Support
How can we help?
Nearly every problem is one of the four items in the checklist below. If you are still stuck, email us — a human (a parent) reads every message.
"It stops playing" checklist
Walk it top to bottom. The first item fixes the large majority of reports.
- 1Battery: set Little Napper to UnrestrictedSettings → Apps → Little Napper → Battery → Unrestricted (Samsung: not "Sleeping"; Xiaomi/HyperOS: No restrictions + Autostart on; Huawei: Manage manually with all three switches on). This is the fix for "stops after a while".
- 2Notifications: allowedAndroid 13+ needs the notification permission for lock-screen and notification-shade controls. The onboarding asks once; it can be enabled later in the app's Notifications settings.
- 3Volume: media, not ringerSleep sounds play on the media channel. Raise it with the slider on the Now Playing screen or with the volume keys while a sound is playing. Check the phone is not routed to a Bluetooth device.
- 4Distance and levelPut the phone at least 7 feet (2 m) from the crib and keep the level at or below 50 dB measured at the crib. A free sound-meter app on a second phone is enough to check once.
Support FAQ
The sound stops when the screen turns off or after a while. Why?
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Little Napper plays through a foreground media service with a wake lock, which is what keeps sound going with the screen off. Some phones — especially Xiaomi, Huawei, OnePlus, Oppo, Samsung with aggressive battery settings — still kill background apps. Open your phone's Settings → Battery (or Apps → Little Napper → Battery) and set Little Napper to Unrestricted / No restrictions, and turn off any "optimise" or "deep sleep" option for it. On Xiaomi also enable Autostart. That fixes it in almost every case.
I tap a sound and hear nothing.
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Check the media volume (not the ringer): press the volume keys while a sound is playing, or open the Now Playing screen and raise the slider. If the phone is connected to a Bluetooth speaker or earbuds, the sound is going there. Do Not Disturb does not mute media, but some "Bedtime mode" settings do.
The sound stopped exactly when the timer ended, without fading.
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Fade-out is on by default and lowers the volume over the last minutes (up to two, or half of a short timer). If you moved the volume during the fade, the fade is cancelled for that session by design. Check Settings → Playback → Fade out before the timer ends.
How do I play a sound all night?
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Open the Now Playing screen (tap the mini player) and choose All night. You can make it the default in Settings → Playback → Default timer.
Where are my recordings? Are they uploaded anywhere?
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Recordings live only on your phone, in the app's private storage, and are listed in the Record tab and on the Sounds screen under Recorded. Nothing is uploaded. Uninstalling the app deletes them, so keep a copy if you care about one.
The lock-screen controls do not show.
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On Android 13 and newer the app needs the notification permission to show media controls. Go to Settings → Apps → Little Napper → Notifications and allow them. Playback itself works either way.
Does it use a lot of battery?
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Playing a looped sound with the screen off is one of the cheapest things a phone does — comparable to playing music. A typical night uses a few percent. Charging the phone overnight while it plays is fine.
Can I remove the ads?
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There is no paid version; the small banner is what keeps the app free. Full-screen ads never appear while a sound is playing or between 22:00 and 06:00. If an ad ever plays audio over a sleeping baby, email us — that is a bug we want to know about.
How do I change my ad consent choice?
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Settings → Privacy options reopens the consent form so you can change what you agreed to. In the EEA and UK the form appears on first launch; in US states with privacy laws it is available on request.