Raining.fm and other Rain Sound apps for Android
I do not know why but the sound of rain helps me fall asleep better than anything else that I tried so far. And I tried a lot, from white noise to apps that play all kind of nature sounds right on your phone or system.
It is probably because it is very monotone even if other sounds such as roaring thunder are added to it every once in a while.
Update: The application is no longer available. Feel free to check out the alternatives listed at the end of the article. End
Raining.fm Rain Sounds is a new app for Android that is based on the website of the same name. The website starts to play rain sounds as soon as you visit it. You can modify acouple of settings here, for instance the overall loudness of the rain sound as well as timers that define how long sounds are played on your system.
The Android app mimics that and does not really add many new features that the website is not offering. I should mention that it is not free, costing 1.51€ currently in store.
- Sounds enables you to change the volume of all sounds or only particular sounds that the app makes available.
- Images defines which background images it displays on the screen.
- Timers let you set break and sleep timers. The app will play rain sounds for the selected period of time before it shuts down.
The big question is this: is it worth the money, or should you download and install one of the free apps instead? What I like about it is that the rain sound does not sound looped. There is no distinguishable pause or break when the end of the sound is reached and the loop starts anew.
Many other apps that play sounds have a visible pause or break when a sound ends and starts over again from the beginning.
Free alternatives
Select one of eight different rain sound profiles from the apps' main menu. The sound plays indefinitely by default which you can change by setting a timer at the top. Displays ads at the bottom of the screen and no option to increase or decrease the volume of sound in the app.
The app makes available several different rain sounds, from heavy rain and rain on the roof to walking under rain and wind & rain which you can play indefinitely in the application. It ships with a timer as well, and you can switch between sounds using a menu or by swiping to the left or right of the screen.
Other options:
Rain Sounds (no longer available)
Offers more than ten different rain profiles, from rain on tent over rain on car window to thunderstorm and rain on window. You can also set timers here if you like but are not as flexible in this regard. Only preset intervals can be taken ranging from 10 minutes to 6 hours of playback. The app is ad free.
Closing Words
Most apps use a similar concept as you can see from the list above. If I had to pick one of the free apps, I'd definitely select Rain Sounds as it does not include advertisement and has the best interface of the three.
Have another app that plays rain sounds or other "nature" or calming sounds that are great as background noise when you want to sleep, meditate or just relax for a shorter period of time?
Rain has a relaxing, soothing sound, as does surf, but theone sound I’d like to have “on call” even more is the sound of a little babbling brook. Decades ago in Virginia I camped beside a little stream named Otter Creek at the eponymously named Otter Creek Campground (near mile marker 60 of the Blue Ridge Parkway), and it produced the most marvelously refreshing night’s rest. App developers, take note!
http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=29
YouTube is a great resource for sounds of all kind. Otter Creek is not among them though many camping videos appear to be.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKjOZUVeWKM