Free
Gentle Rain
A steady, light drizzle with no thunder and no wind. Masks sharp noises without making you drowsy.
Sleep sounds
Sleep sounds that fade out as you drift off
Rain, ocean, forest and fire, layered over a deep noise and faded out gently by a sleep timer.
Solbox has 16 nature soundscapes, including gentle rain, distant thunder, ocean waves, crickets and a crackling fire, plus two singing bowls. Mix them with brown or pink noise and set a sleep timer of up to 8 hours 55 minutes; when it ends, the sound fades out slowly instead of stopping suddenly.
Free on iPhone · iOS 17.6 or later
Soundscapes for winding down
Every soundscape loops seamlessly and has its own volume, so you can build a mix that suits your room.
Rain & storms
Pro
Soft Rain Atmosphere
Rain heard from inside a sheltered room, with a faint distant rumble. One of the best layers for falling asleep.
Free
Forest After Rain
Water dripping from leaves and distant birdsong after a fresh rain.
Free
Forest Rain and Wind
Steady rainfall with wind moving through the trees. Full and immersive.
Pro
Thunderstorm Rain
Heavy rainfall and rolling thunder, for people who find storms cozy.
Pro
Distant Thunder
Slow, rolling thunder far away under a steady downpour. Never sharp or startling.
Ocean
Pro
Ocean Beach
Waves rolling gently onto the shore, with a natural slow rhythm.
Pro
Ocean Pier
Waves against a wooden pier, with the occasional creak of old boards.
Forest
Pro
Forest Birds Chirp
An early-morning dawn chorus in the forest. Bright and uplifting.
Pro
Forest Birdsong
Woodland birds over rustling leaves and a distant breeze.
Pro
Forest Day
A lively forest at midday, full of birdsong and moving leaves. Good for studying outdoors without going outside.
Pro
Zen Forest
A still, mist-wrapped forest with soft drips and a deep hush. Sparse and spacious.
Night & wind
Pro
Crickets
The rhythmic chirping of crickets on a summer night.
Pro
Winter Wind
Cold wind sweeping across an open field. Spacious and calm.
Fire & calm
Pro
Crackling Fire
The slow pop and hiss of a wood fire. Warm, cozy company for reading or writing.
Free
Meditation Loop
A slow, sustained tonal pad with no melody, made to stay in the background.
Singing bowls
Free
Singing Bowl
The pure, sustained ring of a singing bowl, for marking the start and end of a session.
Free
Himalayan Singing Bowl
Deep, hand-hammered tones with slow-fading overtones, for evening wind-down.
Noise and beats people use for sleep
Why a fade-out matters
A sound that stops suddenly can be just as jarring as one that starts suddenly. If your rain track cuts out at 1 a.m., the new silence can be enough to wake a light sleeper. Solbox fades the volume down slowly at the end of the timer, so there is no single moment of change.
How to build a sleep mix
Most good sleep mixes have two parts:
- A deep base that covers background noise: brown noise, pink noise or Earth Hum.
- A gentle layer on top for atmosphere: Soft Rain Atmosphere, Distant Thunder, Ocean Beach or Crickets.
Keep the base low and the layer even lower. Add a singing bowl at the start of the night if you like a clear signal that it’s time to wind down.
Setting the sleep timer
- Tap the timer and choose Sleep mode.
- Pick the hours and minutes, up to 8 hours 55 minutes.
- Start your mix and put the phone face down.
Solbox keeps playing in the background with the screen locked, and you can stop it from the Lock Screen at any time.
What about binaural beats for sleep?
Solbox’s delta presets, such as Deep Sleep at 2 Hz, are designed for bedtime and play over brown noise. Binaural beats need headphones; if you’d rather sleep without them, isochronic mode works through speakers. Research on beats and sleep is mixed, so treat them as one more option to try.
Sleep sounds are not a sleep treatment
Steady sound can make a room feel calmer and mask distractions. It is not a treatment for insomnia. If poor sleep goes on for weeks, talk to a doctor.
Sleep sounds: common questions
What is the best sound for falling asleep?
Many people prefer deep, steady sounds at night, such as brown or pink noise, soft rain or distant thunder. Sharp or changing sounds like birdsong are better for daytime. Try a few for a week each and keep what feels calmest.
How does the sleep timer work?
Set a time from a few minutes up to 8 hours 55 minutes. When the timer ends, Solbox lowers the volume gradually over the last moments, so the change from sound to silence is too slow to notice.
Should I play sleep sounds all night?
It is up to you. Some people like sound all night to cover traffic or a snoring partner; others prefer a timer so the room is quiet later. Keep the volume low either way.
Can I use Solbox to help my baby sleep?
Some parents use steady sounds like rain or pink noise at bedtime. If you do, keep the volume low and the phone well away from the cot, and follow your pediatrician's guidance.