Headset Timer – A Screen-Free Timer Controlled with AirPods

At Memory Squared, we believe the most interesting digital products emerge when design and engineering work creatively together. Headset Timer was created as one of our internal creative engineering side projects - a playground where we could freely explore the areas we enjoy most: hands-on software engineering, wearable technologies, human-device interaction and distinctive product design. The project started with a simple observation. If you don't own a dedicated fitness watch - or use one of the increasingly popular screen-free wearables - controlling a workout timer almost always means reaching for your phone. Whether running, training at the gym or following an interval workout, users have to interrupt their activity simply to start, pause or reset a timer. More often than not, that brief interaction also brings unnecessary distractions: notifications, messages or social media. Exploring AirPods as an Interface Rather than building another timer, we set ourselves a broader challenge: could compatible AirPods become a natural extension of the user interface? Apple does not expose an API that allows third-party applications to react to AirPods' built-in controls beyond their intended media functions. We asked a question: could motion data itself become the interface? Using Apple's Motion Tracking API available on compatible AirPods, we developed a custom machine learning-based recognition model capable of distinguishing intentional tap gestures from natural head movement. The result is an interaction that feels almost invisible. Users simply tap their AirPods to control the timer, without taking out their phone or even looking at a screen. Visual Identity The engineering approach was matched with an equally distinctive visual direction. Inspired by industrial electronics, retro arcade hardware and beautifully crafted consumer products, the interface combines bold typography, playful details and a deliberately minimal layout. The goal was never to create another generic fitness application, but a product with a recognisable personality that reflects the creativity behind its engineering. A Playground for Innovation Unlike client work, Headset Timer gave us complete freedom to experiment. Every product decision - from branding and interaction design to the underlying gesture recognition model - was driven by curiosity rather than a specification document. The project became an opportunity to prototype unconventional ideas, validate engineering assumptions and explore interaction models that may later find their way into commercial products. This is precisely why we invest time in side projects. They allow us to learn by building, explore technologies beyond client requirements and continuously expand our design and engineering capabilities. Creativity Through Constraints One aspect of the project is particularly meaningful to us. Using data and APIs that were never intended to become a user interface feels almost like the kind of engineering "hack" that fuelled many of the digital innovations of the past. We believe many innovations in digital design have historically come from exactly this mindset: looking beyond the obvious use and boundaries of particular technology. Headset Timer is our small contribution to that tradition.

Researched and built a custom machine learning-based solution that recognises taps on compatible AirPods, despite Apple not exposing any button interface that third-party apps can use. Developed a gesture recognition model using head position and motion data from Apple's Motion Tracking API to reliably detect intentional taps. Designed and developed as an independent side project Created a visual identity inspired by industrial electronics and arcade devices, intentionally standing apart from the generic look of most timer and fitness apps. Launching on the App Store alongside the Ways Awards submission,

Headset Timer is designed for people who need a simple timer without the distraction of constantly looking at their phone. It is primarily aimed at people training at the gym, completing interval workouts or running, where modern wearables often don't provide timer controls, forcing users to reach for their phone. Headset Timer solves this by allowing timers to be controlled directly from compatible AirPods, helping users stay focused on their activity rather than their screen.

Headset Timer explores something we believe the industry doesn't do enough anymore: creative engineering. By combining motion data, machine learning and interaction design, we transformed sensors originally intended for head tracking into a