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Tinnitus Sound Therapy App That Doesn't Brutally Stop When A Phone Call Comes In

mobile app weekend hack •• multiple requests

Every major tinnitus relief app on iOS and Android pauses its masking audio the instant a phone notification rings, which is exactly when the tinnitus user needs the sound most. App reviewers and tinnitus forums identify this as the single most consistent complaint across ReSound Tinnitus Relief, AudioCardio, Oto, and Beltone Tinnitus Calmer. It's a small, fixable, deeply-felt problem that a focused indie can solve by routing audio through the alarm/media channel correctly and using ducking instead of full-stop.

builder note

Genuinely weekend-hackable. The audio session needs to use AVAudioSession.Category.ambient with mixWithOthers + duckOthers on iOS, and AudioManager.STREAM_MUSIC with content type SONIFICATION on Android. Ship a free version that proves it works, take payment for the curated sound library.

landscape (3 existing solutions)

This is a 20-line audio-session-category fix that none of the incumbents has prioritized in five years of user complaints. The space is dominated by hearing-aid manufacturers monetizing through ecosystem lock-in, leaving wide open the indie 'tinnitus.app pay-once $9' niche.

ReSound Tinnitus Relief Free tier exists but premium is $70/yr. Reviewers report audio cuts out on incoming call and doesn't resume.
AudioCardio Subscription-only, complex onboarding, same call-interruption pattern.
Oto and Beltone Tinnitus Calmer Therapy-app pricing ($240+/yr), same audio-pause problem.

sources (4)

other https://www.tinnitusbuddy.com/tinnitus-sound-therapy-apps "most apps pause audio when a phone rings... the most consistent complaint" 2026-03-15
other https://tinnitus.review/ "vowing never to purchase products from companies with what they perceive as ridiculous charges" 2026-02-20
playstore https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.gnresound.... "$6.99 USD per month or $69.99 USD per year" 2026-04-01
other https://www.ata.org/about-tinnitus/patient-tools/apps/ "American Tinnitus Association apps list" 2025-11-10
tinnitusaudioaccessibilityindiehealth