Pomodoro end-break notification conflicts with screensaver

damdam

WorkingHours version: 2.17.1
OS + version: MacOS 26.6.2 (25G83)

 Computer settings:

Screensaver is set to 1 minute to prevent screen burning.
Screen turns off 2 minutes after screensaver to save battery.

 Hello, I finally tried the Pomodoro focus session and I like it :-)
The thing is, the notification at end-break does not work while the screensaver is active OR if the screen is off.

So far, the only solution I found is to set the screensaver at 5 minutes and the screen off at 10 minutes so the notification rings just a few seconds before the screensaver starts which makes the screensaver pointless.

Is that a bog or there is a way to make it work the way I want?
Basically, when I do a break, I'd like my computer to have one too :-)

Thanks for your help :-)

damdam

Here are my Pomodoro settings:

Session duration: 25 min
Break duration: 5min
Session count: 4
Autostart sessions & break: checked
Notification sound: checked
Sync with time tracking: checked

timo

Glad you like the Pomodoro feature! WorkingHours schedules these alerts as native macOS notifications, so they should not require the app or display to remain active.

Please check the following under System Settings > Notifications:

Under Notification Centre:

Enable notifications when the display is sleeping
Enable notifications when the screen is locked

Under Application Notifications > WorkingHours:

Allow notifications
Play sound for notification

If these options are already enabled, does the missed alert appear in Notification Centre after waking the display?

damdam

Hello Timo,
Indeed the "Shows notifications: when the display is sleeping" was inactive.
Unfortunately the sound still doesn't come up but there is a change:
Now the screen turns on again and I see the notification card on top of the screensaver (which I don't really care).
Also, when I click or move the mouse, the timer is already 1 minute into the next session. Strange.

timo

Since the notification is displayed, WorkingHours schedules it correctly and includes the configured sound. macOS ultimately controls whether that sound is played while the display is sleeping.

Does the Pomodoro sound play while the display is awake? Also, do notifications from other apps play sounds while the display is sleeping?

The timer already being one minute into the next session is expected because “Autostart sessions & breaks” is enabled.

damdam

Ok :-)

Yes, the sound plays for the beginning of the break. I think so but I'm not sure. I would need to do some more testing.

I understand that "Autostart sessions & breaks" is enable but when I see the notification that wakes up the screen back to the screensaver, if I move the mouse to keep working I'd expect the timer to be only few seconds into the next session. Not one minute. That's the reason I mentioned it.

timo

Could you please double-check whether the timer actually jumps ahead by one minute? There is no reason why it should do that. If it happens again, please share a screenshot taken immediately after waking the Mac.

Since the sound works while the display is awake, this appears to be related to how macOS handles notifications while sleeping.

damdam

I've tested it again and this time I heard the sound has expected I was wearing earbuds though, if that makes a difference. I'll do it several times and see if it stays consistent. If yes, I won't comment again :-) Thanks for the help anyway 😊