What Lullable actually does

What is Lullable?

Lullable is an iPhone app of long-form sleep stories for adults: 51 true, gently fascinating pieces — a Roman bathhouse at closing time, the life of a redwood, the rings of Saturn — read slowly and flatly in a synthesised voice, and engineered so you fall asleep partway through. It is on the App Store, free to download.

Do the stories fade out on their own?

Yes. A sleep timer set to 15, 30, 45 or 60 minutes ends in a ten-second ramp down to silence rather than a hard stop. Every recording also ends that way on its own: the last thirty seconds of every story fade out. There is nothing to switch off.

Do I have to choose a story?

No. The first screen is Tonight, and it holds one story already chosen for you, with one Play button. No feed, no library to browse with a phone six inches from your face. The full library is there if you want it, but it is the second screen, not the first.

How long are the stories?

Between 20 and 41 minutes. Most run about 40 — long enough that you are not expected to reach the end, which is the point.

What are the stories about?

Four categories: Ancient Worlds, Cosmic Journeys, Gentle Nature and Cozy Tales. All of it is true material rather than fiction, told in order, with the ending given away in the first line so there is never a reason to stay awake for it.

Are there ads?

No. Lullable has no advertising in it, and no version of this business has one — a mid-roll at 3am wakes the person it is sold to.

Does it keep playing when the screen locks?

Yes. Background and lock-screen playback, with the transport on the lock screen. Put the phone face down and leave it.

Where does it start again the next night?

A minute before you lost the thread — not at the point the audio stopped, which is always later than the point you stopped hearing it.

Is there a streak, a score or a sleep graph?

None of the three. The morning screen shows the last line you heard and the time you stopped listening. That is all it knows and all it claims. There is no number to improve on and nothing to keep up.

Who reads the stories?

A synthesised voice, not a person. The narration is text-to-speech, in male and female voices, each with a persona name: David from Oxford, Amy from Greenwich, Arthur from Ludlow, Brian from St Ives, Niamh from Kinsale, Patrick from Block Island. Every one reads flat and warm, removing emphasis rather than adding it, and gets quieter across the episode. How it is made.

What does it cost?

Free to download, with five stories free to listen to in full, among them Aristotle, the Greatest Philosopher, at 33 minutes. The rest of the catalogue needs Lullable Premium, which is $2.99 a month or $19.99 a year on the US App Store today. Apple sets the price in each country and it can change, so the listing is the figure that counts.

Is there an Android version?

Yes. Lullable is on Google Play for Android phones, with the same stories and the same Premium.

Is Lullable a medical device or a treatment for insomnia?

No, and it does not claim to be. It is audio designed for people whose minds will not stand down at night. If you have clinical insomnia, see a doctor.