Bedtime is often the most peaceful time of your day … until it’s interrupted with an email alert or a phone call. It’s a good thing Android devices are so smart these days; there are a number of apps that can fix your phone settings, or merely help you lull your way to sleep.
Here are some essential Android apps you’ll need for bedtime.
Tools and settings
Sweet Dreams is an app designed to help you sleep better. Free, the Android app lets you set what time you go to sleep and what time you typically wake up. From there, you can set various actions for sleep mode, such as silencing your ringer, changing your screen timer, and disabling Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The app provides location, motion and sound settings as well.
Timeriffic has similar features as Sweet Dreams, but it can be used for more than just bedtime. The free Android app lets you create multiple profiles for saving various phone settings—set one for bedtime when the ringers are turned off, and set another for when you’re in an office meeting.
Setting Profiles is another robust settings service, with a few additional options that may really make bedtime more peaceful. At $3.95, this Android app can (and should) be used for anytime of day. For bedtime, you can set times for volume control, screen brightness, touchtones, and Wi-Fi. You can also set tasks to operate based on things like battery conditions, location, or your own set of rules.
How about a night clock as well as a settings saver? Bedside is a free Android app that has a dimmed night clock, with options to mute your notifications and ringers. Optimized for nighttime use, Bedside won’t shine annoyingly bright in your darkened bedroom.
Games and relaxation
If star-gazing is your thing, try Google Sky Map. The free Android app overlays the night sky with constellations and other grids to outline planets, Earth’s orientation within our galaxy, and more. It can be a great way to unwind before crawling into bed, and you get to learn a thing or two as well.
Sometimes, the perfect way to drop off is by reading a book. Mob4 turns your Android phone into a book with its multiple bedtime story apps. Choose from several topics, including motivational stories, animal stories (for kids), love stories or crime stories. All free, the apps come with about 10 stories each and have audio options as well.
Need to drown out city sirens or country crickets? White Noise can help you out. The $1.99 app plays 40 different ambient sounds, giving you background noise to which you can pay attention. Images accompany each ambient sound, from ocean waves to babbling streams.
Tanagram Pro is a great game for those with active bedtime brains. For 99 cents, the puzzle game will help relax you (or frustrate you) as you find a way to calm your brain down before sleep. A recent update has added 150 more puzzles to the game, giving you months of bedtime relaxation.
