FAQ

IntroductionHow to use the appUnderstanding your resultsSubscriptions and billingTroubleshootingPrivacy

Introduction

About Sleepwave

Sleepwave is an app that uses next-generation patented motion-sensing technology to track your sleep and wake you up at a great moment for your body with the smart alarm. Sleepwave also offers other exciting features such as playing a gentle awakening sound that starts before your main alarm to wake you up slowly, sleep sounds and meditations to help you fall asleep easier, interesting sleep insights and tips, sound recordings to hear if you snore or talk during your sleep, and much more!

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How does Sleepwave track sleep?

Detecting movement is essential for accurate sleep tracking, as the amount we move in bed indicates how awake we are. By transmitting an inaudible soundwave from a phone’s speaker and listening to the reflections with its microphone, Sleepwave accurately detects motion enabling advanced estimation of sleep stages.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How does the smart alarm work?

When we move in bed our brain is in a natural state of awakening. Sleepwave’s technology is able to detect these movements and sound the alarm at an optimal moment so that you feel more energised and less groggy. You can set a wake up window of anywhere between 15 minutes and 1 hour.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

What makes Sleepwave different from wearable devices?

Sleepwave provides wearable-free sleep tracking. Powered by patented technology, users receive in-depth sleep analysis from a phone beside their bed.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

What makes Sleepwave different from other sleep tracking apps?

Sleepwave’s patented technology uses enhanced motion detection to track users’ sleep. Our technology can accurately detect motion within a range of two metres using your phone’s existing microphone and speaker. Other well-known sleep tracking apps use sound recognition to estimate movements or require users to place their phone on their mattress.

Sleepwave’s soundwave technology moves beyond existing approaches by providing a more accurate motion signal compared to sound recognition with the convenience of a side-table placement.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How to use the app

How it works

Sleepwave uses silent sound wave technology to track movement and breathing patterns. Using machine-learning and data analysis, it can identify your sleep phases and when you are awake, as well as starting your alarm at the point where you are in light sleep and more ready to wake up.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How accurate is it?

Sleepwave provides similar accuracy to many hardware-based sleep trackers e.g. wrist worn devices. We are also confident that the results are significantly better than any other sound-based sleep tracking apps. We are continuing to scientifically validate our accuracy and improve performance.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

About sleep tracking

Our sleep tracking features allow you to see your sleep patterns and phases. Everyone’s sleep is different but a good night’s sleep usually includes a good spread of REM, light and deep sleep phases. You can use the views in the Track tab to see how different factors affect your sleep phase distribution.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

About the smart alarm

Our smart alarm feature wakes you up at the optimal time within a preset window. To use the smart alarm, set the alarm time at the latest you can get up. Then, set your wake up window, choosing from 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes. This is the time window before the latest alarm that the smart alarm can sound. This means that Sleepwave will be checking your sleep for the right time to wake you up for this amount of time before your latest cut-off.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

About gentle awakenings

Sleepwave’s gentle awakenings are a mixture of nature sounds, gentle ambience and soft music. This is an optional setting that will quietly sound for a preset amount of time before your normal alarm. They won’t necessarily wake you up, but are designed to create a pleasant environment for waking up.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

What are wavescapes?

Wavescapes are interactive animations that demonstrate Sleepwave’s unique technology. You can control a variety of these motion illustrations via hand movement without even touching your phone.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How to position the device

Sleepwave works either with your phone positioned at your bedside or on your mattress.

Bedside: Place the phone down flat with the bottom microphone facing towards you. The device should ideally be level with your body or just above it. Placing your device face down is not required, but it does help with blocking the light from your device screen. If you have a standing charger, ensure the microphone is facing your body towards your chest. This allows for the most accurate sleep tracking.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Mattress: Position your phone on your mattress near to your body. Ensure your phone is not covered if you are charging your device.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Is the technology safe?

Yes. Sleepwave plays a very quiet, high-frequency tone which our ears cannot hear. The energy projected is much quieter than many sounds from other electronic devices and general ambient noise.If you are sensitive to it, you can take a "Sound check" test within the app which helps you find an alternative setting. To be clear, Sleepwave’s technology cannot do you any harm.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Can animals hear the tone?

Sleepwave’s tone is within the audible frequency range for dogs or cats. Whilst animals may just about hear the tone, because it is so quiet it will not be intrusive to them.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How does Sleepwave handle background noise?

Sleepwave’s patented technology enables accurate motion-sensing even in the presence of external noises such as fans, passing cars, and snoring bed partners.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Does Sleepwave record snoring?

Sleepwave offers best-in-class sleep and motion detection technology, making it an excellent choice for comprehensive sleep tracking. If your primary focus is on monitoring snoring, however, our sister app SnoreLab may be more suitable, as it specializes in recording and analyzing snore patterns over time. That said, Sleepwave does offer sound recognition which can detect sounds like snoring. Tracking your sounds in Sleepwave can help you monitor snoring in conjunction with your overall sleep patterns. (iOS only, Android coming soon)

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Can Sleepwave run in the background?

It is strongly recommended to keep Sleepwave in the foreground and your device unlocked when running Sleepwave. If you would rather lock your device the app can run in the background, although this does increase the risk of the recording being interrupted by another process.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Does my phone need to be plugged in at night?

It is not necessary to keep your phone connected to power. Sleepwave typically uses up to 50% of battery per night. If you have less than this, or only a little more, we recommend plugging your phone in.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Will I hear calls and notifications?

You should still be able to receive calls during a Sleepwave session, however we are aware that Apple devices may silence texts/alerts and we are looking into ways around this.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Does the app require an internet connection?

No. All of Sleepwave’s features are offline and don’t require internet access. The only exception is if you use Apple Music to create your own alarm playlists. In this instance, even if not connected to the internet, Sleepwave will fall back onto some saved sounds so that you don’t miss your alarm!

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Does Sleepwave work in airplane mode?

Yes. You can run a session and use the smart alarm whilst your device is in airplane mode.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Can I set Sleepwave to start automatically?

Starting Sleepwave automatically is not currently possible as apps that use the device microphone are prevented from starting from the background to protect your privacy. However, we are looking into developing some alternatives.

In the meantime, Sleepwave offers bedtime reminders. You can set up these custom reminders by going to the "Me" tab and click the cog wheel icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen, then tap "Bedtime reminders".

You can also add the Sleepwave widget to your Home screen, Lock screen, or Control center to immediately start a session with a single tap. To do so, go to the device home screen edit menu, then tap the ‘Add Widget’ option. Then follow the device instructions to add a Widget to your Home screen, Lock screen, or Control center. You can even set up Siri shortcuts to start a session with your voice. Please note your device will need to be unlocked for Siri shortcuts to start a session. (iOS only)

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How does Sleepwave manage two people in the bed?

The audio signal analysed by Sleepwave will be strongest for the person sleeping closest to the phone. However, the motion signal has high sensitivity, so it may detect movement from a bed partner.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Is Sleepwave compatible with the Apple Watch?

Yes! You can run the Sleepwave smart alarm app on the Apple Watch independently from your phone app or alongside it. To do so:

Install the Sleepwave Apple watch app
Set your alarm directly on the watch
Once your session is complete, open the phone app to view your sleep stats in the Track tab.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Syncing with the Apple Watch

The data from the Apple Watch may take some time to sync to the phone. If your data doesn’t immediately appear, open the watch app and turn the crown when prompted.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I schedule an alarm?

Unfortunately, starting Sleepwave automatically is not currently possible as apps that use the device microphone are prevented from starting from the background to protect your privacy. However, we are looking into developing some alternatives.In the meantime, Sleepwave offers bedtime reminders. You can set up these custom reminders by going to the "Me" tab and click the cog wheel icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen, then tap "Bedtime reminders".

You can also add the Sleepwave widget to your Home screen, Lock screen, or Control center to immediately start a session with a single tap. To do so, go to the device home screen edit menu, then tap the ‘Add Widget’ option. Then follow the device instructions to add a Widget to your Home screen, Lock screen, or Control center. You can even set up Siri shortcuts to start a session with your voice. Please note your device will need to be unlocked for Siri shortcuts to start a session. (iOS only)

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I enable Apple Health integration with Sleepwave?

To enable Apple Health data to sync into Sleepwave, select the ‘Me’ tab and then tap the “Link” button next to Apple Health. From here, enable the options you would like to give Sleepwave Access to. You can also manage these permissions via the Apple Health app under “Sharing” then “Apps”.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I restore my session data?

Currently, as there is no cloud backup system in place, we do not yet have a way to backup session history. We plan to introduce this for the future, but this requires a great amount of development work to ensure that it is handled in the best and most efficient way possible for our users. In the meantime, please note that deleting and reinstalling the app will result in the loss of your sleep data.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Can I listen to music whilst Sleepwave is running?

Audio Timer allows you to enjoy listening to sounds from other apps for a set amount of time before your Sleepwave session begins. To use it, simply start playing your chosen audio, then open Sleepwave and keep it active in the foreground with your device unlocked. Sleepwave will stop the external audio after the set duration, and then track your sleep. (iOS only, Android coming soon)

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Understanding your results

Understanding the graph

Sleep is made up of distinct phases. Each phase helps the body and brain relax and regenerate in a different way. You cycle through the sleep phases several times through the night. There are typical patterns but everybody’s sleep is unique. Your sleep graph is broken down into the main components of sleep:

Deep sleep is important for processing memories and emotions. It’s also important for growth and repair of the body. It is typical to have more periods of deep sleep during the first half of the night.

Light sleep is where you spend the majority of your night. It is an important stage for re-energising the body. Your body begins to relax and your temperature drops. You may have shorter incoherent dreams and can often wake from this stage not realising that you’ve been asleep.

REM stands for Rapid Eye Movement and is sometimes called “dream sleep”. Your brain is almost as active as when you are awake. REM is important for memory and learning. It is typical to have more periods of REM sleep during the second half of the night.

As well as the sleep stages, your graph will also tell you when you were awake. It is normal to wake up during the night. Some awakenings are so small that you won’t even remember them happening.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Why is there no sleep rating?

We believe that sleep ratings given by other apps and devices are inaccurate. These don’t tell you how well rested you are, which is the most important aspect of sleep. Only you are qualified to make that assessment.

Thinking about sleep ratings causes anxiety and can be counter-productive. We have heard instances where users of other apps feel that their morning sleep rating artificially influences their day.

Sleepwave provides you with data, tracking and trends so you can work out your sleeping patterns and what does and doesn’t work for you. We can’t tell you if you’ve woken up feeling great, only you can do that. Whilst against conventional wisdom, who says you can’t feel great after only five hours of sleep?

The idea of sleep efficiency (percentage of the time between going to bed and getting up that you were actually sleeping) doesn’t work either. If you were in bed and asleep for four hours your sleep efficiency might seem great, even if four hours is not enough for a good night’s sleep.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Why use the median in the stats as opposed to the mean?

Sleepwave’s sleep tracking stats give you averages for the different measurements. Here, we use a median (middle value) as opposed to a mean (a conventional average, adding all values and dividing by the number of values). The median is better when dealing with outliers. These are values that are very unlike the rest of the data which have the potential to skew it, giving an inaccurate representation of the average. To further reduce the impact of outliers, you can also choose to exclude certain sleep sessions from your Sleepwave statistics.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Subscriptions and billing

What features are included in the free version of Sleepwave?

Sleepwave offers a generous free tier which allows you unlimited use of the fundamental features of the app. You can track your sleep every night and see charts and stats for those nights. You can set either a standard alarm, or a smart alarm to wake you up at the best possible time.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

What’s included in Sleepwave Premium?

In addition to the features on Sleepwave’s free tier, Sleepwave Premium gives you access to:

More stats with weekly, monthly and yearly trends
More gentle awakening sounds
More alarm sounds
Custom soundscapes
Custom sleep notes
More sound recordings
Dream journal
Unlimited use of goals

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Do you need an account to use Sleepwave?

Sleepwave does not require you to sign up or log in to use its features.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Is Sleepwave free?

Sleepwave is free to download and the main features are free to use.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I manage my subscription?

How to manage a Google Play (Android) Subscription:

Open the Google Play Store on your Android device. You must be signed in with the Google account used to start the subscription.
Tap your profile icon (top right).
Go to Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions. You’ll see a list of active and expired subscriptions.
Tap the subscription you want to manage.
From here you can:
- Cancel the subscription
- Change the payment method
- Update billing information
- Resubscribe, if applicable

How to manage an iOS (Apple) Subscription:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad. Make sure you're signed in with the correct Apple ID that purchased the subscription.
Tap your Apple ID name at the top.
Tap Subscriptions. Select the subscription you want to manage.
You can then:
- Cancel the subscription
- Change the plan
- Update payment options
- Resubscribe, if applicable

Important notes:

Uninstalling the app does not cancel the subscription.
If you cancel, you’ll typically still have access to premium features until the end of the current billing period.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I upgrade to Sleepwave Premium?

To upgrade to Sleepwave Premium, you can follow any of the 'Upgrade' prompts within the app. Going to this screen does not charge you. There are other confirmatory steps first if you wish to purchase the subscription.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How much does Sleepwave Premium cost?

The easiest way to check the price is by tapping any upgrade prompt in the app. This will take you to the upgrade screen where you should see the pricing in your local currency. Going to this screen does not charge you. There are other confirmatory steps first if you wish to purchase the subscription.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Can I transfer my purchase to another device?

Your purchase is linked to your personal Apple or Android ID (i.e. your App Store or Play Store login). It can be transferred to any device on the same platform that is linked to the same ID.

Your premium credentials should automatically be detected if you install the app on a new device linked to your purchase ID. If this process fails, use the Restore option on the Premium upgrade screen.

Note: Sleepwave doesn’t support purchase across platforms (i.e. Apple to Android or vice versa). In this case, cancel your subscription and repurchase Sleepwave Premium on your new device.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

The purchase process is failing

Please check your device’s settings as well as your App Store or Google Play account to make sure you are permitted to make in-app purchases. Because purchases are conducted via the App Store or Google Play, errors on these platforms can sometimes cause difficulties when making a purchase. Be patient and try again later.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I cancel my subscription?

If you have purchased a Sleepwave subscription, you can cancel it by tapping on the Account section in the Me tab.

You can also cancel your subscription via your Google Play or Apple ID account directly.

Cancel on Google Play

Open the Google Play Store app on your Android device.
Tap your profile icon (top-right corner).
Select Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions.
Find the subscription you want to cancel and tap it.
Tap Cancel subscription.
Follow the on-screen instructions to confirm.

Cancel on iOS

Open the Settings app.
Tap your Apple ID name at the top.
Select Subscriptions.
Find the subscription you want to cancel and tap it.
Tap Cancel Subscription (or Cancel Free Trial).
Confirm your cancellation.

Important notes:

If you uninstall the app without cancelling, the subscription will still be active.
If you don’t see the subscription, make sure you’re signed in with the same account you used to purchase it.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

I paid for a Premium subscription but I can’t access it

iOS: Please try tapping the Restore option on the bottom of the Upgrade screen. This is so the app can recognise your purchase.

Android: Google can sometimes find it difficult to read the purchases when there are multiple accounts signed in. To check if the issue is unrelated to multiple email accounts, please go to the Google Play store and then tap your avatar in the upper right hand corner of the screen. If there is an arrow next to your name, please tap on this to see if you have multiple accounts connected. If you do, please temporarily disconnect the additional emails to help Sleepwave recognise your purchase. Once your app has successfully recognised your purchase, you can reconnect the additional accounts.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I get a refund?

iOS: Unfortunately, Apple does not give developers access to billing information, therefore we cannot issue refunds directly for iOS purchases. You can request a refund direct from Apple using the information in this link: https://support.apple.com/HT204084

Android: To obtain a refund please go to the Google Play store and then tap your profile icon in the upper right hand corner of the screen. From here Tap ‘Help and feedback’ then follow the instructions for ‘Request a refund on Google Play’.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

How do I change the email address associated with my purchase?

Purchases of Sleepwave Premium are linked to a specific email address and unfortunately this cannot be changed from our side. Please contact Apple or Google for further assistance to change your email address associated with your subscription.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Why do I have to pay for premium features?

We pride ourselves on offering a great free version of the app, but like many apps our premium features come at a cost which funds the dedicated team that works on Sleepwave.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Troubleshooting

My alarm didn’t sound in the morning

There are some things on your phone that can sometimes interrupt Sleepwave unexpectedly. The app is better equipped to deal with any interruptions if the screen is left unlocked. Please ensure Sleepwave is open in the foreground without locking the screen. Additionally, please ensure you do not have any other apps running that could interfere, or any devices connected or trying to connect with your phone such as bluetooth, headphones or hearing aids.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Sleepwave crashes everytime I try to open it

If your Sleepwave app is stuck on the splash screen or crashes every time you tap on the app on the home screen, try the following:

iOS: Check you are on the latest iOS by navigating to system settings, select General and then Software Update. Here, if available you will be able to update your device.
Android: Check you are on the latest software by navigating to Settings > System > System update (or similar, depending on your device) and follow the on-screen instructions
Check that you are on the latest version of Sleepwave. To do so, go to the App/Google Play Store and search for SnoreLab, here tap the update button to ensure that you are on the latest version of the app.
Restart your device

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Privacy

What user data is collected?

Sleepwave does not collect any personal data. We don’t need to know your email address, age, gender or anything about you. To help us improve our algorithms, when you use Sleepwave we collect a fully-anonymised spreadsheet of the app’s key technological data. This cannot be used to identify you or anything about you.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Does Sleepwave collect audio recordings?

No. Sleepwave uses your phone’s microphone to detect movement and display audio recordings but no audio data leaves your phone. All the sleep analysis happens on your device with no internet connection required.

If you have additional questions, get in touch at support@sleepwave.com

Introduction

How to use the app

Understanding your results

Subscriptions and billing

Troubleshooting

Privacy

Try Sleepwave For Free

Try Sleepwave For Free