Frequently Asked Questions

Pillars supports mosque prayer times, so you can follow your mosque's own athan and iqama times directly. Add your mosque and you'll see the same times as your mosque.

If you're using calculated times instead, they can differ from your mosque or old timetable because of two things: the calculation method and the location. Pillars and your mosque both work out prayer times from these two factors, so if they match, the times will match too.

• Calculation method: Pillars automatically selects the most common method for your country. Your mosque or timetable may use a different one.
• Location: Pillars uses your exact location, while a mosque's timetable uses the mosque's own location. If you live in a different part of the city, the times can vary slightly, even with the same method.

To match your timetable using calculated times:

1. Go to Settings > Prayer Times and turn off Auto-Detect.
2. Tap Calculation Method and choose the method your mosque uses.
3. If only Asr is different, check Madhab / Asr Time.
4. If a prayer is still off, use Custom Angles or Custom Adjustments.

Not sure which method your mosque uses? Ask your imam, or follow your mosque's own times in Pillars instead.

Pillars supports more than 20 prayer time calculation methods and automatically picks the most common one for your country. For example, the USA and Canada use ISNA, Saudi Arabia uses Umm al-Qura, Pakistan and India use Karachi, Malaysia uses JAKIM, and the UK uses Moonsighting Committee.

To choose your own, go to Settings > Prayer Times, turn off Auto-Detect and tap Calculation Method.

• Global: Muslim World League, Moonsighting Committee, Egypt, Karachi
• North America: North America (ISNA)
• Middle East: Umm al-Qura, Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Jordan (MoA)
• Turkey: Turkey, Diyanet (DITIB / IGMG)
• Europe: France (UOMF), Paris (GMP), Netherlands (MWL), Belgium (CIC)
• Asia: Singapore, Malaysia (JAKIM), Indonesia (UI), India
• Africa: Morocco (MoEIA), South Africa (MWL), Tunisia (MoRA)
• Oceania: Australia (MWL)

Can't find your method? Suggest a calculation method to the team.

Pillars lets you follow your mosque's athan and iqama times for free. We support thousands of mosques across the world including in the UK, USA, Canada and Europe. For example, in London we support popular mosques including East London Mosque and London Central Mosque (Regent's Park Mosque), which both use the London Unified timetable.

To add your mosque:

1. On the Prayer tab, tap the date to open Prayer Timetables.
2. Tap Add a Mosque, then search by name or choose one nearby.
3. Tap Add. Swipe across the Prayer tab to move between your location and your mosques.

Mosque prayer times come directly from the mosques themselves. If something looks wrong, tap Report an Issue on the mosque's page.

Can't find your mosque? Request it through Pillars support.

Yes. You can set your own Fajr and Isha angles for free in Pillars.

To set your own angles:

1. Go to Settings > Prayer Times and turn off Auto-Detect.
2. Tap Custom Angles.
3. Set Fajr Angle and Isha Angle (e.g. from 9° to 18.5°).

Turn Auto-Detect back on to return to your method's angles. Umm al-Qura and Qatar use a fixed Isha time, so only Fajr can be changed.

Yes. Pillars lets you move Fajr, Sunrise, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib or Isha by up to 60 minutes earlier or later, for free.

To adjust a prayer time:

1. Go to Settings > Prayer Times and turn off Auto-Detect.
2. Tap Custom Adjustments.
3. Choose the prayer and set the number of minutes.

Turn Auto-Detect back on to return to your method's default times.

Fajr and Isha are the prayer times most affected by the calculation method, because each method uses its own sun angles for them. If your timetable uses a different method from the one valid option Pillars automatically selected for your location, these two times can differ while the other prayer times can match (Dhuhr, Asr & Maghrib).

For example, Muslim World League uses 18° for Fajr and 17° for Isha, while ISNA uses 15° for both. Umm al-Qura uses a different method which sets Isha 90 minutes after Maghrib.

You can change this at any time. Ask your imam which method your mosque follows, then go to Settings > Prayer Times, turn off Auto-Detect and choose it under Calculation Method. If you know the angles, set them in Custom Angles.

High latitude rules are how Pillars works out Fajr and Isha in places far from the equator, such as the UK and northern Europe in summer. Fajr and Isha depend on how far the sun sits below the horizon. In these places, the sun may not go low enough for true night to arrive, so the usual calculation can give times that are extremely early or late, or in some cases no time at all. A high latitude rule sets a sensible limit instead.

Pillars has these 3 options:

• Twilight Angle: uses your method's Fajr and Isha angles. This is the default.
• Middle of the Night: Fajr is never earlier, and Isha never later, than the middle of the night.
• Seventh of the Night: Fajr is never earlier than the last seventh of the night, and Isha never later than the first seventh.

To change it, go to Settings > Prayer Times, turn off Auto-Detect and tap High Latitude Rule.

Pillars offers both Asr times. Earlier Asr follows the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools. Later Asr follows the Hanafi school.

To change it, go to Settings > Prayer Times > Madhab / Asr Time.

Earlier Asr starts when a shadow is equal to the length of its object. Later Asr starts when it's twice the length.

Pillars normally updates your location automatically when you open the app. If it's showing the wrong location, the cause is usually one of these:

1. Location access is off. If Pillars shows London when you're somewhere else, this is the likely reason. Tap Fix on the banner at the top of the Prayer page, then allow location access.
2. Automatic location is off. Pillars then stays on your last location until you update it. Turn on Automatic Location Permission in Settings > Prayer Times, or pull down on the Prayer or Qibla page whenever you want to update it.
3. Your location hasn't refreshed yet. Pull down on the Prayer or Qibla page to update it straight away.

For the most accurate notifications and widgets, set location access for Pillars to Always in your phone's Settings. On Android, you can also search for your city in Settings > Prayer Times.

Pillars notifications usually stop because a setting is off.

Check these in order:

1. In your phone's Settings, allow notifications for Pillars.
2. In Pillars, go to Settings > Notifications and turn on Prayer Times.
3. Turn off Do Not Disturb or any Focus mode.
4. On the Prayer page, tap the bell next to a prayer and choose Notification.

Choosing Notification sends a test notification immediately. If it's already selected, choose Silent, close and reopen Pillars, then choose Notification again.

On Android, your phone can also hold notifications back, so check these too:

• Battery optimisation: Android limits what apps do in the background to save battery, which can delay or block notifications. Go to Settings > Notifications in Pillars and turn on Disable Battery Optimization.
• Alarms & reminders: Pillars uses this permission to notify you at the exact prayer time. Without it, notifications can arrive late. Allow it for Pillars in your phone's Settings.
• Your phone's own battery settings: brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus add their own, which can stop apps running in the background. Allow Pillars there too.

Still not working? Report an issue.

Pillars only plays the athan if a) your phone is not on silent, and b) if the athan is turned on for that particular prayer (e.g. Maghrib).

Steps to fix this:

1. Check permissions. Allow notifications for Pillars in your phone's Settings. On Android, check sound is allowed too. In Pillars, check Settings > Notifications > Prayer Times is on.
2. Check your phone's sound. Turn off silent mode, Do Not Disturb and any Focus mode, then turn up your ringer and notification volume. Android keeps notification volume separate from media volume, so check that too.
3. Check the prayer's setting in Pillars. On the Prayer page, tap the bell next to the prayer and choose Partial Athan (iPhone) or Athan (Android). You should hear a test athan.

If you already had it selected, choose another option, close Pillars, then select it again.

Yes, but it works differently on iPhone and Android.

On iPhone:

• Prayer notifications can only play part of the athan (Partial Athan), because Apple limits how long a notification sound can play.
• Full Athan (Alarm) plays the whole athan. It's a Premium feature that uses AlarmKit, Apple's alarm system, and needs iOS 26.1 or later. It plays even on silent and rings until you stop it.

On Android: the Athan option plays the full athan for free, at your phone's notification volume.

To turn on Full Athan on iPhone: go to the Prayer page, tap the bell next to a prayer and choose Full Athan (Alarm). Set it for each prayer you want.

Have Premium but still hear a short clip? Check Full Athan is selected and your iPhone is on iOS 26.1 or later.

Full Athan (Alarm) uses AlarmKit, Apple's alarm system, so it behaves like an alarm. It's the only way to play the full athan on iPhone, and it means the athan keeps going until you end it.

To end it, tap Stop. You can also tap Open to end it and go to Pillars.

Pillars notifications usually stop suddenly for one of two reasons:

1. A notification setting changed. A change in your phone's Settings or in Pillars can turn them off. On Android, battery settings can stop them too. Follow these steps to fix it.
2. You haven't opened the app in a while. Your phone can only hold a limited number of scheduled notifications, so they can run out. This often happens if you only use the widget.

Open Pillars and your notifications will be scheduled again. When they run out, Pillars sends a 'Keep Me Awake!' notification to remind you.

Android can delay Pillars prayer notifications to save battery, because battery optimisation limits what apps do in the background.

The best fix is to turn it off for Pillars. Go to Settings > Notifications in Pillars and turn on Disable Battery Optimization.

If notifications are still late:

• Allow Alarms & reminders for Pillars in your phone's Settings, so notifications can arrive at the exact prayer time.
• Check your phone's own battery settings. Brands such as Samsung, Xiaomi and OnePlus add their own, so allow Pillars there too.
• Turn off any battery saver mode.

The Pillars notification toggle usually turns off because notifications are switched off for Pillars in your phone's Settings app. Turn notification permissions on, and the toggle will stay on.

When you try to turn the toggle on, Pillars may take you straight to your phone's Settings. Allow notifications there, then go back to Pillars.

Fajr Smart Alarm is a Premium alarm on iPhone that wakes you near Fajr and moves with the prayer times each day. It needs iOS 26.1 or later.

If it doesn't ring, check that:

• Alarm permission is on for Pillars in iPhone Settings.
• Your location is set in Pillars.
• Your Premium is still active.
• You've opened Pillars recently.

To set it up, go to Settings > Fajr Smart Alarm, drag the slider to your wake-up time, choose Athan or System sound, then tap Schedule Smart Alarm.

Volume follows your iPhone's alarm volume.

Yes. Pillars can remind you 15, 20 or 30 minutes before Dhuhr, Asr and Maghrib. For Isha, it can remind you 30 minutes before the middle of the night.

On the Prayer page, tap the prayer in the list (e.g. Asr) and choose a reminder setting under Extra Reminder.

Fajr and Sunrise don't have reminders. For Fajr, use Fajr Smart Alarm.

The Pillars Prayer Tracker Live Activity shows your prayer on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. It's for Premium members on iPhone.

To turn it on:

1. In iPhone Settings, go to Pillars and turn on Live Activities.
2. In Pillars, go to Settings > Pillars Labs and turn on Tracker Live Activity.

The Pillars Qibla can be wrong or frozen if your phone's compass is disturbed or needs calibrating, or if your location is out of date.

Hold your phone flat, then try these in order:

1. Remove your phone case and attachments, especially anything with metal or magnets.
2. Move away from metal objects and electronics.
3. Check the city on the Qibla page is right. Pull down to refresh it.
4. Move your phone in a figure of eight to calibrate the compass.
5. Close and reopen Pillars.
6. Restart your phone.

Still wrong? Compare with your phone's own compass app. If that's also wrong, the issue is your phone's sensor.

Yes, Pillars is free to download, has no ads and doesn't need an account. Prayer times, mosque timetables, Qibla, notifications, the prayer and fasting trackers and the main widget are all free.

Pillars Premium is an optional iPhone subscription that adds features including:

• Apple Watch app
• Full Athan
• Fajr Smart Alarm
• PrayFirst app blocking
• More widgets
• Weather themes
• Sunnah and White Day fast tracking

Premium isn't yet available on Android, where the core features are free.

You can cancel Pillars Premium any time.

• In Pillars App: go to Settings > Subscription > Cancel subscription.
• Via Settings: go to Settings, tap your name, then Subscriptions > Pillars.

Premium stays active until the end of the period you've paid for. If you're on a free trial, cancel before it ends and you won't be charged.

Apple handles all Premium refunds, so Pillars can't approve them. Request a refund from Apple.

If you support Pillars through the website, manage that subscription here.

Pillars has no accounts for privacy, so Premium is linked to your Apple Account.

Try these in order:

1. Check you're signed in to the Apple Account you used to subscribe on your iPhone.
2. Close and reopen Pillars.
3. If it's still locked, delete and reinstall Pillars, go through onboarding, then tap Restore on the last screen.

Reinstalling removes your tracker history, so try the first two steps first.

Still locked? Contact Pillars support.

Yes. Pillars has free Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets on iPhone and Android.

To add the widget:

1. Touch and hold an empty part of your Home Screen.
2. Tap Edit, then Add Widget.
3. Search for Pillars and choose a widget.
4. Tap Add Widget.

Can't see Pillars in the list? Update iOS, open Pillars once, then try again.

If you're still unable to see Pillars please restart your phone as this may be an iOS bug.

Your Pillars widget can lag behind the app after your location changes, because your phone's OS decides when widgets refresh.

On iPhone, the fix is your location permission. Go to iPhone Settings > Pillars > Location and choose While Using the App or Widgets, or ideally Always (recommended). This lets the widget get your location by itself, so it can work out your prayer times accurately.

On Android, battery optimisation can delay widget updates. Go to Settings > Notifications in Pillars and turn on Disable Battery Optimization.

To update the widget straight away, close and reopen Pillars (it requires one of the above two settings).

A black or blank Pillars widget is usually an iOS software issue, often after an update.

Try these in order:

1. Restart your phone.
2. Remove the widget and add it again.
3. Open Pillars and check location access is on.

Your Pillars widget and the app can show Fajr times for different days. For example, the widget may show tomorrow's Fajr while the app still shows today's, or the other way round, depending on the time of day you are looking at it.

Fajr moves by a few minutes each day, so the two times can differ even though both are correct (for different days).

Yes, with Pillars Premium. The Apple Watch app has prayer times, a Tasbeeh counter, Qibla and beautiful Watch face complications.

To set it up:

1. Subscribe to Premium in Pillars on your iPhone.
2. Go to Settings > Apple Watch.
3. Tap Install, then open Pillars on your Watch.
4. Wait for Setup Complete.

You don't need to reinstall Pillars.

A blank or locked Pillars Apple Watch app usually hasn't synced with your iPhone. Open Pillars on both your iPhone and Apple Watch. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apple Watch, check the Status and tap Sync Now.

If your Watch says Open Pillars on iPhone to Try for Free, it can't see your Premium. Open Pillars on your iPhone and tap Sync Now.

If times are missing, go to iPhone Settings > Pillars > Location and choose Always.

Still not working? Report an issue.

You can tick a past prayer by swiping back to that day in the Pillars prayer tracker, then mark the prayer. You can't mark future days.

Tap a prayer to mark it as on-time. Tap it once more to mark it as prayed late (made up).

Tracker days run from midnight to midnight. If you pray Isha after midnight, swipe back a day and tick it there.

Pillars has no accounts, so your tracker history is saved only on your phone. Deleting the app removes it.

Moving to a new phone? Set it up from a backup of your old phone to bring your Pillars data with you.

No. Prayers missed while Pillars menstruation mode is on are excused and don't break your streak.

On the Tracker page, tap the menstruation button when your period starts, and tap it again when it ends.

Forgot to turn it on? Turn on menstruation mode, open Manual Adjustments from the menstruation button, then tap the prayers you missed during your period. They'll fade out and you'll be excused from them.

You can track missed and make-up fasts for free in Pillars.

To track a fast:

1. On the Tracker page, tap the fasting icon.
2. To log a missed fast, choose a reason such as Travel, Health, Menstruation or Pregnancy.
3. To log a make-up fast, open the day you fasted and tick it off under Made up a fast on this day?

Your Fasting Tally shows how many days you have left. Scroll back to log earlier days.

PrayFirst is a Premium feature on iPhone that blocks the apps you choose until you tick off the current prayer.

Apps unlock only when you tick the prayer that started the block. Ticking another prayer or an earlier day won't unlock them.

Open the Tracker and tick the current prayer after completing it.

Still blocked? Report an issue.

If Pillars won't open, try these in order:

1. Close and reopen Pillars.
2. Ensure you are on the latest version of Pillars in the App or Play Store and your phone's software.
3. Restart your phone.
4. As a last resort, delete and reinstall Pillars. This removes your tracker history.

Still stuck? Contact Pillars support and tell us your phone model.

Pillars shows a calculated Hijri date. Your local moon sighting, or the authority you follow, can differ from it by a day or two. Pillars lets you adjust the date to match.

Go to Settings > Other > Hijri Correction and adjust it by up to 2 days either way.

Please note: the Hijri date in Pillars changes at Maghrib, not midnight.

Yes. You can support the maintenance and growth of Pillars, including keeping it ad-free and privacy focused. You can give here.

You can also support Pillars with a Pillars Premium subscription on iPhone.