Snoring apps and sleep trackers: what they can and can't tell you

What’s going on

There are two kinds of tools here, and they do different jobs.

• Snoring apps use your phone’s microphone. They record sound through the night and flag the parts that sound like snoring.
• Wearables like smartwatches and rings use motion and other sensors. A few now have FDA-authorized features that look for signs of sleep apnea.

Neither is a sleep test. The AASM says consumer sleep technology can’t be used to diagnose or treat sleep disorders. It can be a useful starting point for a talk with a clinician.

What a snoring app can tell you

Snoring apps are good at one thing: showing whether you snore, when, and roughly how much. Two studies of SnoreLab, a popular snoring app, found:

1. They catch heavy snoring well. One 2021 study compared SnoreLab with a home breathing monitor in 19 healthy adults, for one night. The app was accurate for people who snored more than half the night.
2. They miss breathing pauses. In the same study, the app couldn’t detect obstructive events, the breathing stops that define sleep apnea.
3. Phones differ. A 2020 study ran SnoreLab on three phones at once, for 30 nights in one person. The phones broadly agreed but gave different loudness readings and scores.

That makes an app useful for tracking your own snoring over time. Use the same phone, in the same spot, each night.

A good use: checking whether a fix works

1. Record a baseline. Run the app for three or four normal nights.
2. Change one thing. Try side sleeping Some, less alcohol Some near bedtime or a nasal strip.
3. Compare. Look at total snoring time and loud snoring, not just the app’s overall score.

What it can’t tell you

• Whether you have sleep apnea. The app hears sound, not oxygen levels or breathing effort.
• Whether quiet means safe. The app can’t detect breathing pauses, so a quiet night on the app doesn’t rule out apnea.
• Anything a physician can act on alone. A recording can help a clinician decide on testing, but it isn’t a test.

If a recording has long silences followed by snorts or gasps, share it with a physician.

What smartwatch apnea alerts do

Two well-known watch features have FDA authorization. Both are for adults who haven’t been diagnosed with sleep apnea, and both only flag risk.

Apple Watch

Apple’s Sleep Apnea Notification Feature was cleared in September 2024 (K240929). It uses the watch’s motion sensor to track breathing disturbances and reviews them in 30-day windows. If it sees a pattern suggesting moderate to severe apnea, it sends a notification.

The FDA file says it isn’t meant to diagnose, treat or help manage sleep apnea. In Apple’s study, it flagged about two-thirds of people who had moderate to severe apnea. It rarely flagged people without moderate to severe apnea.

Samsung Galaxy Watch

Samsung’s Sleep Apnea Feature was authorized in February 2024 (DEN230041). You turn it on and wear the watch for two nights. It’s for adults 22 and older and checks only for possible moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.

Samsung’s own label says the watch can’t catch every case and can’t detect central sleep apnea. In its study, it flagged about 83% of people with moderate to severe apnea. It also flagged about 1 in 8 people without moderate to severe apnea.

No alert doesn’t mean no apnea

Apple’s FDA summary says it directly: the absence of a notification isn’t meant to show the absence of sleep apnea. Neither feature looks for mild apnea.

If you have warning signs, don’t wait for your watch. Loud snoring with pauses, gasping, or heavy daytime sleepiness is enough reason to see a physician.

Wearables vs. a home sleep test

A home sleep apnea test is a medical test. The AASM describes it this way:

• A provider orders it after deciding you’re likely to have moderate to severe apnea.
• It measures your breathing and blood oxygen through sensors you wear for a night. Some also track heart rate.
• A sleep team scores it, and a sleep doctor goes over the results with you.
• A negative result may need follow-up. If your symptoms still fit, an in-lab sleep study may come next.

A wearable estimates risk from indirect signals over many nights. A home test measures breathing directly, and a physician uses it to diagnose. See home sleep apnea tests for how the process works.

What a dentist or doctor can do

Bring your data. The AASM says consumer sleep data can help the conversation when it’s part of a proper clinical evaluation.

A physician can review your symptoms, order a home or in-lab sleep test and diagnose sleep apnea if it’s there. If you have simple snoring, a dentist trained in dental sleep medicine can talk with you about a mouthpiece Strong.

Not sure whether to ask about testing? Start with our “Should I get tested?” checklist, or read snoring or sleep apnea?