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SleepBot

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Developer(s)
  
SleepBot LLC

Operating system
  
Android, iOS

License
  
Freeware

Development status
  
Unknown

Available in
  
Multilingual

SleepBot

Last release
  
Android 3.2.8 (16 December 2013; 3 years ago (2013-12-16)[1]) iOS 1.3 (11 April 2016; 11 months ago (2016-04-11)[2])

SleepBot is a mobile app and Web application. SleepBot includes a "smart alarm" feature, debt estimation, sleep tracking, and other features. The mobile version works with Android and iOS smartphones and tablets; the Web version works on any modern computer.

Contents

SleepBot is still available at no charge. A member of the development team has written that SleepBot development has ceased. This means that, in all likelihood, no new features will ever be added, and most of SleepBot's software bugs will never be fixed. No new SleepBot releases were made in 2014 or 2015. A bug-fix release, SleepBot 1.3 for iOS, was released in April 2016, in order to improve SleepBot's compatibility with iOS 9.3.

SleepBot has problems on Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" and above, but a simple workaround exists; see below.

Features

SleepBot includes two main features: debt estimation and "smart alarms".

  • SleepBot can estimate how much sleep debt the user has incurred.
  • Modern devices running Android and iOS include built-in microphones and accelerometers. SleepBot's "smart alarm" feature is designed to attempt to wake the user during non-REM sleep. This does not prevent sleep debt or prevent the user from experiencing any of the mental and physical side effects of sleep deprivation, but it may help to prevent early-morning grogginess and sleep inertia.

    • SleepBot also includes a variety of minor features, including sound recording, motion graphing, gentle alarms, sleep trend graphs, bedtime reminders, and others.

  • If the app's "record sound" and "track motion" features are enabled, SleepBot will use a device's microphone and accelerometer (if available) to record noise and movement while the user sleeps. Upon arising, the user may view sound and movement graphs, and may tap on certain parts of the sound graph to hear snippets of sound.
  • Sleep trend graphs show what time the user went to sleep, what time the user woke up, how many hours the user slept, and other data.
  • The app's "smart alarms" can be configured to ring gently. Gentle alarms start out quietly and take five minutes to ramp up to full volume.
  • At night, SleepBot can silence a device, disable Wi-Fi, and enable airplane mode. These three features, when used together, will prevent a device from receiving calls, text messages, and other notifications.
  • If properly configured, the app can provide bedtime reminders every night, to remind the user to go to bed.
  • The app and the SleepBot website each include a "Resources" section with advice regarding sleep and insomnia.
  • Other even-more minor features will not be described in this article.

    • Reception

    The Google Play digital distribution platform allows consumers to submit app reviews and ratings. The reviewers there are mostly grateful for SleepBot's features, but a fair number do complain about significant unresolved software bugs.

    In Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" and above

    Some of the Google Play reviewers complain about problems with SleepBot's smart alarms ringing on time, or about problems with SleepBot's snooze function. It appears that these problems are related to the "Doze" feature included in Android 6.0 "Marshmallow" and later Android versions.

    The workaround for SleepBot's alarm problems is to exempt SleepBot from "Doze" mode.

    SleepBot LLC

    In June 2011, SleepBot LLC was formed by Edison Wang and Jane Zhu, and Daniel Amitay. This was a limited liability company registered in Delaware. In October 2013, the company was granted "foreign" (out-of-state) company status in New York state, so that it could conduct business there as well.

    Competitors

    Competitors include:

  • ElectricSleep: free and open-source software for Android only.
  • Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock: proprietary commercial software for Android and iOS.
  • Sleep as Android: trialware for Android only.
  • Basis health tracker: a hardware-software combination for Android and iOS.
  • And other apps and activity trackers.

    • Sleep as Android costs a small amount of money, but is better-maintained than SleepBot, more featureful, and has a better rating in the Google Play store. For US$20-$30, it's possible to buy a low-end activity tracker which can also track sleep. However, an activity tracker with a "smart alarm" feature may cost much more.

    One of the features missing from SleepBot is a "goals" feature. Sleep as Android, as well as some activity trackers, include a "goals" feature which allows users to set sleep goals. Claire Cain Miller writes that, among Jawbone activity-tracker owners who have used the feature, "72 percent have been going to bed early enough to achieve their goals, and they have been 26 percent more likely to get seven to eight hours of sleep than those who have not set goals". It is not known whether the "goals" feature caused the users to sleep more, or whether those who sleep more tend to be the kinds of people who tend to set goals.

    References

    SleepBot Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA