Show HN: I built a simple ambient sound app with no ads or subscriptions

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Ad-free ambient app reception

  • Many commenters praise a simple, free, ad‑free ambient sound app, contrasting it with noisy, subscription- and ad-heavy competitors.
  • People report immediately uninstalling existing apps and replacing them with this one; use cases include sleep while traveling, blocking noisy neighbors, kids’ sleep, and focused work.
  • The clean UI, background playback, and mixing capabilities get specific compliments; some say this recalls the “early App Store” era before aggressive monetization.
  • Several note that such an app can significantly improve quality of life for people with tinnitus, sleep issues, or general stress.

Sound quality and feature requests

  • Seamless looping is highlighted as crucial; the author confirms most effort went into eliminating gaps and clicks.
  • Requests include:
    • More granular and customizable sleep timers plus fade-out instead of abrupt stops.
    • Equalizer / more bass (e.g., for brown noise) and ability to save presets.
    • Longer and more varied thunder, more fire sounds, and “public space” murmur without startle noises.
    • Ability to add local MP3/own loops, and to play white noise on a separate audio track so it can overlay music.
    • HomePod support, binaural beats, an “About” page, and better support for accessibility settings.
  • Some users ask about sound sources; responses mention curated free libraries (Pixabay, etc.), with others suggesting Radio Aporee, freesound.org, and similar archives.

Comparison with built-in iOS and other tools

  • Multiple comments point out iOS/macOS “Background Sounds” (Accessibility → Audio & Visual), which provide basic rain/white noise but no mixing and limited controls.
  • Others recommend alternative apps and sites: myNoise, Atmosphere, ChromaDoze, Naturespace, Iceland White, rain.today, and various web-based generators.
  • A few argue you can just loop clips in a generic player or use YouTube/CLI tools, while others value curated sounds and UX.

App Store economics and platform constraints

  • Several developers lament Apple’s $99/year fee and required Mac hardware, saying this discourages hobbyist free apps and experimentation.
  • Search and ranking on the App Store are criticized for favoring spammy, monetized apps; even searching exact names may not surface the app first.
  • One dev shares killing a free calculator app due to fees and poor discoverability.
  • Some suggest PWAs or web apps as a way around Apple’s costs and restrictions.

Android / web versions and entitlement debate

  • Many ask for Android or GrapheneOS support, or a PWA; others push back, calling it entitled to expect a hobbyist to port a free iOS app to another platform.
  • Counterarguments say expressing preferences is fine and that cross-platform tools could increase impact; a meta-discussion emerges about how far it’s reasonable to “request more” from unpaid side projects.

Privacy, simplicity, and non-app alternatives

  • Commenters appreciate that the app collects no data and stays minimal.
  • Some prefer hardware noise generators (e.g., LectroFan) for their simplicity, lack of screens, and non-looped analog-like output, and use phone-based noise only when traveling.