FAQ

Answers to common questions about Intermission.

What is Intermission?

Intermission 4.0 is a native Mac break reminder that can be as gentle or as hard to ignore as you need. Choose notifications or full-screen breaks to help you look away, stand up, or reset. It runs quietly in your menu bar.

Can I use notifications instead of full-screen breaks?

Yes. Choose notifications for gentle reminders that leave your work visible, or full-screen breaks when you want a reminder that is harder to overlook. Change your break style in Configure settings.

Do I have to follow the 20-20-20 rule?

No. The default schedule follows the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. You can change the break frequency and length to suit your day.

How do Focus Timers work?

Start a Focus Timer from the menu bar for a chosen amount of time. Regular break reminders wait during the focus session, and a break is due when the timer ends. Auto Pause can still hold the break off while a busy condition is active.

What can I customize?

Set break frequency and length, notification or full-screen style, skip behavior, and heads-up warnings. Customize the break message, background color, fonts, and chimes, and choose which Auto Pause conditions are enabled.

What are streaks and rewards?

Build a streak by completing breaks without skipping. After a completed break, you can choose to see streak progress, artwork, both, or neither. Your break stats are available in Settings.

How much does it cost?

Try all features free for seven days, then unlock Intermission forever with a one-time purchase of $7.99. There is no subscription or recurring charge. Family Sharing is included.

Will it interrupt Zoom, FaceTime, Teams, YouTube, or presentations?

Auto Pause helps hold off breaks during meetings, calls, video playback, screen sharing, screen recording, and full-screen apps. You can choose which conditions pause breaks in Auto Pause settings. Detection is best effort: it uses signals such as camera or microphone activity and supported apps running, so it cannot identify every situation.

Can I skip or snooze a break?

Choose whether full-screen breaks can be skipped immediately, only after a short wait, or not at all. You can also snooze or reset your next break from the menu bar and enable a heads-up warning before a break begins.

Does it block every display?

Full-screen breaks cover every connected display. If you prefer a gentler reminder that leaves your screens available, choose notifications instead. Intermission also handles sleep and screensavers.

Does it require Screen Recording or Accessibility permission?

No. Intermission doesn’t currently require Screen Recording or Accessibility permission to work.

Does Intermission collect or store my data?

No. The app runs entirely on your Mac and doesn’t transmit your activity anywhere. See our Privacy Policy for details.

Does it support Family Sharing?

Yes, Intermission supports Family Sharing through the Mac App Store.

What macOS version do I need?

Intermission 4.0 requires macOS 13.0 or later and supports Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Check the Compatibility section on the App Store listing for current requirements.

How do I get a refund?

Since Intermission is sold through the Mac App Store, refunds are handled by Apple. You can request one at reportaproblem.apple.com.

I purchased Intermission or Breaks for Eyes before — do I need to buy it again?

If you purchased Intermission or Breaks for Eyes through the official Mac App Store, your purchase is tied to your Apple Account and can always be re-downloaded for free using that same Apple Account — it can’t be transferred to a different Apple Account. If you purchased Breaks for Eyes outside the App Store more than 6 years ago, that license can’t be transferred to Intermission.

What is Breaks for Eyes?

Breaks for Eyes was the original name of this app, originally developed by another company and sold both on and off the Mac App Store. We acquired the project, renamed it to Intermission, and discontinued sales outside the App Store.

Still have a question?

Email us at studio@alexgreene.me and we’ll get back to you.