Church RemotePastors · Speakers · Worship leaders
Apple Watch timers for people on stage.
Keep track of your time without searching for the booth clock. Upcoming Church Remote timer integrations bring a chosen service or speaking countdown to your wrist.
For the sermon, the welcome, a worship set or a guest speaker: choose the clock that fits your role, give it a clear name and keep its remaining time easy to read.
Notify me about Watch timer releasesUpcoming public release. Current timer integrations are in internal testing; this is not included in today’s App Store download.
A simpler setup for Sunday.
- Choose your clock on the iPhone. Connect a supported source, then select the service, item or named timer you want to see.
- Turn on Show on Watch. Keep the existing name or use something clear, such as Message or Worship Set. The phone sends selected timer snapshots to the paired Watch.
- Pick your reminder. Start with 1 minute remaining. Name & Warnings lets you change the warning time, switch vibration off or add optional extra warnings.
- Check it before you go on stage. Open Timers on the Watch, select the correct favorite and confirm its source/status. Keep the paired phone available for fresh source updates.
Service clocks and timer sources.
Planning Center Services clocks can follow service times within a chosen plan, with End Item on Time as the default and supported Full Item Length / End Service on Time choices. ProPresenter named timers remain distinct from optional video timers.
Upcoming shared timer connections also include Ontime, Stagetimer.io and CueTimer by PresentationTools. Capacitimer by Creativeland is experimental with unresolved deployment licensing. Resi playback remaining still needs a verified supported feed and is not available.
Provider-supported controls differ. Viewing a countdown does not grant permission to change a service, run a presentation or control all equipment.
Do pastors and team members need administrator access?
Church Remote does not require its own account. Planning Center uses each person’s Services sign-in and permissions. Planning Center’s published permissions allow a Scheduled Viewer assigned to a visible plan to view LIVE; an administrator role is not required just to read that timing.
The plan must be published/visible to the person, and scheduled viewers see their assigned service times. The app’s complete lower-permission picker/clock flow still needs real-account testing. A locked shared iPad has separate Church Remote Volunteer Lock restrictions that its owner configures. Read Planning Center’s role guidance.
What happens when the phone is locked or out of reach?
The Watch estimates between timestamped readings and shows source connection, synchronization and stale status. If the phone is suspended or the source stops updating, the Watch cannot promise to receive a remote pause, reset or added time. A moving number is not proof of a live connection.
These are foreground time warnings, not guaranteed background notifications. Ordinary watchOS display behavior still applies when you lower your wrist. Physical Watch vibration acceptance remains to be completed. Do not rely on an untested alert as your only timing cue during a service.
Can I keep a timer on the clock face or Smart Stack?
The existing Church Remote face shortcut opens the remote, and persistent Back/Next controls have a separate supported Smart Stack path. A dedicated timer Live Activity/Smart Stack countdown remains future work. These are separate features with different system requirements, not a promise that a timer will stay permanently visible.
Help shape the stage workflow.
Get release and integration updates, or tell us which clock you need on stage. Updates require an explicit email signup; sending a support message does not subscribe you.
Watch setup guide · All integrations · Church Timer overview