iBreathe – Relax and Breathe +4

Update: I love this app. But, honestly, I didn’t like the tip jar button on the finish screen. However, I understand better now that the developer really does want to make the app available to the most people for the most economical price. I know it can help with day to day stress. I use it all the time. Even though I paid for the app (to remove ads) I’m also fine with giving a tip to help support the app and further development knowing now that I know my tip will make the tip jar button disappear. That part wasn’t clear to me. I appreciate the developer reaching out and explaining their rationale for tip jar. Karma points to you for wanting to help as many people as possible.

Old review: I understand you don’t want to increase the cost of the app and you say that the “tip jar button” after the session is meant to not be intrusive, but it is. And to me, after paying for the ad free version and supporting the app, the tip prompt is stressful after doing the breathing. Exactly opposite of what the app is intended for. Just raise the cost of the app. People will pay it. Honestly, I don’t even want to use the app anymore because of that tip button. I don’t have a good solution for you, but I’d pay $5 as a tip to never see the tip jar button again. I will gladly change my review if you are able to come up with a better solution than the tip jar button.

Thanks for your feedback. I really don’t want to raise the cost to remove ads. The tipping model has been working great. It allows those who want to contribute more the option, while still keeping the cost minimal for others.

If you tip any amount, the button will be removed from the finished screen. Think of this as an option to play more to remove the button.

Thanks for using iBreathe!

This app has been very beneficial to me leading up to finals week. I downloaded this app to see if it would help me decrease my stress levels during the two week period I spend completing my assignments for the semester, and studying for my final exams. The breathing interval of inhaling for 4 seconds, holding for 5 and exhaling for 6 really helped slow my heart rate down when I began to get stressed out about different assignments. Slowing down the heart rate helps to decrease stress levels because when the heart rate is fast, your oxygen intake is lower, which can actually stress you out more. I also used this app before taking one of my tests, because I tend to get bad testing anxiety. Doing a breathing exercise prior to taking my test calmed me down quite a bit, and now I don’t think i’ll be able to test without doing it. Since I was calmer during my test, I did better on it than I had on others in the same class. Doing breathing exercises lowers anxiety levels because you can feel you’re chest tightening when you’re anxious, and taking deep breaths relieves this. Another reason why breathing exercises are beneficial is because without that anxious feeling, I am happier than usual after doing my breathing exercise.

Hi Emily! Thank you so much for your review. I am happy to hear the app has helped with your anxiety and helped get you through finals week. 😊

-saw you replied, looking forward to the update! Also hope I didn’t sound too critical haha. It is a solid app. I may have sounded too harsh with my comments on the visuals. My own personal use of the app leans towards the audio and vibrations, but there are times that I have found myself dependent on the visuals (like if I’m in a public place). So it’s been a great mix. But definitely looking forward to the update!

For example. I love reading books on my phone and it would be great to be able to use this app while reading my book. Right now the breathing sessions pause when I try to use other apps. What’s important is the timer and the intervals, I don’t need to see the visual at all really. Most times I have my eyes closed anyway because I primarily switch between the inhales, exhales, holds based on the vibration or audio cues. So the intervals, audio & vibrations could be used in the background when I read my books you know what I mean? It also drives me nuts that I have to have the screen on completely to use the app. I don’t understand why it’s not like any music app, where the audios/vibrations can still operate when the screen is off.

Thanks for your feedback! I plan to add background audio in a future update. This will keep the exercise going even if you close the app.