* Why am I in gray? It's a reasonable thing to ask about an app with no server-side expenses.
lukko 3 hours ago [-]
Why is there a premium version? Lungy did take a long time to make and there are ongoing costs even if no server currently. This work was pre-LLM - a lot of care and attention went into making it and it would not be viable in any way without some kind of monetisation.
That said, there is a lifetime access option, so no subscription, and the free version is good too.
abcd_f 3 hours ago [-]
> Why is there a premium version?
Oh, common, don't twist the question, that's disingenuous. Not "a premium version". Why is it a subscription.
Why do think making people make recurrent payments for an otherwise static non-service app is reasonable?
$60 for a "lifetime" version is super steep, considering it's in the walled garden of the App Store, can't be backed up, can't be re-installed if it somehow disappears from the store, etc. For a desktop software it could potentially fly, but not for an iOS app.
lukko 2 hours ago [-]
I think there’s a misunderstanding - it’s not static, the exercises updated regularly and there are frequent updates, even if no server. As well as time and development costs, there are also ongoing costs from having an app live. If recurrent payments don’t work then there is a lifetime access option ($40), which is lower than many similar apps’ annual cost. I don’t think this is unreasonable at all.
wlesieutre 1 hours ago [-]
I agree, hate how everything is a subscription now but $40 is a reasonable price for lifetime access.
For better or worse (mostly worse) developing an iPhone app isn't like making software for Windows XP where you ship it and it's done and will still run 20 years later with no additional work. There will no doubt be ongoing expenses and continued development work to keep it functional on new devices and new OS versions. So I get why subscriptions are a thing (especially since Apple has never allowed for paid upgrade pricing), the part I don't get is how so many of them think I want to spend $15/month forever on an IoT toaster that will revolutionize my bagel experience with AI.
ungreased0675 2 hours ago [-]
The app is beautiful, but too expensive for me.
sealeck 18 minutes ago [-]
Just don't buy it?
tetha 4 hours ago [-]
> We’re also close to finishing the medical device version - http://lungy.health - designed as a pulmonary rehab platform for patients with asthma, it should hopefully undergo early trials in the UK in 2026.
This sounds great. Maybe there could also be something to help people support an asthma attack, or a beginning one. Breathing can be hard folks.
Mostly saying this, because this brought up memories of a situation where a woman on a bus had the beginnings of an asthmatic attack and then realized she didn't have her inhalator on her and started to stress out. The poor bus driver had no idea what do to and also started to panic. So I ended up just being here, helping her remember techniques like the coachman seat, pursed lip breathing, all while I was kinda fighting that on one hand, my inhalator is an entirely standard inhalator, but on the same time, handing out prescription medication like that can be really, really dangerous.
Sounds like you did a really great job - seeing an asthma attack unfold can be scary, and you were right to be very cautious in sharing your medication.
So, the health version will more be a collection of simple interventions which hopefully improve symptom control and quality of life, more day-to-day control than in asthma attacks.
spondylosaurus 5 hours ago [-]
Any plans for an Android version? I'd love to try it, but I'm on the other side of the Apple App Store wall :(
lukko 5 hours ago [-]
Yes, we would do this for any medical device version - there is a hurdle of porting over all the shader code, but actually with LLMs it should be much easier. I'm not sure whether to go fully Android native, or cross platform though..
sgt 5 hours ago [-]
My experience is that Android users tend not to want to spend money on apps that much, even IAP is tricky. So sometimes it's not worth the hassle to go multi platform.
FirmwareBurner 4 hours ago [-]
Considering it's a healthcare app, that PoV seems pretty daft and somewhat discriminatory. Catering to disabled people also isn't mega profitable, but we do it anyway.
An alternative PoV from me could be that going cross-platform means you can use the "rich users" iOS sales to subsidize the "poverty users" Android sales, same how our society does it with healthcare.
fao_ 7 hours ago [-]
A friend of mine was working on this exact thing about 2 years ago in collaboration with the NHS before Google pulled half their stack out from under them. Incredibly sad on the whole but glad that it's happening in some form.
lukko 7 hours ago [-]
Ah was it based on SpiroSmart at all? It's a smartphone tech Google purchased in around 2017 [0].
Yep, it has been tricky to get over the line as a medical device and used in the NHS, hence the focus more on wellness initially.
Having had an incentive spirometer prescribed for post-surgical use after being on bypass, my experience was that it seemed boring and like a waste of time, so anything that makes breathing exercises more engaging and feel more worthwhile is a win.
lukko 4 hours ago [-]
Yes, exactly - that's what I saw working on post-op wards – the spirometer would just sort of sit on the bedside and collect dust.
zackify 6 hours ago [-]
How would you compare to a general meditation app like “Waking Up” curious if you’ve used it.
lukko 6 hours ago [-]
In general, Lungy is more an active form of meditation, so rather than closing your eyes and listening to guided instructions or following a timer, it relies on the combination of real-time feedback (showing your breathing with interactive visuals) and the physiological effects of changing your breath pattern for relaxation. So, you focus on what is going on in the moment, as a form of mindfulness.
It's less 'cognitive' than other apps, but a few studies have shown breathing exercises are as effective for stress as guided meditation, but also much simpler to follow [0]. I'm always slightly surprised at how effective breathing is in helping relaxation - although it obviously makes a lot of physiological sense. So, Lungy is designed to make a practice simple / fun to do each day.
Me and my brethren have been using this tons :) I could most respectfully request a breathholding feature, hyping one up to hold ones breath for a minute and reminding to pass it left
hinkley 6 hours ago [-]
When I was a boy they called that “biofeedback”. Damn kids ruin everything.
lukko 5 hours ago [-]
Hahaha - we are adding in HRV & heart rate tracking - then I think we can officially call it 'biofeedback' :)
admiralrohan 4 hours ago [-]
Why are you linking your app to anxiety and stress for V2? The earlier launch post had no mention of that.
r0fl 6 hours ago [-]
I tried this when it first came out but it always felt gimmicky and didn’t work randomly
Will give it another try
Great idea and ux
lukko 6 hours ago [-]
Cool, thanks - its had quite a few updates since then. Will be interested to hear what you think.
amelius 5 hours ago [-]
FDA approval pending?
lukko 5 hours ago [-]
yep - it would be MHRA (UK) initially
prox 5 hours ago [-]
Thanks for the reminder, I used to use Lungy a lot. Forgot about it.
I just tried v1 again, it blocks me from using it because it wants the microphone but I don’t want to give access. Can you make it optional in settings? Just following the visual is enough for me.
Don’t think it needed it when I used it. Does v2 also have the same issue?
lukko 5 hours ago [-]
Yep - it's now fully optional, I think probably just delete the old version and go through onboarding again (and select No Mic Access). You'll then get a sort of simulated breathing response, rather than the actual input.
mromanuk 2 hours ago [-]
I'm working on a meditation app, using an llm as a guide. It tracks your heart rate using the main camera of the phone, later will add breathing. Soon to be released.
* Why am I in gray? It's a reasonable thing to ask about an app with no server-side expenses.
That said, there is a lifetime access option, so no subscription, and the free version is good too.
Oh, common, don't twist the question, that's disingenuous. Not "a premium version". Why is it a subscription.
Why do think making people make recurrent payments for an otherwise static non-service app is reasonable?
$60 for a "lifetime" version is super steep, considering it's in the walled garden of the App Store, can't be backed up, can't be re-installed if it somehow disappears from the store, etc. For a desktop software it could potentially fly, but not for an iOS app.
For better or worse (mostly worse) developing an iPhone app isn't like making software for Windows XP where you ship it and it's done and will still run 20 years later with no additional work. There will no doubt be ongoing expenses and continued development work to keep it functional on new devices and new OS versions. So I get why subscriptions are a thing (especially since Apple has never allowed for paid upgrade pricing), the part I don't get is how so many of them think I want to spend $15/month forever on an IoT toaster that will revolutionize my bagel experience with AI.
This sounds great. Maybe there could also be something to help people support an asthma attack, or a beginning one. Breathing can be hard folks.
Mostly saying this, because this brought up memories of a situation where a woman on a bus had the beginnings of an asthmatic attack and then realized she didn't have her inhalator on her and started to stress out. The poor bus driver had no idea what do to and also started to panic. So I ended up just being here, helping her remember techniques like the coachman seat, pursed lip breathing, all while I was kinda fighting that on one hand, my inhalator is an entirely standard inhalator, but on the same time, handing out prescription medication like that can be really, really dangerous.
Give this[1] a read, it's good to now :)
1: https://www.pari.com/int/blog/breathing-excercise-asthma/
So, the health version will more be a collection of simple interventions which hopefully improve symptom control and quality of life, more day-to-day control than in asthma attacks.
An alternative PoV from me could be that going cross-platform means you can use the "rich users" iOS sales to subsidize the "poverty users" Android sales, same how our society does it with healthcare.
Yep, it has been tricky to get over the line as a medical device and used in the NHS, hence the focus more on wellness initially.
[0] https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/alphabet-acquires-seno...
Having had an incentive spirometer prescribed for post-surgical use after being on bypass, my experience was that it seemed boring and like a waste of time, so anything that makes breathing exercises more engaging and feel more worthwhile is a win.
It's less 'cognitive' than other apps, but a few studies have shown breathing exercises are as effective for stress as guided meditation, but also much simpler to follow [0]. I'm always slightly surprised at how effective breathing is in helping relaxation - although it obviously makes a lot of physiological sense. So, Lungy is designed to make a practice simple / fun to do each day.
[0] https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2023/02/cyclic-sighin...
Great idea and ux
I just tried v1 again, it blocks me from using it because it wants the microphone but I don’t want to give access. Can you make it optional in settings? Just following the visual is enough for me.
Don’t think it needed it when I used it. Does v2 also have the same issue?