The tan timer & UV index app for the glow — without the burn.

Most people start building visible color within 1–2 hours at moderate UV, but the honest answer depends on your skin type and today's UV index. At UV 5, Type III skin reaches its safe tanning limit in about 53 minutes — UV Buddy computes your personal number live and times the whole session for you.

UV 3–5 is the sweet spot for most skin types: strong enough to build melanin, gentle enough to keep your burn window workable. UV Buddy rates every day and every hour for tanning, so you can plan your glow around the best windows.

It uses the same model dermatology researchers use: your skin type's MED — the UV dose that causes redness — divided by the current UV intensity. Answer six quick questions to find your Fitzpatrick type, and UV Buddy recalculates your burn window whenever the UV changes.

Every two hours in the sun — sooner after swimming or sweating. UV Buddy runs a reapply timer for each family member and sounds a real alarm the moment protection runs out.

Yes. Timers use iOS alarms — the same system as your morning alarm — so they ring even if the app is closed or your phone is locked. Your Apple Watch and Lock Screen show the countdown too.

One subscription covers everyone. Create a profile per person — each with their own skin type, SPF and buddy character — and run separate timers for the kids, yourself, and grandpa at the same time.

From Apple Weather, the same service behind the built-in Weather app — hyperlocal, updated through the day, with hourly and 7-day UV forecasts for any city you pin.

Yes — three glances show live UV, your sunscreen countdown and your tan session step, plus watch-face complications, Home Screen widgets, and Live Activities in the Dynamic Island.

The download is free. Everything is unlocked by one Pro subscription — free trial first, then from about $2.99/month or $29.99/year — and a single plan covers your whole family.

Get out of the sun, cool the skin with a damp towel or cool shower, moisturize and drink water, and stay out of UV until it fully heals. Our sunburn guide covers what actually helps — and UV Buddy makes sure there isn't a next time.