Breath Forge How-To

First time

The first time you open Breath Forge it shows a short safety notice. Please read it, then tap I understand to continue.

Not sure which pattern to use?

Open the menu and choose Guide, or read the Guide on this site. It explains what each pattern is, how to do it, how long to try it and when people tend to use it. Each pattern's setup screen also has an About this pattern button.

Paced breathing

On the home screen tap a pattern: Box breathing (4-4-4-4), 4-7-8, Slow breathing (5.5 seconds in, 5.5 seconds out) or Double inhale (a full breath, a small second sip, then a long breath out). Choose a length from 1 to 20 minutes and tap Start.

• The circle grows as you breathe in and shrinks as you breathe out. The words and the number show what to do and how many seconds are left in that part.
• Pause stops the clock; Resume carries on. Stop ends the session early.
• When the time is up, the app plays a closing tone and saves the session to your history.

Your own pattern

Tap Custom on the home screen. Use the plus and minus buttons to set breathe in, hold (lungs full), breathe out and hold (lungs empty), each from 0 to 20 seconds in half-second steps. Breathe in and breathe out cannot be zero.

Cues

In Settings (the menu at the top right of the home screen) you can turn haptic cues and sound cues on or off, and choose whether the screen stays on while a session is running. The screen needs to stay on for the pacer to run, so leave that switch on unless you will keep the phone awake another way.

Breath-hold timer

Tap Breath-hold timer on the home screen. Choose After a full breath or After an empty breath, then tap Start hold. Tap Stop hold when you are done. Holds shorter than one second are not saved.

• The list under the button shows the rounds from this visit. Tap the cross beside a round to delete it.
• Cue every: choose Off, or a buzz and tone every 10 to 60 seconds (20 by default), so you can keep your eyes closed. The cue is stronger on each whole minute. Choose it before you start.
• The progress line under the timer runs from 0 to a little past your best hold, with ticks for your worst, average and best and a marker that moves as your hold runs. It is only a reference point, not a target: never push past what feels comfortable.
• The Best, Average and Holds tiles and the line use only the kind of hold you have selected (after a full or an empty breath), because those are very different lengths. Choose Last 30 days or All time under the tiles.

Hold progress

Open the menu and choose Hold progress to see how your holds have changed over time. Every hold is a dot, a line joins your best hold of each day, and a dashed line shows your average. Choose the kind of hold and a range of 30 days, 90 days, 1 year or all time.

History

Open the menu and choose History. The Breathing tab lists your sessions and total minutes. The Holds tab shows your best, average and count, a chart of your best hold each day for the last 14 days, and every hold. Tap the cross beside a hold to delete it (you are asked to confirm). To remove everything, use the menu in History and choose Clear all history.

Pro features

These are part of the optional one-time Pro (see Free vs Pro). Open the menu and choose Go Pro to buy it or restore it.

• More patterns, and your own. Extra ready-made patterns appear under More patterns on the home screen. On the Custom screen, tap Save as my pattern to name your timing; it then appears under My patterns and starts in one tap.
• Cue styles. In Settings, choose a tone style (Soft, Bell, Wood) and a buzz style (Gentle, Pulse, Firm). Tapping one plays a sample.
• Notes and mood. In History, tap any session or hold to add a note and a simple "how did it feel" rating.
• Long-range progress and export. The Hold progress chart can cover a year or all time, and History's menu can export your holds and sessions to spreadsheet (CSV) files.
• Daily reminder. In Settings, turn on Daily reminder and choose a time. Android may ask to allow notifications.
• Backup and restore. In Settings, Save a backup writes one file with everything; Restore from a backup brings it back.
• Home-screen shortcuts. Long-press the app icon to start a hold, or Box or Slow breathing.
• Guided programs. On the home screen, the CO2 and O2 tables run a set of holds with timed rests and cues. You choose a reference hold, read the safety notes, and can end any hold or rest early. Never use them in or near water.

Tell a friend and About

The last two items in the menu are Tell a friend, which opens your phone's share sheet with a short message and links to the app, and About, which shows the version, safety notes and links to the Terms and Privacy Policy. The message never contains anything from your history.

Staying safe

Sit or lie down somewhere safe. Never hold your breath or breathe deeply and repeatedly in or near water, while driving, or anywhere fainting could hurt you. Stop if you feel dizzy, faint or unwell, and talk to a doctor first if you are pregnant or have a heart, lung or blood-pressure condition.