Carisa support
A little help, a clearer desk.
Start a focus plan, understand your journal, and keep your local workspace in your hands.
Last updated: November 6, 2026 · App version 1.0
iPhone · iOS 15 or laterNo online sign-upLocal focus journal
Choose a topic below or contact support if you need a hand.
ON THIS PAGE
1. Start your first focus plan
- Open Carisa and tap Get started, then Go to my desk. No online registration is required.
- On My desk, tap Start focusing and choose Just begin · Deep work for a quick four-round plan, or choose New focus task to write a task.
- When creating a task, enter its name, choose 1, 2, 4, or 8 rounds, and select Classic or My defaults. Labels and notes are optional.
- Tap Place it on my desk. On the ready screen, start the first stage when you are ready.
Classic follows 25-minute focus blocks and 5-minute short rests. Every fourth round ends with a 15-minute long rest instead of a short rest.
2. Timer questions
Why does the timer pause when I leave?
This is the intended behavior. Switching tabs, opening another page, changing apps, locking your device, or an interruption pauses the timer. Return to My desk and tap Resume timer. Time away is not deducted, and there are no background completion notifications.
How do I automatically start the next stage?
In Settings, turn on Keep the rhythm going. After a natural completion, the next stage starts automatically only while the desk is open and the app is active. After a manual skip, reset, or return from another app, start or resume manually.
What is the difference between Pause, Reset, and Skip?
Pause keeps the remaining time. Reset restarts only the current stage and preserves the actual time from the reset attempt. Skip ends the current stage as skipped and prepares the next one. Neither skipping nor resetting creates a completed tomato.
Why is the plan not complete after the last focus stage?
Each focus round includes its following rest. The plan finishes when the final rest completes or is explicitly skipped. Round four and round eight use long rests.
Why can I not hear the bell?
Check A little bell in Settings and your device volume and silent-mode settings. Use Try the bell to request a test sound. Device feedback is not guaranteed in every system state; the app also shows the stage result. No sound is scheduled for background completion.
3. Customize your workspace
In Settings, enter whole minutes and tap Save rhythm: focus 1–180, short rest 1–60, long rest 1–120. Long rest must be at least as long as short rest. New tasks using My defaults use this rhythm; Classic remains 25 / 5 / 15, and existing tasks keep their saved rhythm.
Settings also controls automatic stage transitions, completion sound, optional haptics, foreground reminders, and reduced motion. In Workspace, you can edit your local display name and choose a daily goal from 1 to 20 completed focus rounds.
Use Save as template in a task archive or collect a plan on its result screen. Find it in Collection and choose Use again to create a new plan; prior records stay separate.
4. Read your journal
Journal shows focus minutes, completed tomatoes, completion rate, the recent week’s focus totals, and task archives. Use Previous day and Next day to change the date, and All tasks, Completed, or Paused to filter plans.
Totals update when an attempt is completed, skipped, or reset. A currently running or paused unfinished attempt has not yet entered those totals. Skipped and reset focus time counts toward actual minutes, but does not add a completed tomato. Deleting a task updates its statistics too.
To continue an unfinished plan, open its archive and choose Return to timer, then start or resume on My desk.
5. Export or share your records
- Open Settings → Export my journal.
- Choose a destination in the iOS share sheet, such as Save to Files.
- Complete the destination’s save action. Canceling the sheet leaves the journal unchanged.
The JSON export contains your local display name, settings, tasks, notes, favorites, and stage/event history. Check it before sending it to someone else. You can open the file in a compatible text or JSON viewer. Version 1.0 does not import or restore exported JSON.
For a single-task summary, open its archive and choose Share receipt, Save a receipt, or Copy receipt. A receipt contains the task title, label, rhythm, and actual stage totals, but excludes private task notes.
6. Clear data, sign out, or delete locally
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Task archive → Delete this task | Removes that task, its notes, records, and template status. |
| Settings → Clear task data | Clears tasks, history, favorites, drafts, and the active timer. Preserves your profile, local session, daily goal, and settings. |
| Workspace → Sign out | Pauses the timer and ends the local session. Preserves the journal, profile, settings, and drafts. |
| Workspace → Delete local account | Erases the local workspace and restores default settings. Type DELETE exactly, then confirm Permanently delete. A non-content return-visit marker may remain. |
Export anything you need before deleting it. Saved or shared files outside Carisa are not deleted by these actions. There is no remote account to close and no server copy we can restore. Local workspace deletion must be performed on the device.
7. Troubleshooting
The app reports that changes could not be saved.
Pause your work, check available device storage, and free space if needed. Keep Carisa open and choose Retry when storage is available. If the journal is accessible, export a copy before taking further steps. Do not uninstall as a first troubleshooting step: it may remove local data.
The app restarted with a paused timer.
This is expected. Carisa restores the last successfully saved timer checkpoint as paused. It does not count time while the app was closed. Tap Resume timer when ready.
A shared file is missing or saving failed.
Check the destination folder and available storage, then retry the export. A success message means the system destination reported completion. Carisa cannot see or control a file after another app or provider receives it.
Can I sync to another device or restore an export?
Carisa 1.0 has no built-in cloud sync or JSON import. Apple device backup or transfer behavior depends on your device settings. An export preserves a readable copy, but does not provide an in-app restore workflow.
Can I use the app without internet?
Yes. Focus timing, tasks, notes, history, and local settings operate on the device. An external share destination or this hosted support page may need its own connection.
8. Contact support
For a problem not covered here, contact us using the details below. Include your iOS version, Carisa version, what you tapped, what you expected, and what happened. A screenshot is optional; remove private task names and notes first. Please do not email a complete journal unless you choose to share it and it is necessary for your request.
Operator: [OPERATOR_NAME]
Email: [SUPPORT_EMAIL]
For privacy requests, include “Carisa privacy” in your subject. For app help, include “Carisa support”. Please do not send passwords or unnecessary private task notes.
We cannot view your local workspace or recover erased records from a server. For information about support correspondence, see the Privacy policy.