A quieter way to wind down.
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What brings you here?
Our privacy
promise
No ads. No ad trackers.
Your notes stay on your phone unless you turn on sync.
That's it. That's the promise.
The full plain-English version lives in the Privacy centre.
You're all set.
No account needed. One suggestion a night.
Nothing to scroll, nothing to keep up with.
Hourglow is a wellbeing app, not a medical product.
Tonight
One small thing. That's enough.
Choosing tonight's pick…
You're awake. That's okay.
Nothing is needed from you right now.
The sound fades out — it won't stop abruptly.
Need urgent help? Samaritans 116 123
Plus sessions are locked on the server — not just hidden here.
—
—
Keeps playing in the background and in silent mode.
If you stop, we'll remember your place — resume is always free.
No streaks, no scores. A missed morning never counts against you.
Tap a number on each row — 3 is an ordinary night, nothing to overthink.
The last 30 days, exactly as you logged them. Gaps are gaps — they don't count against you.
Is it working?
All of this stays on your phone. Export or delete it anytime in the Privacy centre.
7-day free trial first
Cancel any time — one tap in Manage billing (or your app store, once the apps launch). Under a minute, and we won't make it weird. Offline use, resume, rewind, privacy controls and crisis help are never behind this paywall. Payments are handled by Stripe; your card details never touch our servers.
Billing problem? support@hourglow.co.uk — a person reads it, and replies within one working day.
Accounts arrive with the iPhone and Android apps — they'll sync your check-ins and resume points across devices. Nothing here needs one: everything works without signing in, and your data stays on this phone.
Coming with the mobile apps. Email sign-in isn't live in the web version yet. Subscriptions don't need an account either — billing is handled securely by Stripe.
What this app is
Audio for winding down, falling asleep, and getting through wired days — stories, body scans, breathing, and soundscapes. It's a wellbeing app, not a medical one. There are no streaks, no scores, and nothing to keep up with.
What this app isn't
Hourglow doesn't replace your GP. If sleeplessness has been a long-running struggle, it's worth talking to them — and Sleepio, a six-week NHS-funded sleep programme, is free in Scotland and some parts of England. It's excellent, and it works alongside apps like this one. We'd rather point you somewhere right than pretend to be everything.
The one rule
Hourglow picks one session for you each day, so you never browse a library at midnight. Falling asleep before it ends isn't quitting — it's the whole point.
A typical evening
Open the app → Tonight shows one suggestion → tap Begin → put the phone down, screen off if you like. The audio keeps playing, ends softly on its own, and remembers where you were if you stop early.
Awake at 3am?
The big button on the home screen. One tap — calm sound starts straight away, even with no signal. No clock, no numbers, nothing to read. Tap Stop when you're done, or let it fade out by itself.
In the morning
If you feel like it, log how you slept (two taps, note optional). It stays on your phone and quietly makes tomorrow's suggestion smarter. Skip it whenever — nothing nags.
In the player
⏪ ⏩ jump 15 seconds. Pause and come back anytime — it resumes where you left off. On any sleep session, + 15 quiet minutes keeps the background sound going a little longer — the voice never comes back once it has finished.
Getting around
Every screen has a ← back button, and your phone's own back gesture works everywhere too. The Library is there if you'd rather choose for yourself — filter by type, pick anything.
Free and Plus
Free forever: the daily suggestion, the 3am button, check-ins, offline use, resume, privacy controls and crisis help. Plus (£5.99/month, 7-day free trial, reminder before it ends) unlocks the full library.
Stuck on something? The Support centre (under More on the home screen) is there for anything app-related.
No sound?
Check your phone's silent switch and volume — Hourglow plays through silent mode on the installed app, but a browser preview follows the switch. If a session opens but stays quiet, press Pause then Play once; that wakes the audio engine after a phone call or alarm.
Audio stopped partway
Your place is always saved. Open the same session and it resumes where you left off — rewind 15 seconds if you want a gentler re-entry. Low Power Mode and aggressive battery savers can pause background audio; allow Hourglow in battery settings if it keeps happening.
Billing & Plus
Restore purchases lives on the Plus page — one tap, no sign-in needed. Cancel anytime in your phone's subscription settings; you keep Plus until the period ends and we remind you 2 days before a trial converts. No cancellation maze, ever.
Listening with the screen off
Stories and body scans keep playing when you lock your phone — the voice and its music carry on, and your lock screen shows play, pause and ±15s controls. Tone-led sounds (soundscapes, breathing, the 3am room) need the page open in the browser version — use 🌑 Dim the screen in the player: the screen goes near-black and stays quietly awake all night. The iPhone and Android apps will play everything under a hard lock.
Listening offline
Once you've opened Hourglow, it opens again without signal — and any story you've played recently is kept on your phone and plays offline, resume and rewind included. Breathing sessions and the 3am button always work offline. If a story you haven't played before won't start with no signal, that's why — play it once on Wi-Fi and it stays with you.
Your data
Export or delete everything from the Privacy centre — it works instantly, on-device, and we never ask why.
Sleep still a struggle?
If poor sleep has been going on a long time, talk to your GP. Sleepio — a six-week NHS-funded sleep programme — is free in Scotland and some parts of England, with no referral needed. Hourglow is a wellbeing app, not a medical one, and the honest thing is to tell you what else is out there.
Talk to a human
Email support@hourglow.co.uk and a person — not a bot — replies within 2 working days. Telling us your phone model and what you tapped helps us fix things faster.
Web build 2026-10-13.5
How are the nights going? This goes straight to the person building Hourglow — every word gets read. If you tick the box below, your words may also appear on the Hourglow website — first name only, never edited.
No account needed. Just the words you type and the moons you pick — nothing else leaves this phone.
Rather email? support@hourglow.co.uk reaches the same person.
Tonight's pick and the 3am button stay on the home screen — this is everything else.
These stay on this phone. Export or delete everything in the Privacy centre.
On your phone
Your goal, bedtime, narrator choice, check-ins and notes, where you paused each session, and downloaded audio. This never leaves your device unless you turn on sync.
On our server
Almost nothing. If you subscribe: your subscription status (on or off). If you send a review: the words, rating and first name you typed — published only if you ticked the box. That's it. Nothing is sold or shared for advertising, ever.
Who processes what
Cloudflare — hosting and secure storage (subscription status, and reviews you choose to send). Stripe — payment, if you subscribe; they handle your card details and we never see them. That's the whole list. No ads, no ad trackers, no analytics brokers. We keep one anonymous number per day — how many times the app was opened in total. It contains nothing about you or your device. When the mobile apps launch, accounts and optional sync will add a provider — the policy will say so before it happens.
Narrator, bedtime and reminders have moved to Preferences (under More).
Export gives you a readable file of everything we hold. Delete removes it from this phone and, if you're signed in, from the server too.
You don't have to handle this alone.
It sounds like things are really heavy right now. These people are there to listen, any hour:
116 123SamaritansFree, 24/7, confidential 111NHS 111Urgent mental health support 999EmergencyIf you're in immediate dangerWe haven't saved what you typed.