# How cooking timers work, and why one didn't ring

Every time in a recipe step is a one-tap timer that keeps counting with your phone locked or the app closed. Here's how to set them up so they ring.

In cook mode, every time a step mentions ("simmer for 10 min") becomes a timer. Timers keep counting and ring on your lock screen, even with the app closed, as long as your phone lets them.

## Use a timer

**1. Tap ▶ on the step's timer**

The timer shows the length, like "10 min". A step with two times has two timers.

**2. Allow alarms or notifications**

The first time, your phone asks for permission. On iPhone, allow alarms; on Android, allow notifications. This is what lets timers ring with your phone locked.

**3. Keep cooking**

The running timer turns yellow and also shows as a chip at the bottom of the screen. Tap ⏸ to pause, ▶ to resume, or ✕ to stop.

Run as many timers as you like at once. The chips at the bottom are in the order they need you, with finished ones first; tap a chip to jump to its step.

> **Ranges and halfway alerts**

- A range like "10–12 min" rings at the short end and asks **Ready yet?**. Tap ＋ to count the rest, or ✕ if it's done.
- When a step asks for something partway through, like turning sausages halfway, you'll see a halfway alert under the timer, and the phone rings at that point too.

## With your phone locked or the app closed

- **iPhone:** timers show on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, and ring like an alarm, even on silent.
- **Android:** timers show in the status bar and on the lock screen, and ring at alarm volume until you tap **Done**.

To get back to cooking, tap the timer on your lock screen or its notification, or open the recipe and tap **Continue cooking**. Even with no timer running, the recipe you're cooking shows on your lock screen with the step you're on: tap it to go back.

## A timer didn't ring

- **You said no to the permission.** The timer then only runs inside the app, and can't ring while the app is closed. Turn on alarms (iPhone) or notifications (Android) for Phork It! in your phone's settings, then start a new timer.
- **It rang late on Android.** Allow "Alarms & reminders" for Phork It! in your phone's settings, or tap **Allow** when the app asks "Ring right on time?".
- **You chose Discard session.** That stops the recipe's timers. Choose **Continue later** to keep them running.
- **Your Android phone restarted.** Open Phork It! once after the restart so it can set its timers again.

> **In the browser**

Browser timers only work while the page is open. A browser can pause a page in the background or when your phone locks, and a closed tab can't ring. For alarms you can rely on, use the iPhone or Android app.

- [How to cook a recipe step by step in cook mode](https://phorkit.com/help/en/cooking/use-cook-mode)

Source: https://phorkit.com/help/en/cooking/cooking-timers (updated 2026-11-04)