The movement reminder app for desk workers.
Wakeout knows when you’ve actually been sitting too long — then sends a 30-second movement break, right at your desk. Smart reminders, not dumb timers.
3 hours sitting?!
Time to get up.
Wakeout is a movement reminder app built for desk workers — the people who sit eight hours a day, mean to stretch every hour, and never do. Most exercise reminder apps are dumb timers that fire on a fixed interval whether you’ve been sitting or not. Wakeout is different: it pairs with Apple Health to read your real movement data and only nudges you when you’ve actually been still for too long. When the reminder fires, you get a 30-second movement to do right at your desk. No equipment, no standing up, no gym outfit. Available on iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and as a free Chrome extension.
Reminders that know when you’ve actually been sitting.
Wakeout pairs with Apple Health to read your real movement data — step count, walking minutes, stand hours. We only ping when you have actually been still for too long.
If you walked to a meeting at 11, you don’t get a “time to move” reminder at 11:15. The reminder is responsive to your day, not blind to it. That’s the difference between a smart reminder and a dumb timer.
Wakeout watches the dips.
Each long flat zone is a stretch of stillness. When the threshold is crossed, one reminder fires. Once per dip — never relentless.
No ping at 11:15 because you walked to a meeting at 11. No ping at 1pm because you took a lunch walk. The reminder is responsive to your real day.
The healthy work timer.
A timer you configure. Every 15, 25, 60 minutes — whatever you pick — Wakeout fires a notification with a 30-second movement on the other end. You set the cadence. You set the work hours.
And yes, it interrupts you. That’s the design. Without the interruption you’d never look up — that’s the whole reason you’re here. Each ping is brief, the move is short, then you’re back at it.
For the back pain. The neck stiffness. The 3pm slump.
Six 30-second movements pulled from across Wakeout’s 102 packs — each aimed at a different reason desk workers go looking for a movement reminder in the first place.
Where Wakeout works.
The reminder fires on the surface where the sitting actually happens.
- iPhone
Smart reminders fire only when Apple Health says you’ve actually been still. Tap the notification, do a 30-second movement, get back to work.
- iPad
Same Wakeout app, larger screen. Pin a workout to Slide Over for one-tap movement breaks while you read or design.
- Apple Watch
Companion taps on the wrist when the iPhone reminder fires. Perfect for meetings where pulling out a phone would be a whole thing.
- Mac
A configurable timer in your menu bar — set the cadence, set the work hours, get the ping. The healthy work timer for people who live in their laptop.
- Chrome extension
Free browser extension with new-tab takeover, a movement timer, and a website blocker that unlocks once you do a Wakeout. Lives in the same surface where the sitting happens.
See the Chrome extension →
Questions desk workers ask before they download.
Why do I need a reminder to move during the workday?+
Because intention is not enough. Even people who care about their health forget to move when they are focused — eight straight hours of sitting is the new default, and the body files a complaint. The research on sedentary behavior is settled: prolonged sitting raises cardiovascular risk, slows metabolism, and accelerates back, neck, and hip pain regardless of how much you exercise outside of work. The fix is not a gym membership. It is interrupting the stillness every 30 to 60 minutes with brief, deliberate movement.
How is Wakeout different from a regular timer app?+
Most reminder apps are dumb timers — they ping you on a fixed interval whether you have been sitting or not. Wakeout pairs with Apple Health to read your real movement data: step count, walking minutes, stand hours. We only ping when you have actually been still for too long. If you walked to a meeting at 11, you do not get a "time to move" reminder at 11:15. The reminder is responsive to your day, not blind to it.
How does Wakeout know when I have been sitting too long?+
With your permission, Wakeout reads movement and step data from Apple Health and tracks the time since your last meaningful movement. The threshold is configurable; the default is around 60 minutes of stillness, with smart adjustments for time of day. When the threshold is crossed, you get a single friendly notification with a 30-second movement you can do right at your desk. Tap the notification, do the move, get back to work.
How long does each Wakeout take?+
Each individual movement is 30 seconds. A full Wakeout routine is three movements stitched together — about 90 seconds total. The defaults are built around the small-dose, high-frequency research on sedentary behavior: brief repeated movement breaks beat occasional long sessions for desk workers.
Will the reminders interrupt my focus?+
Yes — that is the design. Without an interruption you would not look up from your screen for hours, which is exactly why you are here. Each ping is brief: a single notification, a 30-second movement, then back to work. The smart reminder mode is more selective (only when Apple Health says you have actually been still). The healthy work timer fires on the cadence you set. Both are interruptions you opted into, because the alternative is sitting still all day.
Stop forgetting to move.
Wakeout. The movement reminder app for desk workers. iOS, Mac, Apple Watch, and a free Chrome extension.