What Interval Pal does with your music
Its cues mix with whatever you're playing: Apple Music, Spotify, a podcast. At each cue the music dips and comes back up. The cues also play with your iPhone on silent. They keep going when the screen locks, with a countdown on the Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island.
The settings
They're in the Settings tab, under During Workouts.
| Setting | Starts | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Sounds | On | A sound when each interval starts, and 3-2-1 beeps before it |
| Lower Music During Cues | On | Dips your music for each cue, then brings it back up |
| Keep Music Low in Short Intervals | Off | Holds your music down through very short intervals |
| Vibration | On | A buzz with the countdown and at each change |
| Keep Screen On | On | Keeps the screen awake while the timer runs |
Keep Music Low matters for intervals of 8 seconds or less. In those, the music would barely come back up before the next countdown pulls it down again. With the setting on, it stays down until a longer interval gives it room.
Turn off Lower Music During Cues if you'd rather your music stayed at full volume. The cues still play over it.
With your phone locked
Lock your iPhone mid-workout and the cues keep playing. If they can't, for example during a phone call or with Sounds turned off, Interval Pal sends a notification for each change instead. That needs notifications allowed for Interval Pal.
Why some timers stop your music
Every iPhone app chooses how its sound behaves alongside other apps. Apple's developer documentation describes the options, and they explain many of the complaints about timers and music.
| Option | What it means |
|---|---|
| Apple's default | Silenced by the silent switch and by screen locking. It can't mix, so it interrupts other audio that can't mix, which for a music app can mean a pause. |
| Mixing | The app's sound plays alongside other apps', so both play together. |
| Ducking | The app lowers other audio while its own sound plays. Apple says to do this for no more than a few seconds at a time. |
| Background audio | The app keeps playing on silent and with the screen locked, if it's built to. |
So a timer that pauses your playlist at each beep is probably not set up to mix. One that goes quiet on silent or when the screen locks is probably using a setting that both of those silence. Interval Pal uses mixing, brief ducking and background audio.
What it doesn't do
Interval Pal doesn't play or choose music. Your own music app does that, and Interval Pal plays over it. It can't switch playlists between work and rest, and its cues are sounds, not a voice. There's no Apple Watch app.
Looking for a workout to try it with? The Tabata timer page has the settings.
Questions
Does Interval Pal pause Spotify?
It shouldn't. Its cues mix with other audio, which is how iOS lets your music keep playing alongside them. If your music app does pause, email us and we'll look into it.
Can I hear the cues with my iPhone on silent?
Yes. The cues play with your iPhone on silent.
Will it work with AirPods?
Yes. The cues come through whatever your music is playing on, whether that's AirPods, other headphones or a speaker.
Is Interval Pal free?
It's free to download. Running a workout needs Pro: start with a 7-day free trial of the yearly plan, or choose monthly or a one-off lifetime purchase. Prices are shown in the app before you buy.
Sources
- Apple Developer Documentation. AVAudioSession.Category.soloAmbient, the default category.
- Apple Developer Documentation. AVAudioSession.CategoryOptions.mixWithOthers.
- Apple Developer Documentation. AVAudioSession.CategoryOptions.duckOthers.
- Apple Developer Documentation. AVAudioSession.Category.playback.
Last updated 12 October 2026
Interval Pal is available on the App Store. Free to download. Running a workout needs Pro: 7-day free trial on the yearly plan, or a one-off lifetime purchase.