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SleepBot
Developer(s)SleepBot LLC
Final release
Android
3.2.8 (16 December 2013; 11 years ago (2013-12-16)[1])
iOS
1.3 (11 April 2016; 9 years ago (2016-04-11)[2])
Operating systemAndroid, iOS
Available inMultilingual
LicenseFreeware
Websitemysleepbot.com

SleepBot was 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.

A member of the development team has written that SleepBot development has ceased.[1] This means that, in all likelihood, no new features will ever be added, and most of SleepBot's software bugs will never be fixed.[citation needed] 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.[2]

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

The Android version of SleepBot has been removed from the Google Play store, but it is still available from elsewhere; see the "Availability" section below.

Availability

SleepBot 3.2.8 for Android is no longer available from the Google Play store. https://play.google.com/store/apps

Sleepbot 1.3 for iOS is no longer available in the app store https://www.apple.com/ios/app-store/.

Features

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

  • SleepBot claims to estimate how much sleep debt the user has incurred.[3]
  • 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.[dubious – discuss]
  • SleepBot includes alarm-clock functionality.

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.

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.[4]

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.[5]

See also: Doze (software)

SleepBot LLC

In June 2011, SleepBot LLC was formed by Edison Wang and Jane Zhu. (Daniel Amitay was later added to the team to work on the iOS app.) SleepBot LLC 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.

Competitiors

Competitors include:

Sleep as Android costs a small amount of money, but is better-maintained than SleepBot, claims to be more featureful, and is available in the Google Play store.[dubious – discuss] 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".[7] 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.

See also

References

  1. ^ Zhu, Jane. "SleepBot". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  2. ^ "SleepBot - Smart Cycle Alarm with Motion & Sound Tracker". App Store website. Apple Inc. Retrieved 13 July 2016. What's new in version 1.3: Bug fixes for iOS 9.3.
  3. ^ Based on: Tsukayama, Hayley (23 September 2014). "Sleep-tracking apps: Do they work?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  4. ^ "SleepBot » Reviews". Android Apps on Google Play. Google Inc. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  5. ^ user2788108. "SleepBot includes a "smart alarm" feature which has been failing on Android 6.x "Marshmallow" due to "Doze" mode. What's the workaround?". Android Enthusiasts Stack Exchange. Stack Exchange, Inc. Retrieved 9 August 2016. {{cite web}}: |last1= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Christopher Winter (neurologist) (February 2014). "Personal Sleep Monitors: Do They Work?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 4 May 2015.
  7. ^ Miller, Claire Cain (10 March 2014). "Collecting Data on a Good Night's Sleep". The New York Times Company. Retrieved 13 July 2016. Based on information provided by Monica Rogati, vice president of data for Jawbone.

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=SleepBot&oldid=1070513909"