# Soundly: Snoring & Sleep Apnea — A Myofunctional Research Study

> Gamified myofunctional therapy for snoring and sleep apnea reduction. (iPhone/iPad app by Brian Krohn.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soundly-snoring-and-sleep-apnea/id1138100356 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Brian Krohn](https://appshunter.io/developer/1138100355)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.40/5 from 497 App Store ratings · 50 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 12+
- Requires: iOS 13.0 · 184 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2018-02-22
- Data updated: 2026-09-06
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soundly-snoring-and-sleep-apnea/id1138100356/reviews.md

## What is Soundly?

Are you looking for a natural way to reduce snoring and sleep apnea?

​Are you willing to participate in a research study that could help thousands of people like you?

​Then download the app to join the Soundly Research Study for free!

In collaboration with the Radian Institute and advised by researchers from Mayo Clinic, Soundly is conducting a research study on the benefits of gamified myofunctional therapy to reduce snoring and sleep apnea.

 

Myofunctional therapy is comprised of exercises for the upper airway muscles that have been shown in studies to reduce snoring and sleep apnea. The outcomes, however, are highly variable. Some people experiencing small reductions and others have reductions greater than 80%.

The goal of this study is to better understand who responds to myofunctional therapy and why.

“What a fun idea! Soundly greatly reduced my husband’s snoring.”

"I felt like my improvements were evident within two weeks of using the application - even when missing a couple days."

"I don't wake up with cotton mouth or headaches anymore."

"Over the course of using the Betea version, I've felt my throat muscles become stronger. At first, had difficulty completing a 15-minute session. Can now get through a session without difficulty. Thanks."

"One interesting thing that I have noticed - My vocal cords have thickened slightly due to age/menopause. I’ve gone to voice therapy but I have noticed that Soundly helps my singing voice."

Soundly is a fun and effective way to reduce your snoring without wearing uncomfortable devices during sleep. The Soundly is based on myofunctional therapy, a physical therapy that strengthens and tones your upper airway, thus reducing the tissue vibrations that cause snoring. Clinical research has shown that myofunctional therapy can also reduce the collapse of the upper air that causes sleep apnea and reduce AHI by more than 50%. 

The Soundly Therapy was developed at the University of Minnesota’s Medical Devices Center in collaboration with the Fairview Sleep Center. The Soundly Therapy is based on the latest myofunctional therapy and behavioral change research. From 2020 to 2022 Soundly was used in a research study by Mayo Clinic and provided to patients with mild sleep apnea. 

How does Soundly work? 

	You can think of Soundly as physical therapy for your upper airway. Snoring is caused by a weak and floppy airway that vibrates during inhalation. Soundly strengthens and tones your upper airway through a series of key vocalization exercises. Like other physical therapies, it can take several weeks to see the benefit. To make our therapy fun and engaging we have built it into a voice-controlled game. Simply play the game for 15 minutes a day to begin reducing your snoring. 

Features
Weeks of guided therapy
Clinically test therapy
Engaging gamification
Evolve numerous unique characters while you strengthen your airway 

“Sometimes I would get really into the game and completely forget I was doing a therapy to reduce my snoring.”

“My wife’s snoring didn’t go away completely, but now we can sleep in the same room again.”

terms: http://sleepsound.ly/terms-and-conditions/
privacy: http://sleepsound.ly/privacy/

## Key features

- Gamified myofunctional therapy
- Strengthens upper airway muscles
- Reduces snoring
- Aids sleep apnea
- Voice-controlled game
- Guided therapy sessions

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Soundly Pro - Year w/ Trial | $29.99 | per year |


## What do users think of Soundly?

Overall sentiment: mixed

**Pros**

- 💪 Effectively reduces snoring and sleep apnea symptoms
- 🎮 Fun and engaging gamified exercise approach
- 😊 Motivating and addictive gameplay keeps users committed
- 🧠 Innovative concept backed by research
- 📈 Noticeable results within days to weeks of consistent use
- 🎯 Creative alternative to CPAP machines

**Cons**

- 💰 Expensive subscription model ($30/year or $9.99/month)
- 🚫 Deceptive free trial - only 3 days before paywall
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and freezing issues
- 🎤 Poor voice recognition for 'knee' sound
- 📱 App fails to launch or load properly
- 🔧 Unresponsive developer support
- ⚠️ Misleading 'free app' classification
- 🔐 Requires login and payment information upfront
- ❌ App becomes unusable after completing all levels
- 📊 Inconsistent point tracking and exercise descriptions

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App stuck on loading screen indefinitely
- Crashes during multitasking mode every 20-30 repetitions
- No sound in main game mode despite settings enabled
- Character freezes and doesn't respond to voice input
- App crashes after 35 seconds of gameplay
- Incompatible with specific iOS versions (e.g., 12.2)
- Crashes when all characters are unlocked in multitask mode
- Voice recognition confusion between similar sounds
- App fails to launch on iPad
- Crashes and freezes when saying 'eeeey' sounds
- Inconsistency between displayed points and actual requirements

**Most requested features**

- One-time purchase option instead of subscription
- Ad-supported free version alternative
- Ability to review exercise descriptions during gameplay
- Microphone toggle for non-vocalizing exercises
- Updated syllable prompts matching actual sounds
- Better calibration for 'knee' vs 'naw' recognition
- Continued progress tracking after completing all worlds
- Offline functionality without login requirement
- Lower pricing tier ($5 one-time unlock suggested)

## Recent user reviews (10 of 50)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/soundly-snoring-and-sleep-apnea/id1138100356/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Loading, loading…

*2026-05-02*

It’s a super helpful app to help with snoring but it’s in perpetual loading mode so it doesn’t work.

### 4/5 — No longer works?

*2026-03-25*

The app’s creative approach to exercises kept me coming back daily for more…until it stopped working for me. As of March 13, 2026, I can’t get past the loading screen, even after a full uninstall, reinstall, reboot, logout and login. I’ve tried reaching out to the app author, to no avail. If it’s still working for anyone else, I’d love to know.

### 1/5 — Details!

*2024-08-01, version 3.0*

This app is apparently no longer active; it’s gets stuck on the loading screen. An email to the developers got no response.

### 3/5 — Details!

*2024-07-21*

I like the concept of this app a lot, and after using it for five weeks so far the therapy seems promising. But there are numerous seemingly easy fixes that should be made: the descriptions of the daily exercises don’t always match the game play; the number of points required to reach the goal doesn’t always match the number displayed. The microphone should turn off during the exercises where you’re not vocalizing (not all of us live in quiet environments). There should be a way to look up the descriptions of the exercises when they cycle back. The syllable prompts should change to the actual syllables you’re being asked to produce. Looking forward to recommending version 4!

### 5/5 — This works!

*2022-07-10, version 2.0*

It took me a while to take this seriously but it persistently worked when I did it for even a few days in a raw. I am an evangelist for this app now amongst my friends. I am trying to just 'knee knaw' regularly without paying for the app but there is just something about playing a game especially that one can feel quite silly if not distracted by something else while doing these workouts. So I will probably end up just paying for it. Thank you!

### 4/5 — Flawed but works

*2022-06-14*

I’ve been playing this for years now and my wife definitely knows if I’ve played or not. The game is buggy and annoying but gets the job done. My record is level 207 I’m pretty sure.

### 5/5 — Great alternative to CPAP

*2021-08-26, version 1.32*

Makes sense, just starting

### 2/5 — Slow to respond at times

*2021-03-12, version 1.32*

Sometimes the app is confused between knee and naw and it's extremely frustrating. Should be better calibrated.

### 1/5 — This is a scam

*2021-01-28, version 1.32*

These exercises are not empirically supported and this service which costs 30$ annually is really hard to discontinue. Avoid at all costs!!!

### 1/5 — Knee-crash, Naw-crash!

*2021-01-14, version 1.31*

Love the concept, but it is crashing right now on multitasking mode every 20-30 knee-naws.

How am I meant to do hundreds of these things when it crashes every 20 times?  Infuriating!

Sometimes I get 100 without a crash and I feel fortunate!

## Frequently asked questions about Soundly

### What does the Soundly app do?

The Soundly app provides gamified myofunctional therapy exercises to strengthen upper airway muscles. This is designed to naturally reduce snoring and potentially alleviate symptoms of sleep apnea by preventing airway collapse during sleep.

### How does myofunctional therapy work for snoring and sleep apnea?

Myofunctional therapy involves exercises that tone and strengthen the muscles in the upper airway. By improving muscle tone, these exercises can reduce the vibrations that cause snoring and decrease the likelihood of airway collapse associated with sleep apnea.

### Is Soundly free to use?

The app is free to download and join the research study. While the core therapy is provided, there may be in-app purchases available for additional features or content, as indicated by the app's monetization model.

### How long does it take to see results with Soundly?

Like other forms of physical therapy, it can take several weeks to notice benefits from the exercises. Users are encouraged to play the voice-controlled game for 15 minutes daily to begin the process of strengthening their airway muscles.

### Who is behind the Soundly app?

Soundly is a research study conducted in collaboration with the Radian Institute and advised by researchers from Mayo Clinic. The therapy itself was developed at the University of Minnesota’s Medical Devices Center in partnership with the Fairview Sleep Center.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.0 — 2022-11-03

A whole new gamified therapy system with new video guides and a suite of new exercises.

### 2.0 — 2021-09-21

Big update!!! We added a fun new system of tracking your therapy progress. Collect Stars to unlock new characters and worlds. We updated the timeline to see your progress more clearly. We created a whole new onboarding system and improved overall functionality.

### 1.33 — 2021-09-03

Fixed critical issue with app subscriptions

### 1.32 — 2021-01-20

Instructional videos are more accessible and minor bug fixes.

### 1.31 — 2020-11-10

Minor bug tweaks to help users reduce snoring.

## Apps similar to Soundly

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Avrora Sleep Sounds & Stories](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/avrora-sleep-sounds-and-stories/id1441091033) | 4.5 (17,920) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Sleep Cycle - Tracker & Sounds](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sleep-cycle-tracker-and-sounds/id320606217) | 4.7 (28,640) | Free | Health & Fitness |
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| [Sleepiest Meditation for Sleep](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sleepiest-meditation-for-sleep/id1244690083) | 4.6 (30,891) | Free | Health & Fitness |
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## Related topics

[brian krohn](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/brian-krohn) · [cpap mini](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/cpap-mini) · [snoring elephant](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/snoring-elephant)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-06.*
