Focus · Sleep · Nature sounds
Focus and rest, in balance.
Still plays calm, layered soundscapes that loop without a seam. Pick a mode, tap Play, and let it run, even with the screen off.
Designed to help you focus. Five modes, no account needed.
Auto
Live preview of the art. Sound plays in the app.
Five modes
One screen. Pick what you need right now.
Each mode has its own slow line-art scene on black. It moves gently while paused and comes alive when the sound plays.
How it sounds
Sound in layers, so it never feels like a loop.
Every scene is built from separate layers that start together and fade in over 1.5 seconds. Change the scenario and the old sound fades out while the new one fades in.
Music
51 s loopA warm, steady bed in the key of C with a slow breathing swell. No drums, no melody, no vocals.
Soft noise
mixed inDark brown and pink noise under the music to cover the room around you.
Binaural beat
60 s loopAn optional layer you can switch off at any time. It fades on its own without touching the music.
The music repeats every 51 seconds and the beat every 60, so the two only line up again after 17 minutes.
The beat behind each scenario
Your left ear hears 130.8 Hz (the note C3). Your right ear hears the same note plus the beat.
| Beat | Band | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| 40 Hz | Gamma | Deep work, Afternoon |
| 18 Hz | Beta | Coding |
| 16 Hz | Beta | Study, Morning |
| 10 Hz | Alpha | Reading, Creative, Evening |
| 6 Hz | Theta | Power nap |
| 2 Hz | Delta | Wind down, Deep sleep, Night |
The science
Designed around how the brain listens.
I read the research before I designed the sound. Some of it shaped the app, and some of it taught me what not to promise.
Five brain rhythms
EEG research groups brain rhythms into bands. Each strip is one second of that rhythm, at the frequency Still uses for it, slowed so you can follow it.
-
2 Hz
Delta
1 to 4 HzDeep sleep
-
6 Hz
Theta
4 to 8 HzDrowsiness
-
10 Hz
Alpha
8 to 12 HzRelaxed wakefulness
-
18 Hz
Beta
13 to 30 HzActive focus
-
40 Hz
Gamma
Above 30 HzFast rhythms
The binaural beat
Play 130.8 Hz in the left ear and 140.8 Hz in the right. Neither ear hears a pulse, but the brain perceives a third tone that swells and fades 10 times a second, the difference between the two. It is made inside the auditory system, which is why it needs headphones.
What the evidence says
Mixed, so we promise nothing.
A 2019 meta-analysis of binaural-beat studies (22 studies, 35 effect sizes) found a medium average effect on cognition, anxiety and pain perception. The effect depended on the frequency, how long people listened and when, and other researchers have not replicated some findings.
Sounds timed to the slow oscillations of deep sleep have strengthened them and improved memory in the lab, but that system watches the sleeper's EEG in real time. A phone app cannot do that, so Still borrows the idea and makes no such claim.
So the beat is a reasonable thing to offer, not a thing to promise.
- Garcia-Argibay, Santed and Reales (2019). Efficacy of binaural auditory beats in cognition, anxiety, and pain perception: a meta-analysis. Psychological Research, 83, 357 to 372.
- Ngo, Martinetz, Born and Mölle (2013). Auditory closed-loop stimulation of the sleep slow oscillation enhances memory. Neuron, 78, 545 to 553.
The beat is a layer
It has its own switch and a "best with headphones" hint. The music works without it.
Off by default for sleep
Many people sleep without headphones, so the beat starts on in Focus and off in Sleep.
Designed to help
Never "proven", "treats" or "improves". Results vary, and Still is not a medical device.
Masking is a mode
Steady sound covers sudden noises whatever the theory says, so rain and soft noise are full modes.
Nature mixer
Build your own place.
Choose up to four sounds from the natural world and set each one's volume with a pill you drag up or down. Try it here.
Made to stay out of your way
Start it, then forget it's there.
Loops without a seam
Every loop is built so its end meets its start. No gap, no click, no fade dip.
Keeps playing
Lock your phone and the sound carries on, with play and pause on the lock screen.
Sleep timer
Pick a length in minutes. The sound fades out over the last 30 seconds, then stops.
Remembers your setup
Your last mode, scenario, nature mix and beat setting are there when you come back.
Put Still
on your phone.
The Android APK installs outside Google Play. Your phone may ask you to allow installs from your browser first.
Questions
Good to know.
Do I need headphones?
No. The music and nature sounds work on any speaker. The binaural beat only works with headphones, because each ear needs to hear a slightly different note. You can switch the beat off.
Does it keep playing when my screen is off?
Yes. Still keeps playing in the background with the screen locked, and you can pause it from the lock screen. It pauses for phone calls and picks up again afterwards if it was playing.
How does Auto choose what to play?
Auto follows your clock. Morning runs from 5:00 to 10:59, Afternoon from 11:00 to 16:59, Evening from 17:00 to 20:59, and Night covers the rest. Tap another part of the day to hear it now.
How do I install the Android APK?
Tap Download APK, open the file when it finishes, and allow your browser to install apps if Android asks. Then open Still from your home screen.
Is it safe to fall asleep with headphones on?
Keep the volume low when you use headphones in bed, and set the sleep timer so the sound fades out on its own.