stille.theill.com

Yes. Stille bundles all three of its ten-minute sound recordings inside the iPhone app, so a full session — from the first tap to the closing gong — works with no connection at all. You can also lock your screen or pause mid-session without losing the session. What follows is how each of those situations actually behaves, based on how the app describes itself.

Offline use: what's actually stored on your phone

Stille is an unguided meditation app for iPhone. Its core loop is one button and a fixed ten-minute session, and the audio that fills that session is not streamed.

• Three bundled recordings. The app ships with three ten-minute sound recordings included in the app itself. There is no session catalog to browse and no download step before you start.
• No account, no setup. You open the app and tap Meditate. Nothing needs to authenticate against a server first, which is why a session can begin with the phone in airplane mode.
• No connection required for a complete session. Because the sound is local, the ten-minute boundary and the soft finishing gong all run without network access.

The practical consequence: offline is not a degraded mode in Stille. It is the normal mode. If you meditate on a plane, in a basement, or with mobile data off to avoid interruptions, the session is the same one you'd get online.

Locking the screen and pausing

Stille is designed around the idea that you shouldn't have to babysit the phone during a session. The app's own description of a session includes three ways to let the sound run:

1. Watch the water — keep the screen on and look at the visual.
2. Close your eyes — the sound continues regardless of what you're looking at.
3. Lock your screen — playback continues with the phone locked, so the session isn't tied to the display being awake.

Pausing is equally open-ended. The app states you can "pause whenever you need." There's no penalty structure attached to stopping:

• No streaks to protect.
• No rating or feeling to submit at the end.
• No requirement to finish — you tap Done when you're ready to carry on.

So an interruption (a call, someone at the door, a moment where you lose focus) doesn't break anything. You pause, resume when you can, or end early. The session only counts toward your stats once it's completed, and completion is marked by the gong.

What gets recorded, and where

If you're choosing an offline app partly because you don't want your practice logged on someone else's server, this matters:

There is no account and nothing to share. The app explicitly notes your history stays on your iPhone, and there's no social or sharing layer. The calendar view unlocks after your third meditation, and each additional session on a given day adds a ripple to that day — a small visual record rather than a score.

Choosing this over a guided app

Stille is deliberately narrow: sound, a ten-minute boundary, a gentle ending. It has no spoken lessons and no sleep stories. If what you want is instruction, a large library, or guided sessions, this isn't the tool for that — the app itself points to comparisons for those cases.

The offline question is really a proxy for a bigger one: do you want a session that starts the instant you tap, with nothing to load and nothing to sign into? If yes, Stille's bundled audio and local-only history are the whole point. If you need guidance or variety, look at guided apps instead and treat offline support as one filter among several.

Stille and Headspace serve opposite ends of the meditation app spectrum. Stille is an unguided iPhone app built around one button and a fixed ten-minute session — no account, no subscription, no spoken instruction. Headspace is a guided meditation platform with a large content library of lessons, courses, and sleep stories, typically accessed through a paid subscription. If you already know how to meditate and just want a timer with gentle sound, Stille fits. If you want to be taught or prefer variety, Headspace is the more natural choice.

The core difference: unguided vs. guided

Stille gives you sound, a ten-minute boundary, and a soft closing gong. That's the whole session. There are no spoken lessons or sleep stories, and nothing to choose before you start — no session catalog, no duration picker. You open the app, tap Meditate, and listen to one of three bundled recordings until the gong brings you back.

Headspace is the inverse: its value is the instruction. Guided meditations, themed courses, and narrated content are the point, which is why it needs a catalog and a way to browse it.

This isn't a quality judgment — it's a fit question. Stille's own framing is "for when you already know what you need." If you want instruction or a large library, an unguided app will feel empty.

Side-by-side

The rows that matter most for most people are the first two. Everything else follows from whether you want to be guided.

What Stille actually does

Stille's flow is deliberately minimal:

1. Open the app and tap Meditate — this starts a ten-minute session.
2. Listen to one of three bundled recordings. You can watch the water animation, close your eyes, or lock your screen.
3. Pause whenever you need to.
4. A soft gong marks the end. Tap Done and move on — there's no rating or feeling to submit.

On the stats side, Stille counts completed sessions and total hours in quiet. After your third meditation, a monthly calendar marks each day you meditated, and extra sessions on the same day add a ripple. A month-by-month list shows how your time adds up. There are no streaks to protect and nothing to share — your history stays on your iPhone.

Two practical points that come up often: Stille requires no account and no signup, and all three recordings are bundled in the app so sessions work offline, including with the screen locked.

When Headspace is the better pick

Choose Headspace if any of these describe you:

• You're new to meditation and want to be talked through it.
• You want different session lengths, themes, or teachers.
• You want sleep content, courses, or a structured program.
• You value a large, regularly updated library over a single fixed format.

Choose Stille if:

• You already have a practice and just need a quiet ten-minute container.
• You don't want an account, ads, or a subscription.
• You want to tap once and start, with nothing to browse or decide.
• You want sessions to work offline without managing downloads.

A note on cost and commitment

Stille is described as free with no subscription, no account, and no ads. Headspace is typically subscription-based, though the exact plans, prices, and trial terms aren't covered here — check Headspace directly for current pricing before deciding. The practical difference is that Stille asks nothing of you beyond the tap, while Headspace asks for an account and usually a payment.

The short version

These apps aren't really competitors so much as answers to different questions. Headspace answers "teach me and keep me interested." Stille answers "I know what to do — just give me ten quiet minutes." If you're unsure, ask whether you'd rather follow a voice or sit in silence. That single preference decides it.

Stille is a free iPhone meditation app built around a single action: open the app, tap Meditate, and a ten-minute session begins. There is no account, no session catalog, and no duration to choose. You listen to one of three bundled recordings until a soft gong marks the end, then tap Done. It suits anyone who already knows they want ten quiet minutes and doesn't want to browse, sign up, or be guided through spoken instruction.

What you need before starting

• An iPhone with Stille installed.
• No account, signup, or setup step — the app opens straight into the session screen.
• No internet connection required. All three ten-minute sound recordings are bundled in the app, so sessions work offline.

Step-by-step: one session from tap to gong

1. Open the app. There is no login screen and nothing to configure.
2. Tap Meditate. This starts a ten-minute session. You don't pick a length — ten minutes is the only option.
3. Choose how to listen. Pick one of the three bundled recordings. You can watch the water on screen, close your eyes, or lock your screen — playback continues either way.
4. Pause if you need to. Pausing is available at any point during the session.
5. Wait for the gong. A soft gong marks the end of the ten minutes.
6. Tap Done. There is no rating, no mood check-in, and no feeling to submit. The session simply ends and you carry on.

The expected result is a completed ten-minute session with no interaction beyond the initial tap and the final confirmation.

What Stille deliberately leaves out

Stille is an unguided meditation app. Everything needed for a session is inside the app, but that also means some things are absent by design:

If you want instruction or a large library of content, Stille is not built for that. If you want to press one button and begin, it is.

Checking your progress

Stille counts your completed sessions and the hours you've spent in quiet. After your third meditation, a monthly calendar marks each day you meditated, and every extra session on a given day adds a ripple — described as like a stone dropped in still water. A month-by-month list shows how your time adds up.

Two things to note about this history: there are no streaks to protect, and nothing is shared. Your history stays on your iPhone.

Common snags

• Looking for a duration setting. There isn't one. Ten minutes is fixed.
• Expecting guidance mid-session. The recordings are sound only — no voice walking you through the practice.
• Worried about locking your screen. Locking the screen is fine; the session continues.
• Assuming you need to be online. You don't. The recordings are stored in the app.

When this approach fits

Stille fits a specific situation: you already know what you need, and what you need is ten minutes of gentle sound with a clear beginning and end. The whole interaction is open, tap, listen, hear the gong, tap Done. If that matches how you want to meditate, there is nothing further to set up.

Stille is a free iPhone meditation app built around a single action: open it, tap Meditate, and listen to ten minutes of gentle sound that ends with a soft gong. There is no account, no session catalog, no duration to pick, and no subscription. It suits people who already know they want to sit quietly for ten minutes and don't want instruction, browsing, or a library to choose from. If you want guided lessons or sleep stories, it isn't the right tool.

What a session actually looks like

The whole flow is short enough to describe in five steps:

1. Open the app and tap Meditate. There is no signup and nothing to configure first.
2. A ten-minute session starts. You don't choose a length.
3. Listen to one of three bundled recordings. You can watch the water on screen, close your eyes, or lock your screen.
4. Pause whenever you need to.
5. A soft gong marks the end. Tap Done and move on — there's no rating or "how do you feel" prompt to submit.

That's the entire product. The design intent is stated plainly on the site: "Less to do. More room to be."

Key characteristics

The stats feature

Stille counts your completed sessions and the hours you've spent in quiet. After your third meditation, a monthly calendar marks each day you meditated, and every extra session on a given day adds a ripple — described as "like a stone dropped in still water." A month-by-month list shows how your time adds up.

Two things it deliberately avoids: there are no streaks to protect, and nothing is shareable. Your history stays on your iPhone.

Who it's for — and who it isn't

A good fit if you:

• Already know what you need from a session and just want to start
• Prefer silence or ambient sound over spoken guidance
• Want to avoid accounts, ads, and subscriptions
• Meditate on a plane, in a basement, or anywhere without a connection
• Dislike streak pressure and social sharing

Probably not a fit if you:

• Want spoken lessons, courses, or sleep stories
• Want to choose session lengths or pick from a large library
• Need structured instruction to get started

The site is explicit about this trade-off: "For when you already know what you need." It also notes that if you want instruction or a large library, its comparison pages can help you choose something else.

Common questions

Do I need to create an account? No. The app has no account and no setup.

Does it work without internet? Yes. All three ten-minute recordings are bundled in the iPhone app, so sessions work offline, including with the screen locked.

Is it really free? The site describes it as free with no subscription. No pricing page or payment platform is listed, and no paid tier is mentioned.

Can I pick a different length? No. Meditate always starts a ten-minute session.

What happens to my data? Your session history stays on your iPhone. There is nothing to share and no streak to maintain.

How to decide

If the description above matches what you want — one tap, ten minutes, a gong, done — Stille is aimed directly at you. If any part of that sounds too limiting, the site's own comparison pages (including a Stille vs Headspace comparison) are the place to check alternatives before committing.

Yes. Stille is built to run with no account, no signup, and no login. You open the app, tap Meditate, and a ten-minute session begins. Because there is no account, there is also no server-side profile of you — your session history stays on your iPhone. The trade-off is that your history lives only on that device, so it won't follow you to a new phone unless you restore from a backup.

What you can do without an account

Everything the app is designed for works without identifying yourself:

• Start a ten-minute session with one tap
• Listen to one of three bundled recordings
• Lock your screen or close your eyes during the session
• Pause whenever you need
• Hear the soft finishing gong and tap Done

There is no session catalog, no duration to choose, and no spoken lessons or sleep stories. The page describes Stille as an unguided meditation app for iPhone: sound, a ten-minute boundary, and a gentle ending. None of that requires a profile.

What Stille stores, and where

Stille keeps a record of your practice, but it stays local:

The page states plainly that your history stays on your iPhone. There are no streaks to protect and nothing to share — no rating or feeling to submit after a session.

Why this matters if privacy is your priority

The no-account design means there is no email, password, or profile tied to your meditation. Your usage record is a local artifact on your device rather than something stored against an identity. For people who want a meditation timer without another login to manage, that is the main appeal.

Two practical consequences follow from "local only":

• A new phone won't inherit your stats automatically. If you set up a new iPhone without restoring your data, the session count and calendar start fresh.
• Deleting the app removes the record. Since the history isn't held anywhere else, uninstalling takes it with it.

What Stille is not

If you want guided instruction, a large library of sessions, or sleep stories, this isn't that app — the page points to its comparisons for choosing between meditation apps. Stille is for the case where you already know what you need: press one button and begin.

It's also worth noting what the page does not claim. It says "free · no subscription · offline sound," and describes the app as having no account, ads, or subscription. It doesn't promise anything about syncing, cloud backup, or cross-device history — consistent with a design where your data never leaves the phone.

Quick answer

• Account required? No.
• Where is your history stored? On your iPhone.
• Can you share or compare stats? No sharing feature; no streaks.
• Does it work offline? Yes — all three ten-minute recordings are bundled in the app.
• What happens if you switch phones? Your local history doesn't transfer on its own.