No data or recordings overnight?

‼️ Check the AutoSnore Launch!

Always make sure after tapping the "Start" button, try pause for 5 seconds and watch the little "zzz" float up the screen as the recording initialises. The "Stop" button will show and you will notice a little orange dot stays visible at the top of your iPhone, indicating the microphone is recording. This indicates AutoSnore has successfully turned on.

However, if you pressed the "Start" button and the AutoSnore screen closed by itself, this indicates a conflict with the microphone and this may have crashed the app, which means you may wake up to no data. 

Ignore the activity timer running at the top of the screen, this is controlled by the iPhone and does not mean the recording has started if the app crashed. You can close this timer by swiping it clear from the iPhone lock screen.

If the a crash occurred, you can usually just open AutoSnore again and it will work as expected, otherwise try rebooting the iPhone to clear any background services and you should be ok to re-start.

If you are certain it is not the above — missing data is most likely caused by one of the 3 reasons below.

1️⃣ Another app or device interrupted the microphone

Apple does not allow the microphone to be shared between apps or devices. If another app or connected device accesses the microphone, AutoSnore won’t be able to record.

What to check:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone → Privacy & Security → Microphone

2. Turn OFF microphone access for apps you don’t need overnight

3. Make sure AutoSnore is ON

2️⃣ Another app is running silent audio overnight

Some third-party apps — including sleep trackers (eg. sleep cycle app), alarm apps (eg. alarmy app), or sound/music apps (eg. better sleep app) — play a silent audio file in the background to keep themselves active. Most users aren’t aware this is happening, but it prevents AutoSnore from accessing the microphone.

Common examples include sleep tracking, alarm, or background music apps.

What to do:

• If you must use these apps, open AutoSnore → Options → Configure

• Make sure Audio Playback is set to "Detection On"
  
  

3️⃣ Audio (music or podcasts) played all night

If you listen to music or podcasts at bedtime and have Audio Playback set to "Detection Paused" in AutoSnore configuration, the app will wait until audio stops before starting snore detection.

However if the audio plays all night, AutoSnore never gets a chance to record.

Important:
This can also happen if another app is playing silent audio in the background (see reason #2).

Best practice:

• If you’re not 100% sure all audio stops overnight, go to AutoSnore → Options → Configure

• Set Audio Playback to "Detection On"

Some of the other common issues that can impact the recording include:

• If you are using Screen Time, this may be turning on automatically which may cancel the recording.

• If using AirPods at bedtime, try connect and start the audio before you press the "Start" button on AutoSnore. This helps cut down on the background complexities that the iPhone does to handle multiple microphone permissions.

• While AutoSnore does work with other audio devices, the best option is to disconnect other audio devices like bluetooth headphones and speakers before bed if possible.

• Social apps like instagram or facebook can over-ride the audio settings of AutoSnore if opened, try ensure you do not use your iPhone once you hit the Start button.

• Do not use "Low Power Mode" as it will impact the microphone. It reduces the microphone sensitivity making snore detection pointless. Make sure the device is on charge with no power saving options enabled.

• Make sure when you start AutoSnore, you will see a little orange dot  🟠 appear at the top of the screen, this indicates that the recording process has started. If you don't see the dot appear, it is not recording and the app does not have microphone permission (see reason #1 above).

• When you start AutoSnore, ensure the app remains open (do not force close it), just let the iPhone turn off automatically. It is fine to turn on Sleep Focus and Do Not Disturb. The safest option is to leave the iPhone alone during the sleep session after you press "Start".

Live activity timer still running

This is the little timer that shows at the top of the screen in the dynamic island. If the Live Activity Tracker is still running but the AutoSnore session is not, this is because the Live Activity is controlled by the iPhone, not the app. To close it, you can swipe it away to clear from the lock screen on your iPhone.

----- 💤 -----

Can I use sleep tracking apps during the night?

This depends on the app.

Popular sleep apps like AutoSleep and the native Apple Sleep app are perfectly fine to use, as they do not play audio or record sounds.

However, apps like sleep cycle, alarmy and better sleep play a silent audio file in the background to keep themselves active. Most users aren’t aware this is happening, but it prevents AutoSnore from accessing the microphone.

If you must use these apps, open AutoSnore → Options → Configure. Make sure Audio Playback is set to OFF.

----- 💤 -----

Why no Watch app?

Put simply, the Apple Watch does not have close to the microphone power required to record and analyze the sleep sounds. This is where the iPhone microphone is needed, as it can listen and process the recordings while you sleep. We will look at other Apple Watch options in the future.

----- 💤 -----

Sounds marked as snoring, but are not snores

AutoSnore uses Machine Learning models to classify sounds into snoring, it is very accurate. However it may sometimes incorrectly classify a snore. In the Configuration settings, you can adjust the snore detection from Wide to Strict detection. Refer to the How it Works page for more information.

At present you cannot edit an individual sound bite, but we have this on the development list to look into for future updates.

----- 💤 -----

What about fans or background white noise?

Snoring metrics will still work well, but keep in mind that the disturbances metric will be less accurate if you have a fan going or listening to white noise in the background. 

----- 💤 -----

Can I delete the night's recording?

Yes, you can remove a nights recorded data within the app.

Tap the Insights tab and go into "Review your history". Using the graph tap on the day you wish to remove. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select "Delete this entry". Once you confirm the delete, you cannot recover this data, so use carefully.

----- 💤 -----

Can I edit an individual sound bite?

Not at the moment, but we have it on the list to look into this feature, to enable more flexibility with individual sound bites. More to come on this one.

----- 💤 -----

What about my partner snoring too?

AutoSnore will pick up all sounds in the room, it will not distinguish another person's snoring. If you have another snorer in the room, there are a couple key things to do:

1. Phone placement on the side of the bed is important, as it will be targeting the person it is closer to.

2. Ensure the volume threshold is set to an appropriate level. The default threshold % will block out the majority of the other persons snores, but you can alter the threshold by going into the Options tab and Configure my AutoSnore.

3. Change the detection mode from "Wide" to "Strict". This is found in the Options tab under Configure my AutoSnore.

This all depends of course on the volume of the other snorer. We have this on the list to investigate partner snoring options more with future updates.

----- 💤 -----

Can I record during naps?

Naps are not supported in the current version, as the trends for comparing works best night to night, using your main sleep session. But we will listen to customer requests to see if this is a need for nap tracking in future versions. 

----- 💤 -----

Can I use family sharing? 

Yes! AutoSnore does have family sharing, so if you have family sharing applied, be sure to share the app with your family members for free. You can then both record at night and compare in the morning to see who snores more or less.

Why can I hear audio playback?

AutoSnore will use the microphone to detect all sounds in the room. So if you have music or podcasts playing on the iPhone speaker while AutoSnore is running, it will record these and classify as non-snores.

However, you can tell AutoSnore to start recording after the audio stops. Good for those who like to drift off to music playing, or listen to a relaxing podcast. This is only for audio playing through the iPhone.

Note: If using AirPods or headphones, you do not require this setting, it is only for sound being played through the iPhone main speaker.

Go into the Options tab and 'Configure my AutoSnore'. Under the section Audio Playback, a switch setting allows you to "pause" snore recording while audio is playing. AutoSnore will start recording automatically when the "play" stops, you don't have to do anything and can drift off to sleep.

IMPORTANT: remember that AutoSnore can only start once the audio stops, if it runs all night, no data will be recorded. Some other third-party apps like sleep trackers and alarms run a silent audio file all night long (you will not even realise it is doing this), so if using these apps, DO NOT turn set this to Pause as no data will be recorded.

----- 💤 -----

Can I use AirPods to listen to audio?

Yes, support for listening to music on AirPods or on the iPhone has been added.

Note that the iPhone does a lot of switching of system permissions when AirPods are connected or disconnected, so AutoSnore is programmed to handle all these backend changes as best it can.

However, we do recommend the best way is to connect the AirPods first before starting AutoSnore. This reduces some of the complexities that the iPhone is trying to handle with multiple apps requiring microphone permissions.

----- 💤 -----

Can I listen to music on my iPhone?

For anyone who listens to music or podcasts on their iPhone speaker at bedtime, you can tell AutoSnore to start recording after the audio stops.

Note: If using AirPods or headphones, you do not require this setting, it is only for sound being played through the iPhone main speaker.

Go into the Options tab and 'Configure my AutoSnore'. Under the section Audio Playback, a switch setting allows you to "pause" snore recording while audio is playing. AutoSnore will start recording automatically when the "play" stops, you don't have to do anything and can drift off to sleep.

IMPORTANT: remember that AutoSnore can only start once the audio stops, if it runs all night, no data will be recorded. Some other third-party apps like sleep trackers and alarms run a silent audio file all night long (you will not even realise it is doing this), so if using these apps, DO NOT turn set this to Pause as no data will be recorded.

How much iPhone storage is needed?

AutoSnore lets you store between 7 to 28 days of audio. 1 days audio is roughly 50MB, about the size of storing 10 photos on your iPhone. This can be set in the Options tab under 'Configure my AutoSnore'.

As a guide, 7 days will use about 350MB, while 28 days will use 1400MB (1.4GB).

We recommend using 28 days, as most phones will easily store this amount of data. Anything beyond the set days will be automatically removed to ensure the volume of storage stays consistent.

----- 💤 -----

How do I reduce or increase my audio storage? 

This can be set in the Options tab under 'Configure my AutoSnore'.

Important: if you reduce the days storage, it will lose that data on changing. For example, if you change from 28 days to 7 days, it will delete all the sounds bites greater than 7 days in age (apart from those marked as greatest hits). So be careful when reducing the storage days.

----- 💤 -----

What about my sound bites saved as greatest hits?

If you have flagged specific sound bites as part of your greatest hits, these will always be kept unless you manually delete each one. These sound bites are seperate from the normal days kept as explained above.

----- 💤 -----

Can I backup my recording history?

No, this is currently not an option, as 100% privacy is critical for the app. The audio will be available on only the device it is originally installed and recorded. AutoSnore is total privacy, we do not send or store your sound data to any external servers, not even iCloud.

----- 💤 -----

Can I use multiple iPhones?

You may install AutoSnore on seperate devices, but the recordings will not be shared between devices. You can only see the recordings that were taken on the device used at night.

AutoSnore will be free to download and use on another iPhone, provided you use the same Apple ID, as the App Store remembers your purchase history.

Remember that you can also use family sharing to share the app for free with family members.

----- 💤 -----

What happens if I change iPhones?

If you upgrade or replace to a different iPhone, make sure you use the "Transfer Data Directly From Previous Device" option. This will transfer your data to the new iPhone.

If you use the iCloud transfer option this will not keep the data.

Here is the official Apple support link for data transfer to a new iPhone.

----- 💤 -----

I used iCloud backup to restore my iPhone

If you used iCloud backup while restoring or changing iPhone, you will not be able to access the older files on the device. The data will be deleted.

AutoSnore is total privacy, we do not send or store your sound data to any external servers, not even iCloud.

Should you lose your data in the event of a backup, note that AutoSnore uses the past 28 days, so you can easily start to compile your history again.

----- 💤 -----

Can I export my sound bites?

You can select individual sound bites to share or save, but there is no bulk export function.

When listening to the sound bite, tap the little 'export' icon and you will see the option "Share this sound bite with someone". This allows you to save, email or message the audio file.

----- 💤 -----

What happens if I run out of storage?

Your iPhone should warn you when you are about to run out of storage, or if your storage has reached capacity. To check, here is the Apple support link on managing your storage.

AutoSnore will not be able to record any data if you have very limited or no storage. You will need to make room by removing files using the process in the link above.

----- 💤 -----

Can I use my iCloud storage?

No. AutoSnore is 100% privacy. We do not offer iCloud storage to ensure this privacy. It will only use the on device storage.

----- 💤 -----

Does my sleep duration go to Apple Health?

We have not added this to keep things nice and simple.

For users wanting to track sleep with an Apple Watch, we suggest using our AutoSleep app or the Apple Sleep app to monitor.

Positioning the iPhone

The ideal location is to place your iPhone on a nightstand or bedside table, on a stable, flat surface near your bed.

Try to have your iPhone within arm's reach (about 30 cm / 1 foot from your head), to let it pick up your snoring sounds clearly. If you sleep on one side of the bed, try to place the iPhone on that side.

Importantly, be consistent with the placement. For reliable data and to track trends in your snoring, try to place your iPhone in the same location each night.

----- 💤 -----

Place iPhone face up or face down?

The iPhone can be face up, down, sideways or even standing. 

The iPhone has extremely good microphones. One microphone is at the bottom near where you talk, and the other at the front above the screen. We have tested all scenarios extensively and each is fine, but placing the iPhone closer on the bedside table facing up or standing up we have found to be the best.

The most important thing is consistency with placement. If you place face down, continue with placing face down in the same position so that you can compare trends over time.

----- 💤 -----

Using a charger

It is highly recommended to connect a cable charger, or a use a magnetic charger at your bedside. Refer to the section below on battery use for more information.

----- 💤 -----

What about my iPhone case?

Cases for iPhones today are generally built very well and allow space for the microphones, so there is no need to remove your case. However, it is best to inspect your case to make sure, as this could impact the recording if covered.

----- 💤 -----

Where are the iPhone microphones?

Most newer iPhones have 3 microphones (see image below). AutoSnore will use all these microphones to get the best possible audio available.

1. Bottom: The main microphone on your iPhone is located at the bottom, to the right of the charge connector. This microphone is used for regular phone calls and FaceTime calls.

2. Front: Another microphone is hidden at the top of the screen, near the earpiece speaker. This microphone is primarily used for FaceTime video calls, front camera video recording, and when using Siri.

3. Rear: Located on the back of the phone, near the camera lenses, is another microphone. This one is mainly used for noise cancellation during phone calls and video recordings, improving audio quality by reducing background noise.

Starting the recording

You press the "Start" button in AutoSnore when you are about to go to sleep. This will activate the microphone, as shown by a little orange dot at the top of the iPhone. Put the iPhone on a charger and let the screen turn off automatically.

Don't worry if you start this early and you end up reading a book or getting back up out of bed. AutoSnore will be listening for snores and sleep sounds, so it will just continue running in the background until you press "Stop" in the morning.

----- 💤 -----

Can AutoSnore run in the background?

Yes, once you hit the Start button you can let the iPhone lock itself automatically. Sleep sounds will still record in the background.

----- 💤 -----

Can I pause the recording during the night?

AutoSnore is designed to assist your sleep, not continuously interrupt it! So for this reason alone we have not included a pause option.

Breaks are an important part of the sleep session, so the best thing is to leave AutoSnore running if you are out of bed for some of the time, such as toilet breaks or checking on the kids. If you did experience long interruptions away from bed, it may also be best to either skip the recording for that night, as consistency of recordings are important for trends. 

Importantly, if you did have a night to forget with lots of unexpected interruptions, you can remove the nights recorded data from within the app.

----- 💤 -----

What happens if I forget to stop the recording?

AutoSnore cannot stop by itself, so you do need to press the "STOP" button at some stage. 

However, to help those more inclined to forget, AutoSnore allows "Live Activities". This makes it next to impossible to miss, as it shows on your iPhone at all times until stopped.

To turn on Live Activities go into the Settings app on your iPhone - into Face ID & Passcode and turn on the toggle for "Live Activities". AutoSnore will ask for permissions the next time you start the recording, select accept.

----- 💤 -----

What about calls & notifications?

AutoSnore will not impact any previous settings with calls or notifications, so your iPhone will work as normal at night.

However, if you do use your iPhone at night for calls while AutoSnore is recording, the iPhone may steal the microphone permission and impact the recordings.

----- 💤 -----

Receiving Messages?

We did discover an iOS bug when receiving messages on your iPhone. We found thanks to a customer that any apps that are using the microphone (such as AutoSnore or Voice Memo) will silence any messages coming to your iPhone. They still show, just no sound or vibration on arrival.

As most people use Sleep Focus at night, we also discovered that if you have the contacts as allowed people or with emergency by-pass, the message will still be silent, no sound or vibration alert. This is only for receiving messages, receiving phone calls works as expected with sound and vibration, as calls will override the microphone.

We have logged this iOS bug with Apple to investigate.

----- 💤 -----

Do I need Wi-Fi?

AutoSnore does not require internet or Wi-Fi to record. You can even use in airplane mode.

----- 💤 -----

Understanding the results

Refer to the 'How It Works' page for an explanation on the AutoSnore results and insights.

How does AutoSnore record my snoring? 

AutoSnore uses your iPhone's built-in microphone to detect and record snoring sounds while you sleep. Simply place your iPhone near your bed (we recommend plugging it in for overnight use) and press "Start" on the app before you drift off. 

Using machine learning algorithms designed to identify and classify different sounds, this will filter out ambient noise and focus on your unique sleep sounds, giving you a clear picture of your night.

----- 💤 -----

Is AutoSnore accurate?

Yes! AutoSnore can accurately measure the intensity and duration of your snoring. While your iPhone is not a medical device, it provides highly reliable data, such as your personalised recordings and detailed graphs. 

This data can help you track patterns and understand how factors like sleep position or lifestyle changes impact your snoring over time. Many users find this data incredibly useful to share with their healthcare providers.

----- 💤 -----

Can AutoSnore diagnose sleep apnea? 

Apple Watch gained the ability to detect potential signs of sleep apnea with the release of WatchOS 11. This sleep apnea feature is available on the Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2 models at the time of writing. The sleep apnea metric is available using our AutoSleep app. It uses the Watch's accelerometer to monitor subtle wrist movements indicative of breathing interruptions during sleep.

AutoSnore is a powerful tool for monitoring and understanding your snoring patterns, but if you have concerns about sleep apnea or other sleep disorders, we strongly recommend consulting with a qualified healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. The AutoSnore data can be a valuable tool to bring to these discussions.

----- 💤 -----

How does AutoSnore help me find solutions for my snoring?

By tracking your snoring while trying different solutions, you can identify what works best for you and start your journey towards quieter, more restorative sleep. Please refer to the Tags and Insights sections here for more information.

Additionally, AutoSnore integrates beautifully with AutoSleep, so you can compare your snoring with all your other sleep metrics. See the AutoSleep Snoring Intensity page here for more details.

----- 💤 -----

Is volume using decibels?

Audio levels in digital are measured in dBFS (decibels relative to full scale). This lets AutoSnore use a standardised scale to represent the volume % of the recorded sounds. It is much more useful than simply showing the decibel value.

----- 💤 -----

Why is it a separate app and not in AutoSleep? 

Lots and lots of reasons for this to benefit the end user, but three main reasons:

1. It only requires iPhone. No Apple Watch required. This makes it available to more users.

2. Simplicity. AutoSleep already has so many features. AutoSnore is designed to be incredibly simple, fun and easy to use.

3. Privacy. AutoSnore will of course use our 100% privacy guarantee. No sound will leave your iPhone to external servers. Not even to iCloud backup.

Remember the integration from AutoSnore to AutoSleep works without you doing a thing. See the AutoSleep Snoring Intensity page for more details.

Does AutoSnore drain my battery?

Like any app that uses the microphone overnight, there will be some battery consumption. 

We've optimised AutoSnore for efficiency, but we highly recommend keeping your iPhone plugged into its charger overnight while using the app to ensure uninterrupted monitoring and prevent battery drain. 

We even added a clever notification to "plug your phone in" if no charger is detected when you tap start. You can turn this on in the configuration options.

----- 💤 -----

Should I put my iPhone on a charger?

Yes, while not mandatory, it is highly recommended.

The microphone itself doesn't use a huge amount of power. However, AutoSnore isn't just "listening." It's actively processing that audio in real-time to detect, analyse, and potentially record snoring events into those little sound bites you get to replay in the morning. This constant processing by the iPhone and other components is what consumes battery. 

----- 💤 -----

How Much Battery Does It Use?

It is safe to say that an iPhone will likely experience a battery drain if not on charger, potentially 15% or more, if left recording all night without being plugged in. 

But it's difficult to give an exact percentage because the iPhone battery usage varies greatly depending on the model, battery health, background apps, Wi-Fi, signal strength and so on. 

For some older models or phones with poorer battery health, it could even lead to the phone dying before morning. Newer iPhones generally have more efficient processors and larger batteries, so they might handle overnight recording better than older models.

Due to all the above, the recommendation is to keep the iPhone plugged in overnight!

How private are my recordings?

Your privacy is absolutely paramount! As with all our apps used by millions of users worldwide, AutoSnore is designed with complete user privacy. This means we do not collect, store, or access your personal data or your snore recordings. 

----- 💤 -----

Do you collect my personal data or snore sounds? 

Never! All your recorded sounds and data are held exclusively on your iPhone. The only way your snore sound bites ever leave your device is if you, and only you, choose to actively share them with someone else. You are in total control of your data, ensuring your sleep insights remain completely private to you.

----- 💤 -----

The Apple Data Privacy Label

As with all apps on the App Store, please pay attention to the Data Privacy Label assigned from Apple.

As seen on the App Store AutoSnore page, we do not collect any data - none! Check if your other apps can say the same.

The best option for contacting us is using the Help tab and 'Problem or Request' in the app, as this sends us more information to assist. Otherwise, refer to our Contact page for extra details.