Tech

MUSIC APP OF THE MONTH: Sleepytime

by Ashley Carter

Like October’s feature app, Seamless, Sleepytime is an ideal solution to a problem so obvious, it’s surprising it’s not a built-in feature with current smartphones—a sleep timer for iTunes, Spotify, Rdio, and more. It’s designed to ease you into a peaceful slumber by automatically fading out your music slowly, and then waking you up to it after a set amount of time so you don’t lose your place in KISS’ Destroyer. Or something more bedtime-y.

Created by Irradiated Software designer Michaël Fortin, Sleepytime looks great and integrates effectively with almost every popular music player you have on your phone. Fortin is a passionate designer who has a small suite of apps designed to handle minor tasks attractively and intuitively—from taking breaks at work to a mailing list analytics tool.

AUX: What was the genesis of the idea for Sleepytime?

Michaël Fortin, Irradiated Software Designer: I’ve always been a music fan. I listen to music almost every waking hour, every day. When the time comes to go to sleep, I usually still listen to music. I searched for a sleep timer app for Mac but didn’t find any that was as full-featured and elegant as I would have liked. So I sat down to write my own. I use the app almost every day.

Did you face any particular roadblocks in executing the concept of Sleepytime in a way that was consistent with your vision for it?

As far as major roadblocks go, I was lucky enough not to encounter any. The app is pretty much exactly as I had envisioned it initially, both in form and function. I had, however, a few small technical hurdles when the time came to integrate certain players into the app. I contact those players’ developers and explain the situation, but they must then update their app to add the functionality I need. It’s not necessarily their top priority.

Did developing the app necessitate working with streaming services like Spotify to ensure compatibility?

Big names like Spotify are a bit hard to get a hold of when you’re a small developer. I’ve contacted them as well as Rdio a couple of times, but never had much luck in getting my messages to reach the right person; I had to do with what I had in order to add support for their apps. On the other hand, I have been in contact with a couple of independent developers such as Louka from PixiApps, the guys from CatPig Studios, Rogue Amoeba, Radioline, and others in order to discuss integration of their apps into Sleepytime.

How do you cut through the noise in the App Store?

I was lucky enough to have my apps available on the App Store when the store launched and was amazed at the number of sales I made during the first few weeks. It’s nothing like the amount of sales the big names got, but it was a pleasant surprise. Other than that, it’s mostly luck I guess. People happen to like my apps and that keeps them somewhat visible on the App Store. Reviews also help a great deal by helping others make purchasing decisions. I read every single one of them too. There was also a couple of articles written about the app in a popular Mac-centric magazine that indirectly helped.

Get Sleepytime in the App Store.