Tinnitus masking on iPhone, tuned to your pitch

What is tinnitus masking?

Tinnitus masking means playing steady external sound so the ringing, hissing or buzzing you hear stands out less. It does not remove tinnitus. It gives your hearing something else to rest on, which matters most when a room goes quiet: at night, in a library, on a long flight. The AAO-HNSF practice guideline on tinnitus (Tunkel et al., 2014) lists steady background sound as an option for persistent, bothersome ringing.

How does Quietra find the pitch of my tinnitus?

With a two-minute guide called the ring finder. It plays soft tones between 200 Hz and 12,000 Hz and asks which one is closest to your ring; each answer narrows the range until the tone lands on it, for example "Found it: 6,400 Hz". If the ring is different in each ear, you can tune each ear separately. The result is stored on your phone only, and you can run the finder again whenever the pitch drifts, which it does for many people.

What is notched masking?

Notched masking cuts a narrow band out of the sound right at the pitch of your ring, so the masking wraps around the ringing instead of piling more energy on top of it. The idea comes from a 12-month study in which people listened to their own music with their tinnitus frequency removed; afterwards they rated the ringing as quieter than before (Okamoto et al., PNAS, 2010). Quietra applies the notch to the masking sound, noise or nature recording, and keeps it in place during focus sessions, so a tuned ring stays covered while you work. Notched masking is part of Premium.

Which sounds can I use for masking?

The nature sounds are real recordings rather than synthesized textures, and every soundscape passes through the same pitch-aware shaping once you have tuned your ring. The three free soundscapes are enough to try masking for as many nights as you like.

Why is tinnitus louder at night, and what does the sleep timer do?

Nothing about the ring changes at night. What changes is the room: with less everyday sound to sit on top of the ringing, it stands out more, which is exactly when you are trying to fall asleep. Quietra fills that silence with a soundscape tuned to your pitch, and a sleep timer fades it out after 15, 30, 60 minutes, or lets it run until morning. The Wind Down mode adds slow swells over quiet masking for the minutes before sleep.

Does it keep playing when the screen locks or a call comes in?

Yes. The sound keeps going when the screen locks, when a call comes in, and when you switch to AirPods, the three moments other apps tend to get wrong. Play and pause live on the lock screen, so you never have to unlock the phone in the dark. Playback is lightweight, and the timer means it is not running any longer than you need.

What the research says

Quietra is a sound-masking tool for comfort and rest. It is not a medical device and is not a substitute for professional care. If the ringing is new, sudden, only on one side, or comes with hearing loss, dizziness or pain, see a doctor or an audiologist first.

What does it cost?

Free, with no time limit: the ring finder and the core focus mode; three soundscapes: white noise, rain, ocean; a sleep timer. Premium adds all 8 focus modes and the generative music engine; notched masking mode; the full soundscape library; per-ear tuning; all sleep timers, including "until morning"; progress: trends, triggers, and check-in history. Premium is $4.99 a week, $9.99 a month, $59.99 a year, or $129.99 once for Lifetime. Monthly and yearly start with a 3-day free trial. Family Sharing is on. Details in the Subscription Terms.

Questions

Quietra on the App Store · Read next: the eight focus modes and their evidence labels · Support