How Quiet Orbit works

How do I start a session?

On Control, tap Set Up a Focus Session. Turn the dial to a length from 15 to 90 minutes, in steps of 5, then press and hold Hold to Start for a moment. Let go early and nothing starts, so a session never begins by accident.

What can I do while it runs?

The cockpit shows the time left and how much of the route is charted. From there you can pause, change the sound, or turn to the view of your ship from outside. The screen stays on while the cockpit shows; switch that off under Settings › Sessions › Screen stays on and the Lock Screen keeps the timer instead.

What is “What for?”

An optional line about what you're working on. Tap What for? in Set Up and type it; it shows on your Lock Screen while the session runs.

What happens when the timer runs out?

One quiet notification. Open the app and you see what the session turned up. If you're away when it ends, your ship is Holding orbit until you're back: the session is safe, and the extra time simply waits. It doesn't count toward your route.

What if I stop early?

Tap pause and end the session. Every minute you'd focused is saved and counts toward your route. What waits is the finding, which comes from sessions you finish. A session you end early doesn't count toward your streak either.

How do I set up breaks?

Tap Break in Set Up. Choose focus blocks of 20, 25 or 30 minutes and breaks of 3, 5 or 10 minutes. The Break chip shows from 30 minutes, where the blocks are 20 minutes long. If less than 10 minutes would be left for the last block, it joins the one before it.

What happens when a break ends?

Nothing starts by itself. The screen says Break's over and waits for Continue Session, so the next block starts when you're ready. Break time doesn't count toward your route; only focus does.

Do my apps open during a break?

No. They stay closed until the whole session ends.

How do I choose the apps?

Tap the setup chip in Set Up (it reads Block apps until you've chosen some), or go to Settings › Sessions › Focus Setups, open a setup and choose under Blocked during sessions. Pick single apps or whole categories. Everything you don't pick stays open.

What is a Focus Setup?

A saved list of apps to block, with a name, like Deep Work or Study. Keep one for each kind of work and pick it in Set Up. Three come free; with Premium you can have as many as you like.

Why does Quiet Orbit ask for Screen Time access?

Screen Time is what closes the apps. You allow it once, with Face ID or your passcode, and which apps you picked never leaves your iPhone. If you said no, Settings › Sessions › App Blocking shows until it's on, and you can switch it back on in iOS Settings › Screen Time.

What happens if I open a blocked app?

A quiet screen tells you the app is blocked and when your session ends, with Back to focus.

My apps are still blocked after the session

Open Quiet Orbit: the block lifts as soon as the app sees the session is over. If you can't, it lifts on its own about 20 minutes after the session's end. Still blocked after that? Write to support@quietorbit.org.

Blocking stopped in the middle of a session

iOS sometimes drops it. The cockpit then says App Blocking Stopped and offers Restore App Blocking. Your focused time is safe either way.

What does charted mean?

A world is charted when its route is full and you finish a session there. Charting opens the next world and brings a new paint for your ship and the world's own app icon (Settings › Display & Sound › App Icon).

How long is each route?

Earth Orbit and the Moon are free; the other nine come with Premium. All eleven take 93 hours 45 minutes of focus.

Can I choose where to fly?

Yes, between sessions. Open the Star Map with the round button at the top right of Control, or tap the planet, and pick any world that's open to you. Every world keeps its progress, so switching costs nothing, and you can go back to a world you've charted.

What happens after I chart a world?

You stay there until you move on with Next world on Control or from the Star Map. Minutes there still count, and Control says how many findings the world still holds.

My route reached 100% but the world isn't charted

Charting needs a session you finish. If you crossed the line in a session you ended early, the next one you finish charts it.

When do I get one?

Findings wait at points along each route, and a session you finish reveals one you've passed. A session of 45 minutes or more can also log a few more that were already waiting.

I finished a session and got no finding

Usually one of these:

• Nothing new was waiting yet at that point on the route. The minutes are on the route, and the next finding is further along.
• The session brought something for your ship instead, like a paint or a light. The finding waits for another session.
• The session ended early, during a break included. Findings come from sessions you finish.

Where are my findings?

In the Archive. Each world has a page with its Artifacts, its Stories (read them from the start), its Sound and its Cargo: objects only ships flying together bring home.

What do Rare and Ultra Rare mean?

Objects come Common, Rare or Ultra Rare. The ultra rare ones only turn up once you've charted their world, so a charted world is still worth flying.

What counts as a day?

One session you finish that day. More sessions don't add more, and a session you end early doesn't count.

What if I miss a day?

Days outside your schedule never count as missed, and a session on any day still counts. On top of that, one rest day a week keeps your streak going on its own. Miss a second scheduled day that week and a new streak starts. Your longest streak and your days flown never go down.

Where do I set my days?

Under Settings › Sessions › Reminder Schedule. The days you choose there are the days your streak looks at.

What is the weekly log?

When a week ends, a row at the top of Record says it's ready to read: your hours, your sessions and the days you flew. It's free.

Where is every session I've flown?

On Record: focused time, completed sessions, and every session under History.

What are trends?

Your focus over 14 days, 12 weeks or 12 months, with your records. Trends come with Premium; everything above them on Record stays free.

Can I keep notes on a session?

With Premium, add a private note from a session's summary. Your notes stay readable if Premium ends.

How do I earn them?

By flying. They count everything you've done, sessions from before a badge existed included, and hours count the minutes from sessions you ended early. Many badges also bring something for your ship: a paint, an engine light, or a whole ship.

What are streak marks?

Marks for a streak of 3, 7, 14, 30, 60 and 100 days, and every 100 after.

How do I paint my ship?

In the Hangar, switch to Paint and tap a part of the ship: hull, wings, accent or trim. The engine light and the running lights are there too.

Where do new paints and ships come from?

Every world you chart adds its paint. Badges bring more, and now and then a session of 15 minutes or more picks one up on the way. Meteor showers and flying together add their own. New ships come from charting, badges and flying together. Premium adds seven gradient paints, two more ships, a name for your ship and places to dock it.

Can I see my ship from outside?

Yes. During a session, the round button under the sound button turns to the view from outside. The view from behind is free; Premium adds five more cameras. Pick the camera, and whether a session starts outside, under Settings › Display & Sound › Outside view.

What are the Cockpit and the Display Case for?

Showing off what you've found. Put a finding on one of the cockpit's projectors or in a bay of the Display Case, and it's there every time you look.

Which sounds are free?

The cabin's own hum, and silence. Every world also has a sound of its own to find, and once it's yours it stays in the list.

What does Premium add?

Brown, pink and white noise, rain, ocean and wind.

How do I invite friends?

In Set Up, switch to Crew and tap Host a session. Choose when you leave, in 15 minutes or at another time up to a day ahead, then tap Board and invite to send the link. Hosting needs iCloud.

How do I join?

Tap the link a friend sent. Or switch to Crew in Set Up, tap Join with a code and type the six characters. You can join up to 10 minutes after departure.

Where do my minutes go?

Everyone flies to the host's world, with the host's length and breaks, and the session starts by itself at departure. Your minutes go to your own route, so flying together never costs you progress.

What if someone stops early?

It costs nobody else anything. Their ship shows Landed, never why.

What do friends see of me?

Your ship and the name you set under Settings › Sessions › Fly together, where you can also hide other people's names on your phone. The Privacy Policy lists the rest.

What does a reminder do?

It opens Set Up with your session ready. Nothing starts until you hold to start.

I didn't get a reminder

Check the days and the time in Reminder Schedule, then that notifications are allowed for Quiet Orbit in iOS Settings › Notifications. A Focus mode on your iPhone or a scheduled summary can hold them back.

What are progress notes?

A short summary at the end of the week, switched on and off with Progress notes in the same place. Never a streak warning.

Can I see the timer on my Lock Screen?

Yes. While a session runs, a Live Activity shows the countdown on your Lock Screen, with your What for? line. It's free.

Which widgets are there?

On the Home Screen, Weekly Streak is free and Next Launch comes with Premium. On the Lock Screen, Route and Streak are free.

Can I start a session without opening the app first?

Add the Focus session control to Control Center, your Lock Screen or the Action button: one tap opens Set Up. Shortcuts and Siri have Start a focus session, with a length if you want one.

How does sync work?

On its own, while you're signed in to iCloud and iCloud is allowed for Quiet Orbit. Your sessions, findings, charted worlds, notes and sessions flown together sync. Your ship's look, the Display Case, your reminder days and your Focus Setups stay on the phone, and a backup carries most of those.

How do backups work?

Daily backup is on from the start: once a day Quiet Orbit saves a file to iCloud Drive or this iPhone, and keeps the last seven. Back Up Now saves one straight away, and Save a Backup hands you a file to keep anywhere. Restore from a Backup adds only what's missing. It never overwrites.

I'm moving to a new iPhone

Sign in to the same iCloud and your sessions and findings come across. For your ship and your days, restore a backup file on the new iPhone before your first session there. Choose your blocked apps again: Apple keeps that list on the phone that picked it.

How do I delete my data?

Delete All Data is at the foot of iCloud & Data. It asks twice, ends a running session, opens your apps, and removes your data from this iPhone and from your iCloud. Backup files you saved stay where they are, and it doesn't cancel Premium.

What does Premium add?

• Nine more worlds, Venus out to Pluto, each with its own findings and sound
• Six more background sounds
• As many Focus Setups as you like
• Private session notes, and trends over 14 days, 12 weeks or 12 months
• The Next Launch widget
• Five more cameras for the view outside
• Two more ships, seven gradient paints, a name for your ship and places to dock it

How much is it?

In the US it's $3.99 a month, $19.99 a year, or $39.99 once to keep it for good. Prices differ by country, and the App Store shows yours, with any free trial, before you pay.

How do I restore Premium on a new iPhone?

Open Settings, tap the Premium card, and restore from the screen that opens. The iPhone has to use the Apple Account that bought it.

I have a code

Enter it under Settings › Help › Support & Legal › Redeem a code.

How do I cancel?

Apple runs subscriptions. Settings › Help › Support & Legal › Subscription takes you there, or open your Apple Account subscriptions. Deleting the app or its data doesn't cancel.

What happens if Premium ends?

Everything you earned stays yours, and worlds you charted stay open. Your notes stay readable. The view outside goes back to the camera behind, and the sound to the cabin hum.