AutoSleep 5
Wrist-based sleep tracking
£2.99 FROM Tantsissa, autosleep.tantsissa.com needs iOS 10, watchOS 3.2 or later
The core set of metrics is also broken down more granularly
Apple’s watchOS doesn’t offer a built-in sleep tracking feature. At first, there was a logical reason for this: battery life on the first Apple Watch rarely lasted beyond the advertised 18 hours, meaning the device had to be perched on a charging dock as you slept.
Fast forward to the Apple Watch Series 2 and 3 models, however, and many owners find their smartwatches can last two days or more on a single charge. Third-party developers have since stepped in to fill the Apple Watch’s nocturnal feature gap, with AutoSleep generally being the popular choice for several reasons.
Now in its fifth version, the app’s two biggest draws are its automatic tracking (unlike other sleep tracker apps that depend onyou telling them when you’re going to bed), and its strong Apple Watch integration. For instance, AutoSleep’s automatic tracking is bolstered by a feature called Lights Off. When a button on its Watch app is tapped, this feature tracks how long it takes you to actually fall asleep.
Deep sleep metrics
Another example: in previous versions you had to sync the app to your iPhone to review your sleep metrics. With AutoSleep 5, the Watch app calculates the data, so you can check if you’ve had a good night’s sleep right on your wrist, where it’s displayed as Activity-style rings. And if you wake up in the middle of the night, you can check additional rings (in muted colours for viewing in the dark) that show how long you’ve been in bed and how much of that time has been actual sleep.
That’s not to say the iOS side of AutoSleep isn’t just as impressive. The interface is packed with information, so much so that you may find it overwhelming at times. Sleep is shown as shades of purple on a 12 or 24-hour clock, with brighter purple indicating deeper sleep. Within the clock are four separate rings displaying resting heart rate, sleep time, sleep quality and deep sleep in hours.
The core set of metrics, which we found to be generally accurate, is also broken down more granularly as you scroll through several screens. For example, the Recharge screen shows how close you are to your ideal sleep goal, while the Quality screen offers sleep rings that compare against your seven-day averages. Tapping the rings also switches you to historical timelines, which break down into even more insightful graphs.
It’s a lot to take in, and while we were very grateful for the opportunity to study the extra data, it’s not something that you’re likely to be interested in on a daily basis. Happily, the Today widget and Watch app offer a simpler summary of your sleep patterns.
With the inclusion of sleep-record editing at 15-minute increments and a helpful setup wizard, all neatly presented in a dark-themed interface, AutoSleep 5 ticks all the boxes needed for a good night’s kip.