Questions
If something here is not answered, write to us and we will add it.
Using the app
What does Quietful cost?
Quietful is planned to be free on iPhone and iPad, with no premium tier at launch. The business runs on referrals to acoustic-treatment consultants for venues that want to fix a room.
Do I need an account?
No account is required. Submissions are tied to an anonymous device identity for history and abuse controls. The current app does not offer withdrawal.
Is there an Android version?
The first release is planned for iPhone and iPad; no Android version is planned for launch. Microphone behaviour varies more across Android hardware, and readings have to be comparable to be useful.
What if a venue is not on the map?
Add it while you are there. Search for the name, choose "Add this place", and take a reading. The venue appears once it has one reading, marked as new until it has five.
Readings and accuracy
How accurate is a phone microphone?
Quietful provides indicative estimates from consumer phone microphones. It is not a calibrated sound-level meter and should not be used for occupational or legal noise assessment.
How long does a reading take?
Fifteen seconds at minimum, sixty at most. A longer window is less sensitive to a single brief sound, and the app records the range as well as the average.
Where do the four tiers come from?
Quiet is under 55 dBA, Moderate 55 to 68 dBA, Loud 68 to under 80 dBA, Very Loud 80 dBA and above. These are Quietful display bands, not clinical or legal thresholds.
Why does a venue show a range instead of one number?
Because one average is not enough to plan an evening. A room that reads 58 dB at 2pm can run 74 dB at 7pm. Venue pages show the overall quietest and loudest readings, plus a separate hour-by-hour average chart.
Can readings be wrong or gamed?
A single reading can be. Suspected outliers are held out of a venue’s displayed aggregate for review, and a venue manager can flag a reading.
Sensory triggers
What counts as a trigger?
A named source or quality of sound rather than a loudness: loud music, clattering dishware, espresso grinder, hand dryers, kids’ play area, TV audio, and reverberation / hard to hear. People report what they heard; the list is fixed so reports stay comparable.
What happens when I select one?
Venues reported with that trigger are hidden from your results. You can see them again by clearing the filter; nothing is permanently removed.
Can a venue see which triggers I filter for?
No. Your trigger list is kept on your device. Venues see aggregate trigger reports for their own venue, never who filtered for what.
Privacy
Does Quietful record audio?
No. The microphone runs only while you are taking a reading, and only the loudness is measured. No audio is recorded, stored or sent anywhere.
What location data is kept?
We store the precise coordinate used to verify each submitted reading, the calculated distance from the venue, the venue and timestamps. Location is used while the app is open to show what is nearby; there is no background tracking.
Are my readings public?
Approved readings contribute to a venue's aggregates and may also appear individually with their time, value and tags. Quietful does not display your name. Your history is stored on Quietful's servers under your anonymous device identity.
For venues
Can I have a reading removed?
A reading can be flagged for review if it looks mistaken, taken at the wrong venue or taken during a private event. Readings are not removed for being unflattering.
What do I get by claiming a venue?
Your own noise trends by hour and day, what people report hearing, and the ability to flag readings. Claiming is free.
Can you help make the room quieter?
We refer venues to acoustic-treatment consultants. Readings often point to hard surfaces rather than crowd size; reverberation stays high even at half capacity, and that is a fixable problem.