YSK that the free and not-for-profit meditation app Medito had a huge update and is even better now
Built by a dutch non-profit, Medito is a meditation app that is completely free without ads, supported by donations from the community. The new update brought a completely new interface and new content.
The source code is on GitHub and the app is available for iOS and Android. Sadly the F-Droid version didn't receive the update yet.
I'm not affiliated with Medito, just a meditator who has used Medito for 3 years now. It helped me a lot, and maybe it can help some of you too. Have a nice day.
I can't meditate without direction yet. I need the app ( I don't use this one, but I will when my free year runs out ) to keep me focused while I learn how to meditate. It seemed contradictory to me at first ,too, until I tried it for myself.
Guided meditation is by far the best way to start and is always relevant. At some point an app might not cut it much more, and a meditation teacher will always beat an app, but an app beats nothing, at least for begginers.
Apps can do some things that recordings cannot do. For instance, Waking Up allows you to lengthen the daily meditation by lengthening the silences between instructions. This can be really helpful if you find the instructions come too quickly, or if you are trying to lengthen your ability to maintain focus. It's the same recorded material, just with tailored silence duration.
I have tried a few other apps as I struggle with even trying to meditate, and all of the popular ones are naggy 'please engage me' hell that tries to force a paid subscription. Haven't heard of this one, and it looks like it will be the actual thing it is supposed to be!
Version 3.0 introduces a hard dependency on Google Play Services due to the app refusing to load any content if Firebase Cloud Messaging is unavailable. This regression (#581) will need to be addressed before Medito can be released on F-Droid
This is really cool, I was looking for an alternative to things like Calm
I think it should get reviewed and listed on Mozilla's PrivacyNotIncluded page for mental health apps. That's where I checked, and I imagine others do as well.
I'll try submitting it later unless someone else gets to it first :)
I like the app, but I don't like the update. By adding graphics (that add no value) you have to do more scrolling to find what you are looking for. Still absolutely worth using though since their content is good.
For the WakingUp app you can get a free year if you just send them an email and ask. Same with the podcast.
Or you can try it free for 30 days by using this link that I as a paid member can share around. I don't benefit anything if you use that link. I can also share full lenght podcast episodes so if there's one you're curious about just hit me up and I'll send you a link.