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Focal's Planner for Tuesday 20 October: a time rail with beads for Morning reset at 9:00, Deep work at 10:00 with two steps, Design catch-up at 11:45, Lunch outside at 12:45 and Read a chapter at 17:30, with the free time between them labelled.

For iPhone · Now in TestFlight

Your day, at your pace.

Focal brings your tasks, time, and energy into one clear plan. See what’s next, make room for what matters, and find your way back when life changes the schedule.

Join the TestFlight beta See how it works

iPhone, iOS 26 or later. Widgets, a focus Live Activity and an Apple Watch companion come with it.

That’s the real app, with the now line drawn at your time of day.

Capture

A lighter mental load.

Write it down now. Decide when it belongs later.

Type it the way you’d say it. Focal reads dates, times, lengths, repeats, tags, reminders and energy from your words, shows each one as a chip, and leaves the rest as the title. A time it had to guess is marked as a guess. Tap any chip to put the words back.

Phrases from the parser’s own tests

Saved as Gym

  • Every Fri
  • 18:00

The Planner’s capture composer with “Gym every friday evening at 6” typed; the words friday evening at 6 are highlighted and a When token reads Every Fri 18:00 to 18:30, above the keyboard.
The real composer, the same phrase: a When token reads Every Fri 18:00 – 18:30.
The To-do tab with four open to-dos in the Inbox: Plan a weekend away, Bring the idea to life, Pick up a few groceries and Call someone I miss, each 25 minutes with their steps.
The To-do tab: capture now, give it a time later.
  • Also here
  • Share sheet. Text, a link or an image from any app, saved without opening Focal.
  • Dictation. A mic in Angel and in both capture cards.
  • Shortcuts and Siri. “Capture in Focal”, “Add a task to Focal”, “What’s in Focal today”.
  • Spotlight. Tasks and to-dos open straight from search.
  • Quick Capture widget and control. From the Home Screen, the Lock Screen or the Action button.
  • Email to to-do. Share an email; Focal keeps the text and offers to pull out the action items, with addresses redacted first.
  • Apple Reminders. Import the lists you pick. Done in Focal is done in Reminders, and Focal never deletes one.
  • Steps, tags and search. Checklists on anything, #tags, and a search that forgives a typo.

Energy

Plan around your energy.

Check in with yourself. Make room for today.

Tasks carry an energy level, and your day has a rhythm you choose. Check in with how much you have right now. When it’s less than the plan asks for, Focal proposes a lighter one. Nothing moves until you apply it, and Undo is right there.

How much do you have right now?

Record your current capacity. Your plan only changes after you review and apply a lighter plan.

Choose how today feels to see what Focal would suggest.

    An example on the sample day from the captures. In the app, Focal looks up to seven days ahead for a free slot.

    The Check in sheet asking how much you have right now, with Recovering, Gentle, Steady, Strong and Energised to choose from; Gentle is checked in and a button offers to see a lighter plan.
    Check in, then review a lighter plan if you want one.
    • Also here
    • Five energy levels on every task, from Restful to Intense.
    • Your rhythm. Early Bird, Afternoon Flow, Night Owl or Steady, chosen by you, feeds every suggestion.
    • Smart time suggestions with a reason, around your events, Protected Time and repeats. No AI needed.
    • Protected Time. Lunch, the school run, the gym, an evening wind-down, or your own.
    • Duration reality. “Usually takes about 50 min”, learned from what actually happened.
    • Apple Health, optionally. Sleep, exercise and State of Mind, read with your consent, shown on your phone as a pattern, not a diagnosis.

    Angel

    Let Angel help you plan.

    Review suggested changes. You choose what fits.

    Angel is the planning partner inside Focal. Empty your head and it sorts the mess into tasks and to-dos. Ask it to plan your day or week and the plan arrives as a card you can accept one item at a time. Say “do it at 4pm” and it edits the thing you meant. Deletes and clashes always wait for your review.

    Brain dump, an example

    1. plan a weekend away somewhere quiet, bring the idea to life, pick up a few groceries tomorrow after lunch, call someone I miss on friday evening

    Scripted, not a live reply. AI availability varies by device and selected provider; some providers need a separate key.

    Angel in light appearance, after “Add design review at 2pm”: a card for Design review instead of 14:00 offering 15:00, 15:30 and 16:00, with 15:00 chosen and the buttons Don’t Add and Add at 15:00.
    Ask for a time and Angel offers three. Add one, or don’t.

    Focal Cloud

    No key and no sign-up. Off until you turn it on, and Focal’s server keeps none of what you send.

    Your own key

    Google, OpenAI or Anthropic, kept in the Keychain. Requests go straight to the provider you chose.

    On your iPhone

    Apple Intelligence on a supported iPhone. Nothing leaves the device.

    • Also here
    • Nine asks. Plan my day, Add task, Add a to-do, Brain dump, What’s on today?, Reschedule, Plan my week, Build a habit, Find a time.
    • Replan Day. A strategy, the proposed changes and the trade-offs, then Apply.
    • Replies stream in, and Angel moves the thing it just showed you when you say “move that to Thursday”.
    • What Focal has learned. Seven kinds of memory you can read on the Home tab, and forget in one tap.
    • Works with Angel off. Capture, time suggestions and the planning helpers never need AI.

    Habits and routines

    Build a rhythm that fits.

    Weekly goals, with room to move.

    A habit in Focal has a length and a weekly target, not a daily streak. Focal places the sessions around your week and marks each one with a leaf. Miss one and it offers a move; it never moves it for you. Like how today went? Save it as a routine and apply it to any morning.

    • Also here
    • Credit from anywhere. A tick from the widget, the Watch or a notification counts toward the week.
    • Routines. Save This Day as a Routine, or accept one Focal noticed you already run. Steps can be optional.
    • Morning kickoff and evening wrap-up. A clear beginning and end, with optional reminders.
    • Today’s wins in the To-do tab, and a history you can put things back from.
    • A habit that bends without breaking. No streak resets, no zeros, no red.
    The Habits sheet listing Move my body, three times a week in the afternoon; Read a chapter, four times a week in the evening; and Step outside, five times a week, with this week's sessions shown as empty rings.
    Three habits, each with a weekly target and this week’s sessions.

    Recovery

    Find your way back.

    When the afternoon looks different from the morning.

    Plans slip. Focal’s answer is a calm list, not a red one. Sort Out Earlier Tasks gives each one a suggested time, Tomorrow, Done or Skip, and Accept all takes them together. Running late? Shift the rest of the day; pinned work, must-dos and calendar events stay where they are.

    • Also here
    • Shift Rest of Day. Slide everything that’s left later by the time you lost.
    • A missed habit session gets a “Move it” offer. It is never moved for you.
    • The routine slip card. “Running 40 min behind” offers Shift the rest, or drop one step instead.
    • Evening wrap-up. Close the day on purpose. Tomorrow’s a fresh start.
    The Adjust Schedule sheet, “Let’s adjust your day”: Reading, which was at 08:10, is offered a move to 10:00 because you’re usually sharpest then; Stretching, which was at 08:55, is offered the soonest opening at 10:30; each has Tomorrow, Done and Skip, and a button accepts all suggestions.
    Two tasks that slipped, each with a calmer place and a reason, plus Tomorrow, Done or Skip.

    Calm Mode

    Make space for one thing.

    Calm Mode brings your next step into view.

    Switch the To-do tab into Calm Mode and the list becomes a deck: one card in front, ordered by your capacity, with the rest still within reach. Nothing is ever hidden. Heavier work just waits further back.

    1 of 4

    Plan a weekend away

    25m · steady effort · 3 steps

    Nothing above it is waiting

    Start
    • Bring the idea to life25m
    • Pick up a few groceries25m

    Calm Mode in the To-do tab: one card in front, Plan a weekend away, 25 minutes of steady effort, with Start and Done buttons and the rest of the deck waiting behind it.
    The deck in the app, with Start and Done on the card.

    Focus

    Settle into your focus.

    Start a timer. Stay with the task at hand.

    Start a session from the Planner, a to-do or the Start Now control. The dial counts down on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with Done, +5 min and I’m stuck one tap away. Stuck? No shame. Make it smaller: Focal suggests a tiny next action and a two-minute try.

    A working dial, the app’s geometry

    25:00

    Remaining

    A focus session in progress: a dial counting down from 24 minutes 57 seconds, with Extend, Pause and Done controls.
    A session in the app, with Extend, Pause and Done.
    • Also here
    • Live Activity. The session on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island, with Done, +5 min and I’m stuck.
    • Widgets. Today’s Tasks you can check off, the Energy Battery, Quick Capture, and Capture and Start Now controls.
    • Apple Watch. What’s next on your wrist, Done or Later, and the countdown with I’m stuck.
    • Notifications that act. Complete and Snooze 15 min on reminders and deadlines.
    • Energy Battery. How much of today’s planned effort is left, draining as you finish.

    Theme Studio

    Make it yours.

    Saved task colors stay yours.

    Twelve themes, each in light and dark, with four roles you can tune. Your tasks keep their own colours whatever the chrome wears. Try one here and the whole page follows.

    Choose a theme

    Signature

    Classic

    Calm Lavender: Soft focus with confident contrast. The default.

    Theme Studio in dark appearance, scrolled to the Classic themes: Calm Lavender selected, then Soft Coral, Mist Sage, Clear Sky, Warm Amber, Dust Rose and Quiet Slate, with Sakura Dawn and Aurora Focus above them.
    Theme Studio in the app: the Classic seven, with Calm Lavender on.
    • Also here
    • 384 curated symbols in twenty groups, suggested from the words of the task. No emoji in the chrome.
    • Type that scales. Serif titles, rounded body, all the way up through Dynamic Type.
    • Designed for VoiceOver, with Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency respected.
    • Haptics with an off switch.
    • System, light or dark. A moon-white light ground and a true-black dark one.

    Week and Upcoming

    See the bigger picture.

    Your day and week, together in one planner.

    Flip the Planner to Week and seven days sit side by side, with a load line and a habits line under them. Upcoming reads the next four weeks as clear, light, steady or full. Long-press a task to drag it to another day; a repeating task moves just that occurrence.

    • Also here
    • Any date. Tap the month to jump anywhere; Today brings you back.
    • Copy Day, and edits to this occurrence or all of them.
    • Calendar events inside the plan, from the calendars you choose, with an all-day strip at the top.
    • Insights that flag an overbooked day, back-to-back blocks, a deadline at risk or a missing break.
    The Week view for October 2026: seven days side by side with the day's beads as small pins, a load line reading 11 hours 16 minutes committed and two days clear, and the habits line beneath it.
    Week view: beads as pins, and the load line.

    The whole app

    Everything in Focal.

    One line each, nothing promised that isn’t in the app today.

    Planning

    • Day beads on a time rail, opened at now
    • Week seven days with a load line and a habits line
    • Upcoming 28 days read as clear, light, steady or full
    • Any date tap the month to jump; Today brings you back
    • Calendar events from the calendars you choose, inside the plan
    • Anytime a home for work with a day but no hour
    • Shift Rest of Day slide what's left later; pinned work stays
    • Copy Day one day's plan onto another
    • This occurrence or all repeating tasks, edited either way
    • Deadlines a separate deadline with its own reminders, and must-do
    • Steps and tags checklists on tasks and to-dos; #tags
    • Search titles, notes, steps and tags; forgives a typo

    Capture

    • The + button a task on the Planner, a to-do anywhere else
    • Plain words dates, times, lengths, repeats, tags, reminders, energy become chips
    • Guessed times marked, with the words they came from
    • Dictation in Angel and both capture cards
    • Share sheet text, a link or an image, saved without opening the app
    • Shortcuts and Siri Capture in Focal, What's in Focal today
    • Spotlight tasks and to-dos open from search
    • Widgets and controls Quick Capture from the Home Screen, Lock Screen or Action button
    • Email to to-do share an email; Focal keeps the text and offers to pull out the actions
    • Apple Reminders import the lists you pick; done in Focal is done in Reminders
    • Add to Calendar one event from a task, through the system editor
    • To-do tab filters, grouping, swipe with undo, Snooze to Tomorrow

    Angel

    • Nine asks Plan my day, Add task, Add a to-do, Brain dump, What's on today, Reschedule, Plan my week, Build a habit, Find a time
    • Plan cards day plans added one by one or all at once; week plans applied; reschedules you pick
    • Plain-language edits "do it at 4pm" edits the thing you meant
    • Brain dump everything on your mind becomes items you accept or skip
    • Replan Day a strategy, the changes and the trade-offs, then Apply
    • What Focal has learned seven kinds of memory you can read, and forget
    • Three ways to run it Focal Cloud, your own key, or Apple Intelligence on the device
    • Works with Angel off capture, time suggestions and planning helpers never need AI

    Energy and focus

    • Energy on tasks Restful to Intense
    • Your rhythm Early Bird, Afternoon Flow, Night Owl or Steady feeds suggestions
    • Check in Recovering to Energised, with an optional mood
    • A lighter plan proposed moves for flexible work; nothing moves until you apply
    • Smart time suggestions times with a reason, around events and Protected Time
    • Protected Time Lunch, School run, Gym, Evening wind-down, or yours
    • Duration reality "Usually takes about 50 min"
    • Calm Mode one card forward, the rest within reach
    • Focus timer a dial from the Planner, a to-do or the Start Now control
    • Live Activity Lock Screen and Dynamic Island with Done, +5 min and I'm stuck
    • I'm stuck a tiny next action and a two-minute try
    • Energy Battery widget today's planned effort, draining as you finish

    Rhythm and recovery

    • Habits a length and a weekly target; sessions placed around your week
    • Credit ticks from the widget, Watch or a notification count
    • Routines save a day as a routine; apply it with a start time
    • Morning kickoff, evening wrap-up a clear beginning and end to the day
    • Plan Recovery a suggested time, Tomorrow, Done or Skip for each earlier task
    • Plans that heal a missed habit session is offered a move, never moved for you
    • Routine slip card shift the rest, or drop one thing instead
    • Wins and history today's wins; archived to-dos you can put back

    Yours

    • Theme Studio 12 themes in light and dark, four roles to tune
    • Task colours ten, and they stay yours when the theme changes
    • Symbols 384 curated, suggested from the task's words
    • Type serif titles and rounded body, scaling with Dynamic Type
    • Accessibility designed for VoiceOver; Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency respected
    • Haptics with an off switch
    • Widgets Today's Tasks, Energy Battery, Quick Capture; Capture and Start Now controls
    • Apple Watch what's next, Done or Later, and the countdown on your wrist
    • Notifications Complete and Snooze buttons on reminders and deadlines
    • Backup and Restore everything in one file

    Privacy

    Private by design.

    Your plan lives on your iPhone.

    • No Focal account. You start planning the moment the app opens.
    • Angel is off until you turn it on. Nothing is sent until then, and capture and time suggestions work on the device either way.
    • Focal Cloud keeps no prompts and no replies. Your own API keys stay in the Keychain.
    • Your check-ins and Health data never go to AI.
    • Backup & Restore exports everything as one file you hold.
    • No analytics, no ads, no tracking, no third-party code.

    The full privacy policy says the same thing at length.

    On purpose

    What Focal leaves out.

    Calm is mostly what you don’t add.

    • No projects, areas or saved filters to maintain.
    • No karma, no streak resets, no red “failed” state, no zeros celebrated.
    • No month grid pretending to be legible on a phone.
    • No second timer. Focus sessions are the calmer shape of one.
    • Nothing moves without you. Every plan, lighter plan and recovery is reviewed, then applied, then undoable.

    Before you go

    Questions.

    Which devices does Focal run on?

    Focal is an iPhone app for iOS 26 or later. It comes with Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, Control Center controls, a focus Live Activity and an Apple Watch companion that shows what's next and lets you tick things off from your wrist. It is an iPhone app only; there is no tablet or desktop version today.

    Do I need an account?

    No. Your plan lives on your iPhone and you start planning the moment the app opens. Optional connections, such as Focal Cloud for Angel or your own AI key, are each a separate choice you make in Settings.

    What does Angel use, and what leaves my phone?

    Angel is off until you turn it on. You can give it Focal Cloud (no key, no sign-up), your own Google, OpenAI or Anthropic key kept in the Keychain, or Apple Intelligence on a supported iPhone, which stays on the device. With cloud AI, only the prompt and the relevant tasks and calendar context are sent, and Focal's server keeps none of it. Your check-ins and Health data never go to AI. Capture, time suggestions and planning helpers all work with Angel off.

    Does Focal sync with my other devices?

    Not yet. Focal is an iPhone app today, with a Watch companion that mirrors your day from the phone. You can export everything as one file from Backup & Restore. Sync is the next big project.

    What does it cost?

    Focal is in TestFlight beta. Join it from the button on this page, and you will hear about the App Store release and pricing from inside the app before anything changes.

    Is Focal for me?

    Focal is the calm planner for brains that work differently. If plans tend to fall apart by the afternoon, if starting is the hardest part, or if you would rather see your day than read a list, it was made with you in mind. Nothing in it shames you, hides your work or moves things without asking.