Help & support
Find your way around NanoCount, the free countdown app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. Start with the widget guides, then browse the questions below. Anything missing? We are one email away.
How-to guides
Step-by-step help for putting a live countdown on your screen.
Frequently asked questions
Getting started
- What is NanoCount?
- NanoCount is a free countdown app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. You count down to any date that matters, a holiday, a birthday, a trip or a deadline, and put it right on your Home Screen and Lock Screen.
- Is NanoCount free?
- Yes. The whole core is free with no account and no subscription: unlimited countdowns, widgets, reminders and count-ups. NanoCount Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds extras.
- Do I need an account?
- No. There is no sign-in and no account. Everything works offline and stays on your device.
- How do I create a countdown?
- Open the app, add an event, give it a title and a date, and pick an icon, colour and counter style. Your countdown starts ticking straight away.
Widgets, Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
- How do I add a countdown widget?
- Touch and hold your Home Screen, tap the plus button, pick NanoCount and choose a size. The full step-by-step is in the iPhone widget guide above.
- Can I put a countdown on my Lock Screen?
- Yes, on iOS 16 and later. Touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customise, choose the widget area under the clock and add the NanoCount widget.
- Can one widget show several countdowns?
- Yes. The multi-event widget lists several countdowns at once, and it is free.
- What is the live Lock Screen and Dynamic Island countdown?
- In the final day before an event, the counter runs live on your Lock Screen, and on iPhone 14 Pro and later it also appears in the Dynamic Island, down to the second.
Counting: days, sleeps, weekends and working days
- Can I count in sleeps instead of days?
- Yes. You can count in days or in sleeps, which many parents prefer for counting down with kids.
- Can I count only weekends or working days?
- Yes. Each countdown can count days, sleeps, weekends or working days.
- Can I skip public holidays in a working-day count?
- Yes, that is a NanoCount Pro option: it subtracts public holidays from your working-day count.
- Can I count up since a date?
- Yes. Alongside countdowns, NanoCount has count-up streaks that show how long you have kept something going.
Reminders and notifications
- Can NanoCount remind me?
- Yes. You can get a reminder on the day itself, plus milestone alerts such as halfway there or one week to go.
- Can I be reminded in advance?
- Advance reminders (1 day, 1 week or 1 month before, and several per event) are a NanoCount Pro feature.
- Why am I not getting notifications?
- Check that notifications are allowed for NanoCount in the iOS Settings app, and that the reminder is switched on for that event. Notifications are scheduled on your device, so they also work offline.
Free vs NanoCount Pro
- Is Pro a subscription?
- No. NanoCount Pro is a single one-time purchase, never a subscription.
- What does Pro unlock?
- Photo backgrounds, premium counter styles (retro flip, analog dial, particles), advance reminders, nine alternate app icons, Siri and Shortcuts, gift mode (a private name on the widget so a surprise is not given away), and subtracting public holidays from working-day counts.
- What can I do with Siri and Shortcuts?
- Siri and Shortcuts is a NanoCount Pro feature. You can ask Siri how many days are left until an event, add a new countdown by voice, and use NanoCount's actions in the Shortcuts app to build your own automations, like a one-tap shortcut that adds a countdown. Everything runs on your device, with no account.
- What stays free?
- Everything else: unlimited countdowns, single and multi-event widgets, on-the-day and milestone reminders, count-ups, the icon library, every colour and theme, backup and restore, and sharing.
- How do I restore Pro on a new phone?
- Open the app, go to the Pro screen and tap Restore Purchases. Your one-time purchase is tied to your Apple Account.
- How do I get a refund?
- Purchases and refunds are handled by Apple through the App Store. For a refund, contact Apple.
Sharing and backups
- Can I share a countdown?
- Yes, as an image, or as a link that shows the same live countdown in any browser. The recipient needs no app and no account.
- Does the shared link expose my data?
- No. The event sits in the link fragment (after the #), which browsers never send to a server, so the countdown is rendered in the recipient's browser and we never receive its contents.
- Can I back up my countdowns?
- Yes. You can back up and restore all your events as a file, so nothing is lost when you switch phones. Deleting the app deletes its data, so make a backup first.
Privacy and data
- Does NanoCount collect my data?
- No. There is no account, no tracking and no data collection. Your events and photos stay on your device and the app works fully offline.
- Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
- No. Photos you add to an event are resized on your device and stored locally. They never leave your device.
- Where can I read the privacy policy?
- The full privacy policy is linked in the footer of every page.
Devices and availability
- Which iPhone and iOS do I need?
- NanoCount is one universal app for iPhone, iPad and Mac. On iPhone it needs iOS 17 or later; Home Screen widgets work from iOS 14 and Lock Screen widgets from iOS 16, and the Dynamic Island needs iPhone 14 Pro or later.
- Does NanoCount run on iPad and Mac?
- Yes. The same app runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac, so your countdowns and widgets come along. A few iPhone extras like Live Activities, the Dynamic Island and alternate app icons are not on Mac.
- Is there an Android version?
- No. NanoCount is an Apple app (iPhone, iPad and Mac). If you are on Android, the widget guide still explains the general Android widget steps for any countdown app.
- Is there an Apple Watch app?
- Yes. The Apple Watch app shows your soonest countdowns on your wrist. With Pro you can sync across your devices through your own private iCloud (off by default).
- What languages does NanoCount support?
- Five: Dutch, English, Spanish, German and French.
Troubleshooting
- My widget is not showing or not updating.
- Open the app once so the countdown is saved, check that iOS is up to date, and remove and re-add the widget. Restarting your iPhone usually clears stubborn display issues.
- My countdown shows the wrong number of days.
- Check the event date and time of day, and your device's time zone. NanoCount counts calendar days in your local time zone, and the day of the event itself shows as today.
- I lost my events.
- If you still have a backup file, restore it from the app. Deleting the app removes its local data, so keep a backup before switching phones.
Still need help?
If you cannot find an answer here, send us a message. We usually reply within a few working days.
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