15, 30 or 60 minutes later a short check arrives - "done for sure?".
It is a quick question about something already done: Yes, done confirms the outcome, Not yet leaves the reminder open. The history shows both your answer and the confirmation.
🧘 Take a breath - done for sure?
Waiting for confirmation
30 minutes after "Done" at 9:41
When a task has no right hour
Some things are not tied to an hour at all: stretch, drink water, notice how you feel. Giving them “2 p.m.” is pointless - at 2 p.m. you are busy, and the reminder turns into an interruption. Random within a window spreads them across the day unpredictably, never closer together than the gap you set.
Random within a window
Several times a day at unpredictable moments, never closer together than the minimum gap you set: notice how you feel, stretch, drink water.
Exact time
A time and the days of the week - for things with an hour of their own: a pill, a call, a report.
Interval grid
An even grid inside the day window - every hour or two, for as long as the working day runs.
One-off
A date and a time with no repeat: make the call, send the documents, pick up the order. Answer it and the reminder closes for good.
Before you save, the app states the rule in plain language: "On weekdays every 2 hours starting at 09:00; the last one no later than 18:00." Nothing to decipher.
Skipping breaks nothing
This is not a habit tracker. A tracker turns a skip into a broken streak, and the streak into an obligation to a chart. None of that lives here:
Skipping is allowed, officially. "Skip" is an answer too: the reminder closes, and you can name a reason if you feel like it. The history keeps an honest line - and material for working out which reminders are actually getting in your way.
It is not a planner or a to-do list either. One job: carrying an intention through to done.
Plans change, the schedule stays
Today the meeting moved; tomorrow everything is back to normal. Usually that means doing the work twice - first you edit the schedule, then you remember to put it back.
Here the app asks what you meant. Change the time and it offers today only or the whole schedule. Not needed today - skip just this one and the reminder itself stays. Already done? Mark it done early and the notification never arrives.
Tapped the wrong button? The outcome changes with one touch, and "Undo" appears next to it.
It is all in one place: tap a card on the Today screen and a sheet opens with everything you can do with that reminder right now. The note and the full schedule are one more tap away.
One-off reminders follow the same rules: answer it and it closes for good.
Free, no ads, no account
- No paid features, no in-app purchases, no advertising.
- No sign-up. Your reminder texts stay on your phone.
- Works offline: the internet is there for anonymous stats on how reminders behave.
The details are in the privacy policy.
Android 8.0 or newer. No card, no sign-up: install it and use it.
Questions and answers
Can I install Pora right now?
Yes - Pora is on Google Play, wherever Google Play works. It is also published in RuStore, but that store serves Russia, so anywhere else Google Play is the way in. Free, no ads, no account.
How is Pora different from an ordinary reminder app?
An ordinary reminder app announces the time and stops there: the notification can arrive late or fail to appear at all, and the button on it often just opens the app instead of marking the thing done. Here the answer is one tap in the shade - "Done", "Later" or "Skip" - and every reminder keeps its outcome. If the notification was never shown, the history says so instead of leaving an empty line.
How is it different from a habit tracker?
No streaks, charts, rewards or guilt over a skip - skipping is a legitimate answer here, with a reason if you want to give one. One-off errands fit too, the kind you would never turn into a habit with a chart: make the call, send the file, check the thing.
What does the "done for sure?" follow-up do?
An optional check 15, 30 or 60 minutes after your answer. It settles the doubt of whether you actually did the thing: "Yes, done" confirms the outcome, "Not yet" leaves the reminder open. It is not a second attempt to remind you - it is a way to put the worry down.
Can reminders arrive at random times?
Yes, that is the random-within-a-window mode: several reminders a day at unpredictable moments, never closer together than the minimum gap you set. It fits things with no right hour - notice how you feel, stretch, drink water.
What if I need a reminder only once?
There is a one-off mode: a date, a time and no repeat. Make the call, send the documents, pick up the order - answer it and the reminder is closed for good.
Is it free?
Yes. No paid features, no in-app purchases and no advertising. There is no account and no sign-up, and it works offline.
What data does the app collect?
Reminder texts and notes stay on your phone and are not visible to the developer. What goes out is anonymous information about how reminders behave, technical device data and crash reports. From version 0.1.5 that also includes a rough topic for a reminder - derived from the emoji you picked, something like "food" or "work" - while the text and the emoji itself stay with you. Feedback is the one thing you send yourself: the text goes out only if you wrote it in the rating form and tapped Send. What exactly, and why, is in the privacy policy.
Is the app itself in English?
Yes, from version 0.1.5. The translation is new and has not been proofread by a native speaker yet, so if any wording feels off, email me - that is the kind of report I need most right now.