No Account, No Ads, No Subscription: Why We Built OscillaMind This Way

OscillaMind is a sound app we are building for evenings, mornings and the moments in between. It is not released yet, and it is coming to Android first. Before it is, we want to say plainly how it is put together, because three choices shape almost everything else: no account, no ads and no subscription.

This page is about those choices and the reasons behind them. Everything here describes the app as we are designing it today, and the designs are still being reviewed.

No account

There is no sign-up. You open the app and it works. Nothing in it asks you to create a login, because nothing in it needs one.

Your routines, your sounds, your morning check-ins and your listening history are kept on your phone. We don’t run a service that holds a profile of you, so there is nothing to log in to.

That is a real trade-off, and we would rather say so. Nothing moves between phones on its own. If you change phones, your purchase comes back through your store account, and you can save a copy of your history as a single file and keep it wherever you like.

No ads

A sound app you use to wind down should not interrupt you. Ads would also mean connecting to outside services and counting what you do, which is the opposite of how we want this to work.

So the first version has no advertising, no analytics, no crash-reporting service and no tracking tools. The app doesn’t pay for itself by watching you listen.

No subscription

The plan is simple:

30 days free.
At day 30, we ask whether you want to buy, and we add 7 more days so you have time to decide.
Then a one-time $2.99 purchase. No subscription.

Your app store handles the purchase. The purchase stays with your store account, so on a new phone you use Restore purchase with the same account.

We chose one price, paid once, because a sleep and wake-up routine is something you want to rely on. It shouldn’t depend on a monthly payment continuing.

What happens when the trial ends

An alarm is the one thing people really depend on, so we have been strict about it. The rule is this: the end of the trial must never quietly turn off an alarm someone is counting on.

Here is how we are designing it:

An alarm that is already scheduled still rings.
Warnings come first, before future wake-ups stop. They arrive during waking hours, never in the middle of the night, and they are scheduled in advance, so they appear even if you haven’t opened the app.
A night in progress always finishes.
Nothing you saved is deleted. Your routines, sounds, history and check-ins stay on your phone.
Buying turns everything back on at once, including your wake-ups.

After the trial, the app shows a simple screen with three choices: buy, restore a purchase, or view and export your data.

We will test this overnight on real phones over real nights, including nights when the app hasn’t been opened. An emulator on a desk isn’t proof for something you might sleep through.

What stays on your phone

Your listening history stays on your phone. In this first version, the app has no account, no analytics, no advertising and no tracking, and the only outside service it is allowed to use is your store, for the purchase.

A few more details:

No microphone. The app doesn’t ask for microphone access.
Your data is yours to take. You can export one readable file with your routines, nights, check-ins and settings. It goes only where you save or send it.
Deleting is your choice. The only way anything is deleted is when you choose Delete everything, after a confirmation that also tells you it turns off your wake-up alarm. If you remove the app from your phone, its data goes with it, as with any app, so export first if you want a copy.
History is only added to. If you change a routine, the app saves a new version rather than rewriting the old one.

It works without a connection

The sounds play without an internet connection. You only need one for the store, when you buy or restore. If the store can’t be reached, the app says so and your data is safe, and a purchase that has already been confirmed keeps working offline.

What we are not saying

We are not promising an outcome from any sound. OscillaMind describes what plays and when people choose it, such as rain and a 6 Hz beat for winding down. It doesn’t say what a sound will do for you.

OscillaMind is for listening and routines, not medical care. If you have a health concern, talk to a doctor.

We also try to keep two lists separate: what is released and what is planned. Today, nothing is released. As the app takes shape, we will keep saying which is which.

FAQ

Do I need an account to use OscillaMind?

No. There is no sign-up and no login. Your history stays on your phone.

Is there a subscription?

No. After 30 days free, plus 7 more days to decide, it is a one-time $2.99 purchase through your store. There are no ads.

What if I don’t buy it?

An alarm that is already scheduled still rings, and you get warnings before future wake-ups stop. Nothing you saved is deleted, and you can view and export your data from the screen that appears after the trial.

Does anything leave my phone?

Your listening history stays on your phone. In the first version, the only outside service the app is allowed to use is your store, for the purchase. If you export a file, it goes only where you choose to save or send it.

Sources

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