Interval Bells & Meditation Sounds
Timefully is a meditation timer with interval bells: bells that ring during your session — at set times or repeating — to mark stages of practice without ending the sit. Sessions are built from segments (warm-up · main · intervals · cool-down), each with its own start, end, and interval bell. On iOS there are 40 bell sounds — 12 free and 28 premium — including Tibetan bells, singing bowls, gongs, wind chimes, and flutes; on Android there are 30+ bell types. Intervals can also be silent, marked by a haptic tap instead of a sound.
This guide covers interval bells, the Sound Library, ambient music, custom audio, and volume control — on both iOS and Android, tagged where they differ.
How do I add interval bells to a session?
Interval bells live inside each segment of a preset, on both iOS and Android. Edit a preset, select a segment, and configure its bells:
- Edit a preset and select a segment.
- Start bell — plays when the segment begins. Toggle on/off.
- End bell — plays when the segment ends. Toggle on/off.
- Interval bell — plays at regular intervals during the segment (e.g., every 5 minutes). Set the interval and toggle on/off.
A preset with multiple segments (warm-up, main, cool-down) carries its own bell configuration per segment — so a single session can ring several different interval bells as it moves through its phases.
Can interval bells repeat automatically?
Yes, on both iOS and Android. An interval bell repeats at whatever cadence you set — for example every 5 minutes — for as long as the segment runs.
Can I set multiple interval bells in one session?
On Android, every interval bell configured for a session fires — a fix that shipped in version 1.0.4, so sessions with several interval bells (for example one per segment) play every one of them. On iOS, each segment carries its own single interval bell, and a session can have multiple segments (warm-up, main, cool-down), each with its own bell — so a multi-segment sit still rings several bells across the session.
Can an interval be silent?
Yes, on both platforms. For completely silent sessions (e.g., meditating in a quiet space or with others):
- Disable Start bell, End bell, and Interval bell.
Alternatively, enable Haptic only mode — bells trigger vibration instead of sound. This is especially useful on Apple Watch (iOS) for silent meditation with tactile feedback at interval boundaries.
Which bell sounds can I use?
On iOS, the Sound Library contains 40 bell sounds — 12 free and 28 premium — organized into categories:
Core Bells (Free, iOS)
Free bells include Tibetan bell, Zen bell, Chime, Digital, Bowl, and Bell, among others.
Premium Bells (Pro, iOS)
Premium bells include, among others:
- Singing bowls — Multiple sizes and tones, from deep resonance to bright clarity
- Tibetan bells — Extended collection of Himalayan instruments
- Gongs — Deep, expansive tones
- Wind chimes — Gentle, layered melodies
- Flutes — Soft, meditative woodwind tones
- Crystal singing bowl — Clear, high-pitched, sustained tones
All premium bells are recorded in lossless quality.
On Android, there are 30+ bell types, with fade-in and volume control, spanning Tibetan bells, prayer bowls, a crystal singing bowl, and Chinese flutes.
Tip (iOS): Open the Sound Library from Settings to preview every bell before selecting it. Try a few different types to find what resonates with your practice.
Do interval bells work on Apple Watch?
Yes — Apple Watch intervals are 1:1 with iPhone, so the same segment and bell configuration you set on iPhone plays identically on the wrist (since Timefully 5.7). This is an iOS/Apple Watch feature; there is no Android Wear OS companion app today.
Does Timefully have ambient sounds?
On iOS, you can connect Apple Music or Spotify and bring your own gentle music into the timer as an ambient layer (since version 5.8.1), with discreet playback controls — skip, pause, and resume without leaving your session. The sound eases in as you begin and rests when you pause.
This is an iOS feature; it is not part of the Android app today.
Can I import my own sounds?
On iOS (Pro), you can import your own audio files as bell sounds:
- Go to Settings → Sound Library → Custom.
- Import an audio file from your device.
- Assign it to start, end, or interval bells in any preset.
How do I control bell and ambient volume?
- Bell volume — Separate slider for bell volume, on both iOS and Android.
- Ambient playback (iOS) — Skip, pause, and resume your connected Apple Music or Spotify track without leaving the timer; volume follows the connected music app.
- Device volume — Bells and sounds respect your device volume. Ensure your device is not muted.
- Fade-in and volume control (Android) — Android's Sound Library includes fade-in and volume control per bell.
Need more help? Contact us at hi@timefully.co — we're happy to assist.