Too much junk not enough meditation
I used this app a lot a year or two ago then went away from guided meditation for some time, now I’ve come back to headspace and very very little practice content has been added but there is now huge amount of worthless videos, podcasts, and all sorts of junk that spams any relevant search while taking away from the functional practice of headspace. The developers have leant more into making a space that feels like some social media interface purely to get users to spend more time in app with eyes on the screen than providing real value to cushion time and practice, decent meditations but overall now disappointed.
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Superb content, frustrating architecture
I’ve dipped in and out with Headspace over the years, and recently (July 2024) felt the need to reconnect with it. Each time I’ve come back, the design and illustration is different but always light and appropriate; a nice place to be. However, I was very disappointed by how frustrating this version is to use. Superb and varied content addressing almost any issue you might be dealing with is lost in a disorganised UI. They will surface a brilliant episode or step but good luck finding the whole program or series. Some things are easy to find like Sleep sounds, but other things come and go and never feel rooted, and I became desperate for a sense of organisation or further ways to find content. For example, the search omits a lot of content and I had to scroll through countless podcast listings to find the second episode of something they’d offered me. Headspace made a great impression on me way back and what they do is still immensely valuable, but it really feels like this 2024 version of the app is designed to frustrate or at least only signpost recent or isolated episodes. Because of this, I cancelled my trial before the first payment.
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Janis
I am going through so much in my life at the moment and I feel G.A.D. has arisen from what I’m going through.
I always felt I could work through things but I feel my overthinking and anxiety has created G.A.D.
Within 2 years, I’ve had my Grandson almost not survive a car accident where his car caught on fire, luckily a beautiful 18 year old lad stopped and pulled our boy out of the burning vehicle, he is going ok now but still has injuries that may be with him forever! My sister passed away after suffering for quite sometime with cancer, my husband has heart failure so watching his decline is cruel! We’ve been married for 50 years next year. And now, my 94 year old old mother is in a nursing home on morphine as we watch her cruel deterioration.
I feel I can’t take much more. Headspace is one of my lifesavers at the moment! I rely on it a lot!
I always felt I could work through things but I feel my overthinking and anxiety has created G.A.D.
Within 2 years, I’ve had my Grandson almost not survive a car accident where his car caught on fire, luckily a beautiful 18 year old lad stopped and pulled our boy out of the burning vehicle, he is going ok now but still has injuries that may be with him forever! My sister passed away after suffering for quite sometime with cancer, my husband has heart failure so watching his decline is cruel! We’ve been married for 50 years next year. And now, my 94 year old old mother is in a nursing home on morphine as we watch her cruel deterioration.
I feel I can’t take much more. Headspace is one of my lifesavers at the moment! I rely on it a lot!
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Confusing and complicated
I’ll often spend 5 minutes getting distracted trying to find a meditation instead of actually meditating. This app has all the content to be great but the layout is confusing and complicated. There’s too many options in the explore layout, its information overload. I can’t easily find a way to just search for a meditation with an approximate time. Instead you’ll face decision overload with having to decide on a really specific type of meditation mixed with courses, videos and expert guidance. A Simple page which you can filter meditations by length and maybe a few other options like in Apple Fitness Plus would completely change my rating. Very disappointing considering the cost of the app. Due to poor layout I’d recommend Apple Fitness plus subscription instead and use the meditations there
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Using daily for 40+ days
This is the first meditation program that resonates with me. It’s not spiritual. It’s science based. Explanations are concise,
Literally minute or two long and then it’s into learning the skill. 40+ days and really feel the benefits. The only thing I’d say is to sign up via the website and not the App Store because you can’t upgrade the AppStore subscription to family plan. I’d also recommend seeing a professional and discussing with your doctor if your atress/anxiety is off the scale. It’s hard to know that it is off the scale until you do the quick questionnaire in the app at the start. We are so conditioned to just having to ‘deal with it’ like it’s a normal part of life but there is a lot you can do to reframe that and this app is one important piece of the solution.
Literally minute or two long and then it’s into learning the skill. 40+ days and really feel the benefits. The only thing I’d say is to sign up via the website and not the App Store because you can’t upgrade the AppStore subscription to family plan. I’d also recommend seeing a professional and discussing with your doctor if your atress/anxiety is off the scale. It’s hard to know that it is off the scale until you do the quick questionnaire in the app at the start. We are so conditioned to just having to ‘deal with it’ like it’s a normal part of life but there is a lot you can do to reframe that and this app is one important piece of the solution.
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Overcomplicated
Even in the paid version there’s a lot of content being advertised to you. I went for a monthly payment to see what it’s like and what had changed. Around 2015 it used to be simple and calm. Now your attention is drawn into different directions and it has become a mindful social media platform that we actually should avoid to be mindful. The irony! I don’t want to have to choose that much, I want to train my mindful muscle for the time that I have. That’s my expectation. Not being slammed with advertisement for content and a yearly subscription. I’ll see if I can get mindful around the app for a month, otherwise it’s back to calendar and some free content that I plan during the day myself, it’s quick and effective. Peace.
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Good Content, but Poorly Organised
At the student price it is wonderful, however I wouldn’t be paying £50 a year for it. The meditations themselves are really quite good, and the sleepcasts are fantastic, but the app needs an overhaul to simplify using it. It is very difficult to find anything at all specific as the search engine is pretty poor and everything is either hidden behind cryptic folders or simply not accessible. I understand the theory of the home or “today” page, but in practice it is another factor making it more difficult to use. The favourited courses are hidden in the top right corner instead of being front and centre, and front and centre is the schedule for today, which I have rarely clicked on. The Wake Up seems to be a brilliant idea, but more often than not it focuses on productivity/work which isn’t what I want to be thinking about whenever I’m trying to clear my head in the morning. The new community comments section is worrying too. I struggle to focus, so it was a nice reprieve to be able to just go on headspace without having to worry what people think. At least you can turn it off.
Until recently I was sure I would continue my subscription, but I have been getting pretty frustrated. If you could at least personalise your “Today” feed to fit your own preferences, the search engine was improved and The Wake Up episodes were archived and easy to find I would definitely consider keeping it.
Until recently I was sure I would continue my subscription, but I have been getting pretty frustrated. If you could at least personalise your “Today” feed to fit your own preferences, the search engine was improved and The Wake Up episodes were archived and easy to find I would definitely consider keeping it.
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Worth every penny & then some
I’m in recovery & while I was in rehab they had a woman come in & teach a mindfulness meditation class. It was really helpful so when I left rehab I was looking for something to help me continue that practice. I had seen & used Headspace on Netflix so I decided to try out the app. I have used it every single day since I got it. It has been a crucial part of my recovery, giving me new coping skills & teaching me to be present in the moment. I was someone who thought meditation & all that stuff didn’t work. I am thrilled to say Headspace has proven me wrong. I just celebrated one year clean!
I could go on & on about how great this app is & how much it has to offer because there is SO MUCH more to this app than meditation but I’ll leave it there. I HIGHLY recommend you try Headspace.
There are two small things I’d change about the app….
I’d love it if “Today’s Meditation” could be saved like other things can. Those are usually very helpful & something I’d like to be able to go back to.
Also the Sleepcasts. It would be great if you could fast forward. Sometimes I don’t want/need the wind down, I just want the story to start so I can fall asleep. Besides, there’s already a separate section for wind downs.
I could go on & on about how great this app is & how much it has to offer because there is SO MUCH more to this app than meditation but I’ll leave it there. I HIGHLY recommend you try Headspace.
There are two small things I’d change about the app….
I’d love it if “Today’s Meditation” could be saved like other things can. Those are usually very helpful & something I’d like to be able to go back to.
Also the Sleepcasts. It would be great if you could fast forward. Sometimes I don’t want/need the wind down, I just want the story to start so I can fall asleep. Besides, there’s already a separate section for wind downs.
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Amazing for sleep and anxiety issues
I am into my second year subscription of this app and couldn’t recommend it enough. I use it almost nightly to help with falling asleep and waking up in the middle of the night. The sleep section is far my most used part of the app and makes the subscription worth it for me on its own. Meditations and check ins are great too.
It could be improved by enhancing the playback settings, if I pause a session and open another app, it wipes where I was up to. It is also annoying not being able to rewind or fast forward in the sleepcasts and other sleep assists. It is also unclear how to download recordings for offline playback so this should be more obvious/intuitive. Otherwise a brilliant app!
It could be improved by enhancing the playback settings, if I pause a session and open another app, it wipes where I was up to. It is also annoying not being able to rewind or fast forward in the sleepcasts and other sleep assists. It is also unclear how to download recordings for offline playback so this should be more obvious/intuitive. Otherwise a brilliant app!
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Feel Scammed
I signed up for a trial and immediately forgot that I had downloaded the app. Once the trial was up I wasn't sent an email reminder and was charged $96 CAD. That's fine I know I signed up for the trial, but when I contacted headspace to ask for a refund explaning my mistake and that I never used the app and never will, I was denied a refund. I feel that it is poor business to encourage people to sign up for something with promotions but not offer reminder emails or refunds, especially at such a high price tag.
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