Apnea Trainer App Reviews

I am a recreational spearfishing freediver who has been casually freediving for many years. My starting max breath hold was 2:30 when I recently started to take training more seriously. Impressed by the high review count I purchased this app along with a few others. I thought this would be a comprehensive apnea training app, but it definitely is not. It is a Yoga based diaphragm exercise app which has one single exercise to increase lung capacity and help calm the diver. That’s it. There are no CO2 or O2 tables despite a miss leading review that references them. Also, there is very little instruction on how to breathe correctly (although if you go in the FAQ there is a little more information). You start with an exhale test and then it gives you three numbers and dumps you into the exercise. The exercise screen does not give you any indication of how long your session is supposed to continue, and they do not give a prompt to explain why each component of the exercise is what it is. To be fair, I do like the exercise that is in this app and I think it is a good complement to a broader training regiment. If you have no apnea history whatsoever I could see this app alone doubling your max static apnea time really quickly, but to be a paid app titled “Apnea Trainer” it should include CO2 and O2 tables, as well as this exercise, along with regularly updated recommendations for when you should do each. There should be a training plan that you can look at and customize, which would be updated with your performance in each session, and each of the exercises should be well explained with information before and after each session with tips on techniques and safety along with links to additional content on the subject. This app could so easily be so much more, but it was sadly less than expected and it is described in a way that makes you think it could be more than it is.

I started using this app as to augment my training for free diving. I find that it is also simply enjoyable. In a doctor’s waiting room, for instance, it’s a fun way to kill waiting time productively.

Its such an amazing and useful app that i use everyday

I’m just beginning to train for free-diving, and this app has already helped me double my breath-hold time. I especially like using the CO2 exercise table, and the fact that the app automatically updates my settings when I use the built-in stopwatch to set my new records. Doing these tables everyday will definitely help you improve your static dry apnea times.

Really helps me focus on my breath. Clears my mind. And the app has become much nicer over the years

It’s a quality app! They could probably ask for a higher price; I have to say it’s worth every penny because they’re only asking for pennies! I tried to save money by using free breathing exercise apps before this, and they were much more frustrating. This doesn’t lock you out, give quality workout instructions, and looks great!

I just started diving recently and have researched a lot of different tools for apnea training. This app has been amazing! Super easy to use and multiple options for training types. Happy spearfishing all!!

Below is my original review from a long time ago however I wanted to give this latest version and the designers another 5 stars if I could. So just to update, the app is great in every way. A few changes along the way has made it even better. One more thing I would like to have (and the app may already have it I just haven’t found it) is a sound confirmation that I have started the timer. Not a tic tic tic but just a beep on start to let me know I have started the clock without looking. Great app! If you freedive or just want to learn how to relax deeper I highly recommend this app. “This app is simple to use with several great features that simply get results fast! The developer's response to support and feature requests is awesome. This app has helped change the way I breath, which changes everything.”

Use it every morning to set my state!

This app could be great but it misses CO2 or 02 tables, which are the basis of apnea. I would not recommend it to a friend

My instructor has me inhale exhale hold, so that my hold is without any air in my lungs you should allow the user to change around those options with regards to your narration.

The app is not intuitive. The explanation of setting it up is sort of vague. I think it needs more instruction or video on how to set it up and use it.

An easy way to keep cadence with breathing and focus on the breath instead of timing. I love it and use it daily.

UPDATE: timer is now defaulting to 23:05:00 vs 00:05:00 as the developer has indicated is the default below. No response to emails sent with screenshots of such. While it’s a minor issue, there’s simply no need for a timer to even go to these ranges. A better setup would be to emulate that of the recent change to iOS where a user can set hours, minutes, and seconds. First, I don’t free dive but needed something that would give me focused breath control practice. This app is pretty simple but gets the job done. For my purpose, at least. I use it for a guided relaxation breathing practice because I’m lousy about doing it on my own. It does have a couple quirks: 1. The timer isn’t labeled so you have no idea that the left number is HOURS and the right is MINUTES. And for some reason, it defaults to 17:05:00. 17 HOURS!?!?!? 2. The instructions for the app are lacking and some of the App Preferences (AM/PM time) have no explanation of what they do so you have to toggle them on/off and “search” for what change took place. Overall, don’t know that’s its worth $2.99 though.

This program is really good, underwater breathing has not been my strong suit, guiding me through it later can finally show off in front of friends.

it is a handy app for divers to stay longer underwater. I also could train your breath to have more oxygen.

This is one of my favorite apps. If you want to increase your breath hold time underwater this is the best way to do it. I love it and 5 stars!!

I refuse to update to IOS6. Ios5 is better over all, no bugs, and I get to keep google maps. Now you are leaving me in the dust.

This app has made some awesome improvements over the versions. Naturally this is the best yet.

Simple and great

great app & easy to use

I love diving. This app can help me improve my breathing technique. This app is so useful. It is worth the money. I recommend this app for divers. This app can let divers stay underwater even longer time.

a great breath training software. Software is based on yoga techniques to exercise breathing techniques, making the underwater exhale have more time. Interface is easy to use, breathing training tips with sound and images, very convenient. Very professional training methods, adjust according to your own training schedule. Highly recommended.

I used to be able to hold my breath for 20 sec, now I can hold it for about 1 min 30 sec

This app is not a static apnea trainer. All this app does is give different patterns of breathing in, holding breath, and breathing out. It gives no explanation or instruction as to how the process helps you to improve. There are no tables showing progression in breath holds. There are no O2 or CO2 tables, only a stop watch. This app is an endless breath up cycle program that doesn't explain what breathing up is. If I could get a refund I would. This app is a total waste of time and money.

Love the updates!

Nice basic app for breathing techniques! I absolutely love this app! It is typically hard to get motivated to apnea train mostly because it is inconvenient.

It taught me to improve diving skills. With its help, I was able to stay underwater longer. It is great. I need more languages support.

I have moderate asthma and I use this app most mornings to get my breathing back under control. The only improvement I would like to see is to be able to set a ratio for the advanced setting (say, 1:3:2:1) and change the multiplier, rather than having to enter four values every time I want to change it. However, I consider this a very minor issue. Thanks guys!

I didn't find the instructions to be particularly useful. This app doesn't have CO2/O2 Tables, which many divers find to be very effective. The app basically has 4 main features: 1) inhale, breath hold, exhale; and 2) inhale, breath hold, exhale, breath hold; 3) timer; 4) ability to log sessions. User interface is nice

The best breath hold program which I tried. This app helps you to keep your breathing technique.

I like diving, this application is useful to me.I use it to exercise recently, I hope I can stay underwater for a long time next dive.If you add more language support is even better.

Good app I love it! <3

Great features and starting to see great results

Does what it's supposed to!!!

This app can help divers improve his breathing technique and stay underwater even longer. It's a very fun app.

This app is so cool. It’s easy to use and work well. It can help you improve your breathing technique. I recommend this app for diving fans. This app can let them stay underwater even longer time. Thank you for a good app!

Great app! My only complaint is for the reminders, it only shows up on the lock screen, NOT the app itself.

Countdown and vibrate modes do not work on my IPhone 5s.

Good app, O2 & CO2 tables would be nice in future update (very important for apnea training) and some minimalistic iOS8 redesign : )

This app is perfect if your training for advanced swimming in the marine corps

I can use this application to train my lung capacity improve my breathing techniques and improve my breath technology. So I can spend more time in the water.

I really like this app, easy to use and we'll made! Way better than doing it manually in your head or having another person count every day!

I thought I would really like this app based on the reviews but I was very disappointed. The main routine is very limited and the custom routine is not much better. Frankly I feel a little ripped off as I paid money for this and am now going back to a stopwatch and tables on the Internet.

Awesome app! Great break in the day to think about surfing

I love this! How often is too much?

What makes it the best? I feel it's the audible count down option. You can put relaxing sounds, or music on and not have to concentrate on the app just your breathing. Also total control of inhale, exhale, breath retention make this app a real winner. UPDATE: l have deleted all of my other breathing apps and just use this one. Like I said earlier the audio makes this app the over all winner among breathing apps. You experience mind fullness using this app. The exercises are so relaxing with this app. Thank you developers. Hard to articulate this app, you must experience it.

This app more then doubled my dive time in just a couple months! I just did a trip to Maui and I owe all of the great shots I got to Apnea Trainer! The fish don't come to you, so you need to go to them! And great job with the new update guys! Now I'll be able to use my iPhone underwater housing with this app! :)

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

Vibration feature not working with new update

As a fairly serious freedriver, I was happty osee an apnea traning app for my phone. It seemd to work pretty well. I’ve improved my breath hold by 45 seconds. The audible cadence is extremely useful, as it allows you to relax completely withou worrying about time.Very easy to use. This one is totally awesome

Here’s the perfect app to help you improve your breathing technique and let you stay underwater even longer on your next diving vacation. Good app

Doubled my max static breath hold from 1 min to 2 min in just 6 days.

Not bad it has some basic training methods and will keep track of your breath hold on a chart. Things that could be added would be a negative breath hold tracker, some more info on goal setting and how depth affects breath hold could be helpful. Overall not worth the money.

So user friendly with awesome results. After 1 week I could hold my breath a whole minute longer .It has an auto timer so all you do is listen. Great for a free trainer

Fast and affective and a fun challenge

Application is great. But I know my long swim underwater for a long time is not easy at all. Thanks to the application, I could practice the skills in the water longer, like a clock app biological my health. I really liked it. Thanks

Really great app... besides the fact that I have to stare at your app to keep the clock running instead of it speaking to me in the background while I’m watching a relaxing dive video.

I bought this app to help with my physical performance. It is great to use as a timer for the breathing protocols. I believe I originally heard it mentioned by Tim Ferriss or Gabby Reese in a podcast or interview. It does everything I need it to.

This app is saweet. I used the app three days 15 minutes each time and increased my breathe hold by 50 seconds. It's really easy to use.

This app is grate in just one week I did it 3 times a day is went from 33seconds two 1:33seconds this app grate not a waste of money it's totally worth it.

Works as advertised. Key is practice.

I started this app two weeks ago and have been doing 4 sessions a week with 10 min sessions . I started at 1:45 and I am now at 3:07 !!! Never thought I'd be able to do that. Thank you!

The app doesn't work as intended. There are no tables and the progression is glitchy. It jumps from beginner to the hardest difficulty. The other reviews are very misleading and once you go on the app, if you look under the frequently asked questions, one asks how they got their formula for breathing; they claim it's based on an ancient yoga technique and ask us to "trust them" based on the reviews because it "works". It doesn't actually work at all. I'm led to believe the other reviews are all made up or people that had never tried to hold their breath before and were misled by the app into believing they were worse when they started than when they finished. Now I'm going to e-mail apple and ask for a refund.

This app really helped me improve my breathing technique and let me stay underwater for a long time. I would gladly pay for this app because it is useful, amazing. You can enjoy some of the amazing features on this app. It perfect for people who like to swim, I would really appreciate.

The 5 star reviews here are very misleading & a little fishy, this app cannot do very many things. No o2 or Co2 tables. A little better than a stopwatch is a very good description. Very dissatisfied!

I've tried a couple other apnea training apps, including ones with more bells and whistles, but this one is my favorite so far - easy to navigate and modify, but still gives me what I need. I improved my static breath holding from 30 seconds to 2:30 in 15 days. Great app for diving trainers

A great help to me apnea trainer application. It offers three different training mode. You can improve my breath hold time.

So I started at one minute with comfort but after 14 apnea breath ups I went to 1.5 minutes like it was nothing! The important thing is to do a breath up BEFORE holding which I think a lot of negative reviewers forgot about. There's also three types one for apnea one for prior the breath hold and another called "pro" I don't really understand. You also get an autograph for the stop watch. For three bucks you get a coach to count you through the holds and a graph that's mostly automatic. Not bad. This is a basic app, but worth the money. I hope to see future updates to better define the purpose of each exercise or better frame the students goals. Without outside reading it's hard to know how you should be goal setting .

Does not work in background when navigating away from page. Good breath holding techniques but why have no option for C02 tables?

Does exactly what it is supposed to. Simple to use. Can set own settings. I do wish some background on pranayama benefit was mentioned as opposed to the apnea training part but still a great app. Great during chest cold season to stay well oxidized.

I started off holding my breath at 1 minute 11 secounds now after using it i can hold my breath for 2 minutes 5 secounds!!!

I can practice apnea training through this software. The design is very simple. Choose different training modes. Improve my breathing techniques.

I am a surfer, and getting held under from a wave will make you lose your breathe really fast, but since I've been using this I can relax and not have to worry about it anymore! Great app!

If you're serious about apnea training, look elsewhere. If you want to hold your breath a little longer, go for it

In accordance with the training plan for the training, it helps you improve your breathing techniques, to extend the time spent underwater, great.

This app is very useful.especially when I was studing swimming.This app help me a lot.I recommend this app to you.Cool!