ReleaseTime

Release schedules often arrive in the broadcaster’s timezone. Converting them by hand makes it easy to miss the moment a show drops. ReleaseTime started as a personal fix for that irritation: countdowns for TV shows, movies, and anime in your local time. It is now available on the web and as an iPhone app.

My core idea was an almanac, not a dashboard. I borrowed the visual language of a printed schedule: clean date lanes, color-coded type badges to distinguish movies from TV series from anime, and countdown figures that are the largest thing on the page. Nothing competes with the number you actually came to see. TMDB and AniList supply the metadata and release schedules; the browser locale supplies the rest. Timezone calibration happens entirely client-side, so the countdown reflects wherever the user actually is.

Angular 19 SSR via Express gives the calendar fast initial loads without sacrificing the dynamic behavior that makes timezone math possible on the client. Standalone components keep each section of the app independent. The watchlist lets you pin upcoming titles and stop hunting for them across a dozen streaming apps.

The original web design focused on making the next release easy to find. A pearl canvas background, high-contrast ink type, color-coded status chips, and a fixed icon dock on desktop that collapses to a bottom bar on mobile. The information density is high, but each element earns its place. I wanted something that feels closer to a well-typeset reference page than an app begging for attention.

The iPhone app carries that release-day focus into a watchlist, episode schedules, calendar sharing, and in-app trailers. ReleaseTime Pro adds Live Activities and widgets, bringing countdowns onto the Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, and Home Screen.

Download ReleaseTime on the App Store for iPhone, or use releasetime.io in your browser.