Frequently Asked Questions

What if white noise doesn't work for my child?

That's exactly who this app is for. In one clinical test, 9 of 21 autistic children without an intellectual disability would not tolerate white noise at all — researchers warned that promoting only its benefits could lead to interventions that do harm. So nothing here plays automatically: every sound in the mixer starts at zero, and pink noise sits next to white for children who find it gentler. The full research behind this →

Is it okay if my child just wants silence?

Yes — for some children that is the right answer. One tap on Silence Only gently fades out every sound, pauses playback and opens the night light; from there, the night light and the routine do the work, and the app is still working exactly as intended. Sound is offered here, never assumed. Offering silence as a real option is, if anything, the strongest signal that a product is built around the child rather than around selling a feature.

My child seems over-sensitive to sound. Is that unusual?

No — it's closer to typical than atypical. By parent report, about 67% of autistic children show auditory hypersensitivity, and of those, nearly 80% also have sleep difficulty. What's less well known is that the reaction is often bigger for quiet, sudden sounds than loud steady ones — which is why this app makes no interface sounds, and nothing beeps or pops up while it plays. More on sound sensitivity at bedtime →

How loud should I play it?

Quieter than seems useful. In children and teens seeking help for sound sensitivity, the average point of discomfort was measured at about 64 dB — roughly the loudness of an ordinary conversation. Keep the phone at least 2 metres from the bed, start low, and raise it only if your child seems to want more, not because the room "sounds empty" to you.

Why does the app have pink noise as well as white?

Audiology practice for sound sensitivity generally prefers pink noise over white, because it carries less energy at high frequencies and is gentler on a sensitive ear. It sits right next to white noise in the mixer, and — like every other sound — starts at zero.

Does the app use binaural beats, 528 Hz, or Auditory Integration Training?

No, and it never will. None of those have been shown to work by a randomised controlled trial — for AIT specifically, the improvement measured in trials was about 1 decibel, which is not clinically meaningful. This app is instrumental music and ordinary ambient sound, nothing more exotic than that.

Will the app change its layout in an update?

We're deliberately not redesigning the main screen or reordering the sound mixer between versions. A routine that keeps changing shape isn't much of a routine — and for a lot of autistic children, predictability of the frame matters more than what's inside it.

What is "Same as last time," and why does it matter here?

One tap on the main screen repeats yesterday's session exactly — same piece, same mix, same volume, same timer. For a child who does better with an unchanging routine, that single button removes a whole evening's worth of small decisions and small surprises.

What is "Sound check," and how do I use it?

It's a short guided test in the app's menu, meant for daylight, before bedtime becomes the testing ground. It plays six steady, gentle sounds — Pink noise, Rain on window, Ocean waves, Womb sound, Brown noise and Heartbeat — one at a time and quietly, at the volume you use in the evening. You mark the ones your child reacts well to, and up to three are saved together with the music and a Sleep Timer as Custom 1, so the evening only has to run it, not decide it. It takes about two minutes. If none of the sounds suits your child, that's a useful answer too — Music Only or Silence Only are there for exactly that.

Will the screen turn off without warning?

Not from the app. Auto Screen Off is on from the start: two minutes after the music begins it turns the display black, and about 20 seconds beforehand a short notice says it's about to happen, rather than the screen switching off abruptly. You can change the delay (1, 2, 5 or 10 minutes) or turn it off in the menu. An unannounced change is a small surprise; an announced one isn't.

Why no yellow or gold in the app's colors?

A color-preference study of autistic boys found a large, consistent avoidance of yellow and a preference for green and brown, with one proposed explanation being that yellow is simply more demanding to process visually. So the app's own colors and illustrations leave yellow and gold out, and the night light starts on a dim, deep red-orange rather than the warmer amber our other sleep apps use — still with no blue light in it. You can pick any other color yourself.

Does the app track or diagnose anything?

It diagnoses nothing, and it never asks for your child's name, age or diagnosis. The Sleep Log keeps each session's time, track and rating on your phone only — it is never uploaded or scored — and Clear log empties it whenever you want. The app does send anonymous usage statistics that cannot identify you or your child; the privacy policy explains exactly what. This app is a sleep aid, not a medical or diagnostic tool.

Is this a treatment for autism?

No. This is a sleep aid built around calm music and a repeatable routine — not a therapy or a medical treatment. If your child has ongoing sleep problems, talk to your pediatrician. We built the app around what clinical guidance actually recommends — routine and predictability first — rather than around any claim about the music itself. The research behind that choice →

My child does not have a diagnosis. Is this app still for us?

Yes. The app is built around a pattern, not a label: a child for whom standard white noise apps and lullaby playlists never worked, or who needs more predictability at bedtime than most apps offer. The diagnosis is not the point — the pattern is.

What about melatonin?

We won't advise on it — that's a conversation for your pediatrician, not an app. What we can tell you: both US (AAN) and UK (NICE) clinical guidance place melatonin after behavioural strategies and a consistent routine, not before or instead of them, and only under medical supervision if it's used at all. NICE also specifically advises against using omega-3 fatty acids to manage sleep problems in autistic children.

There's a quality-control reason for caution too, unrelated to autism specifically: testing by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine found over-the-counter melatonin products can contain 0.5× to 4× their labeled dose, sometimes with undisclosed ingredients — and US poison control centers recorded a 530% rise in pediatric melatonin ingestions over one decade. None of that is a reason to avoid melatonin if your pediatrician recommends it; it's a reason to get the product and the dose from that conversation rather than from an app or a label. The full research behind this →

Is this a subscription? How much does it cost?

Free for 7 days, then $11.99 to unlock — once. No subscription, no ads. After the one-time unlock you own it forever.

Does the app work offline?

Yes. All 27 instrumental pieces, every ambient sound, and your voice recordings are stored on your device. No internet connection is needed after installation.

Is there a free trial?

Yes. The app is free for 7 days with every feature unlocked — no card or account needed to start. After the trial, one purchase of $11.99 keeps everything forever.

Can I record my own voice?

Yes. The app includes a built-in voice recorder — a few familiar words, a short phrase, whatever your child already knows — played back on loop and mixed under the music and ambient sounds.

How does the sleep timer work?

When you tap Very Quiet, Music Only or Music + Gentle Background and no timer is running, a 45-minute timer starts on its own, and at the end the music fades out gently over 5 minutes — a longer fade than our other sleep apps use by default, because an abrupt stop is itself a sudden change. The goal is for the ending to be as unremarkable as possible. Tap the clock icon to choose a different length or cancel it; the fade-out can be set from 0 to 10 minutes.

Does the night light have a version with no movement?

Yes — one No motion switch removes the drifting shapes and stops the light from pulsing, leaving a single still color, for children who find movement more distracting than dark.

What Android version do I need?

The app requires Android 7.0 (Nougat) or newer and works on both phones and tablets.

Can I use the app on multiple devices?

If you use the same Google account on multiple Android devices, the purchase carries over. An old phone with airplane mode on also makes a good dedicated, distraction-free sleep device.

Can I customize the playlist and presets?

Yes. You can create and name custom playlists from the 27 tracks, and save a mix of music, ambient sounds, timer and fade-out as Custom 1 or Custom 2 — long-press to save, tap to start. Sound check saves its result into Custom 1 the same way.