Adjustable heartbeat pace and drift
Set the beat anywhere from 40 to 90 beats per minute, with a default around 55. The app starts from a faster drift and eases down over the first 25 minutes.
lubb
lubb is an iPhone app that plays a soft heartbeat under your pillow with haptics, designed to feel like falling asleep on someone’s chest. Ten free minutes at a time.
What lubb does
lubb is an iPhone app that plays a soft heartbeat under your pillow using the phone’s Taptic Engine. The effect is meant to feel like falling asleep on someone’s chest, with a default rhythm around 55 beats per minute and controls to adjust pace, feel, and strength.
It is designed as a comfort app rather than a medical or sleep-tracking tool. The app does not measure your heartbeat or sleep, does not use HealthKit, and keeps the experience local to the phone, with anonymous analytics only for app usage.
Core features
Tuneable haptic strength and feel
Choose how the taps feel, from softer and rounder to crisper and stronger, so the pulse matches your pillow and preference.
Optional synced audio
Use the optional low lub-dub sound in step with the taps, or leave sound off. The app treats sound as an extra layer rather than the main output.
Multiple ways to start
Start the session with a hold gesture, or use Shortcuts, Sleep Focus automation, Siri, or the Home Screen quick action. A single automation can begin the night when Sleep Focus turns on.
Designed for overnight use
Keep the phone awake with a true-black screen, a wall-clock timer that survives interruptions, and a gentle fade over the final ten minutes of timed sessions.
Common ways people use lubb
Bedtime wind-down
For someone who falls asleep more easily with steady physical sensation, lubb can provide a soft tactile pulse under the pillow that stays on until the timer ends or the session is stopped.
Sleep Focus automation
If you already use Sleep Focus, a Shortcut can launch the heartbeat automatically when bedtime begins, so the app starts without manual steps after you get into bed.
Trial on a real pillow setup
People can try the free ten-minute sessions to see whether the heartbeat feel is comfortable on their pillow before deciding whether Plus is worth paying for.
Quiet nighttime use
For users who want the heartbeat without added noise, the app can run with the sound off and rely on haptics only.
Adapting to different pillows
If a pillow absorbs too much of the pulse, the adjustable strength and feel controls make it possible to tune the sensation for that bedding.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Uses the iPhone Taptic Engine to create a tactile heartbeat under the pillow.
- Lets you adjust pace, strength, and feel so the pulse can be tuned to your bedding.
- Offers a free tier with ten minutes at a time and no account or expiry.
- Supports Sleep Focus, Siri, and a Home Screen quick action for starting sessions.
- Keeps nights private by avoiding accounts, HealthKit, microphone, camera, contacts, and location access.
Cons
- It only works on iPhone, and the site does not describe support for other platforms.
- Battery use is significant for a full night because the haptics keep running while the screen stays awake.
- Thick bedding such as memory foam can dampen the beat, so placement and pillow type matter.
FAQ
Can I start lubb automatically at bedtime?
Yes. The app supports Sleep Focus through a Shortcuts automation that runs lubb’s Start Heartbeat action when Sleep turns on. Siri and a Home Screen quick action can also start it.
What devices does lubb support?
lubb works best on iPhone models with the Taptic Engine, because the heartbeat is played as haptics through the phone. The site does not describe support for other platforms.
Will it work under any pillow?
Most pillows will pass some of the beat through, but thickness matters. The site says thin down pillows pass the beat almost fully, while thick memory foam absorbs a lot of it.
What does the free version include?
The free tier gives you ten minutes at a time, as often as you like, with no account and no expiry. Plus unlocks longer sessions, including 30-minute wind-downs, 2-hour deep starts, and all-night sessions.
Does lubb track sleep or heartbeat data?
No. lubb says it is not a sleep tracker and does not measure, record, or score your sleep or heartbeat. It is for comfort rather than treatment.
Quick Facts
- Category
- Sleep / wellness
- Platform
- iPhone
- Product type
- Heartbeat haptic app
- Source domain
- thelubb.com
- Free tier
- 10 minutes at a time, as often as you like
- Paid plan
- Lubb Plus is sold as yearly or lifetime purchase; no monthly plan
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