FAQ

Everything you need to know.

Answers to the most common questions about how Drown works, what it does with your audio, and how to get the most out of it.

What makes Drown different from a white noise app?

White noise apps play continuous sound for 8+ hours whether you need it or not. Drown takes the opposite approach: complete silence is the default. It only plays masking sound the instant a genuine noise disturbance is detected (a neighbor slamming a door, bass through the wall, a truck outside) and fades back to silence as soon as the noise stops. Most nights, the shield activates for less than 10% of your total sleep time. The rest is pure silence.

Does Drown record my audio?

Absolutely not. Audio is processed in real-time in your phone's volatile memory (RAM) at a rate of 44,100 samples per second and immediately discarded after analysis. Nothing is written to disk, nothing is uploaded, nothing is stored, nothing is sent anywhere. There is no server. There is no cloud. We physically cannot access, hear, or replay anything from your room. Ever. Read our Privacy Policy for the full technical breakdown.

Won't my own breathing trigger the shield?

No. Drown uses frequency-weighted analysis inspired by how sound travels through walls. Low frequencies (bass, footsteps, door slams) in the 30–500 Hz range are amplified 2.5× during detection because these are the sounds that pass through walls and wake people up. High frequencies above 2000 Hz (breathing, sheets rustling, phone notifications) are suppressed to just 0.3×. meaning your breathing would need to be absurdly loud to even register. On top of that, a secondary raw-volume layer catches genuinely loud sounds at any frequency, so TV or shouting won't slip through.

How fast does the shield react?

From noise detection to masking sound playing: under 200 milliseconds. For reference, a human blink takes about 300–400 ms. The shield activates before your brain has time to fully process the disturbance, which is the entire point. you stay asleep because your auditory system never gets the chance to escalate the noise into a wake-up signal. The masking sound then fades in smoothly over 1.5 seconds to avoid startling you.

What are Smart Masks? How are they different from the main shield?

The default "All Noise" shield reacts to any sound above your threshold. Smart Masks go further: they use on-device Machine Learning models running on your iPhone's Neural Engine to identify specific sound types. Meow Mask only reacts to cat vocalizations while ignoring everything else. Snore Mask only reacts to rhythmic snoring patterns from a partner. This means if you use Meow Mask, a door slam won't trigger the shield, only your cat will. No audio leaves your phone; all ML inference happens locally.

Which masking sound should I use?

Brown Noise. Deep, low-frequency rumble. Best for wall-transmitted noise: neighbor bass, footsteps, construction, doors. Pink Noise. Smooth and balanced across all frequencies. Best for voices, TV audio, and mixed noise. White Noise. Sharp and static. Best for high-pitched sounds like sirens, constant chatter, and mechanical noise. Rain. Natural rain with organic modulation. Best for light disturbances, gentle snoring, or if synthetic noise feels unnatural to you. You can switch freely between them in the app. experiment for a night and check your morning report to see which kept you most protected.

What about fire alarms, smoke detectors, or my phone alarm?

Drown only masks nuisance noise. the kind that disrupts sleep without requiring your attention. It does not create a soundproof barrier around you. Critical alert sounds like smoke detectors, fire alarms, CO alarms, baby crying, and your morning phone alarm will still reach you. Drown is a comfort and wellness tool, not a safety device. Always maintain working smoke and CO detectors in your home.

Does it drain my battery overnight?

Drown uses Apple's efficient Core Audio pipeline, which is hardware-optimized for continuous low-power audio processing. When the shield is inactive (which is most of the night), power consumption is minimal. When masking sound is playing, it's comparable to playing any audio app. We strongly recommend plugging in your phone for overnight sessions, not because Drown is power-hungry, but because 7–9 hours of any background process will consume meaningful battery regardless.

What's the tracking delay?

When you start a session, you're probably still getting comfortable: adjusting pillows, turning off the lamp, rolling over. These movements would trigger the shield unnecessarily. The tracking delay (1, 5, 15, or 30 minutes) pauses detection so Drown waits until you've settled in. Once the delay ends, it calibrates your room and begins protection. Set it from the timer icon on the home screen.

Where should I put my phone?

On the nightstand, screen facing down, plugged in. The microphone works best when it has a clear path to the room's ambient sound. Don't put it under a pillow. this blocks the microphone and can cause overheating. Don't put it across the room. it needs to hear what's near you with enough sensitivity to detect subtle noise spikes.

Do I need an account?

No. Drown has no login, no sign-up, no account system. You download it, open it, and it works. Premium subscriptions are handled entirely through Apple's App Store. we never see your payment information. All your data (session history, settings, reports) is stored locally on your device and never synced to any server.

Is Drown a medical device?

No. Drown is designed as a sleep comfort tool. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any medical condition, including sleep disorders. Research on reactive sound masking shows it can reduce noise-induced awakenings, but individual results vary. If you have persistent sleep problems, we encourage you to consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Still have questions?