Press kit

Veil in one paragraph

Veil is a white noise and sleep sounds app for iPhone and Android. Every one of its 24 sounds is synthesized on the device while it plays: six noise colors, seven fans, mechanical sounds such as a window air conditioner, an airplane cabin and a clothes dryer, and rain and ocean waves. Nothing is a recording, so there is no file to repeat and no seam to hear. Each sound can be tuned to the listener's ear, the volume control is fine enough to find the quietest level that still masks a room, and the app works with no connection, no account and no ads. It sells as a monthly or annual subscription or a one-time lifetime unlock. Veil is made by one developer in New York City and was released in April 2026.

Facts at a glance

What is different about it

• Nothing is a recording. Sleep sound apps almost all play audio files. Veil synthesizes each sound on the device from filtered noise, so there is no file to restart and no seam to catch at 3am. The browser players on this site run the same generators, so the claim can be checked without installing anything.
• Seven fans. Fan noise is the most used sound on hardware noise machines and the thinnest category in apps. Veil ships slow, medium, fast, bladeless, tower, box and ceiling fans, each with its own tonal shape and sweep.
• Every sound can be reshaped. Because the sound is generated live, its brightness, warmth and texture can be adjusted while it plays. Controls are described by what the listener hears, with different parameters for each sound.
• Precision volume. A fine, continuous control modeled on hardware machines, so a listener can find the quietest level that still masks the room rather than the nearest of ten steps.
• A one-time option. Veil offers monthly and annual subscriptions, alongside a one-time lifetime unlock for people who would rather buy a noise machine than rent one.
• Built for adults, in the dark. A dark, hardware-style interface meant to be used with one eye open, with no lullabies, no baby branding and no content feed.
• Offline, no account, no ads. Every sound is generated on the phone, so nothing streams and nothing needs a signal.

Built for overnight use

• Bedside Clock. Two dim clock faces, adjustable brightness and size, and optional automatic entry when sound starts while charging. On Android, leaving the clock visible while plugged in keeps the app foregrounded, adding protection against some background restrictions. Locking or unplugging ends that extra protection; it cannot prevent a restart or an app update.
• Sleep timer and bedtime reminder. Preset or custom timer durations with a choice of no fade, 15 seconds, 30 seconds or one minute. A separate optional nightly reminder nudges the listener to start winding down; it is not a wake-up alarm.
• Apple playback controls. A Home Screen playback widget starts or pauses the last sound or mix. Control Center playback controls are available on iOS 18 and later. Siri Shortcuts are included with Premium.
• Accessible controls. Screen-reader labels and adjustment actions for sounds, volume, tuning, the timer and Mixer. Veil follows larger text and Reduce Motion preferences, with adjustable app brightness for a dark room.
• Reliability is ongoing work. Overnight playback is a core product priority. Veil investigates interrupted sessions and improves recovery where the platform allows. The Android audio troubleshooting guide explains battery restrictions, update timing and output problems for users of any audio app.

The story

Colin has been a light sleeper his whole life and lives in New York City, where the noise never stops. He spent years on white noise apps, sound machines and a window air conditioner that worked better than any of them. The apps failed him the same way each time: recorded loops whose restart his brain would catch in the middle of the night, interfaces built for babies or meditation, and subscriptions priced like a streaming service for what is, in the end, a fan.

With a background in software engineering, he built the app he wanted instead: sounds synthesized live rather than played back, the depth of fan sounds a hardware machine has, a volume control fine enough to matter, and a price that includes the option to pay once. He still builds and supports Veil alone. The full account is in Why I built Veil.

Quotes you can use

Every white noise app I tried was a playlist of recordings. You fall asleep fine, and then at 3am your brain catches the restart. I wanted the sound to be generated, so there is nothing to catch.Colin Shepard Hanson, developer of Veil

The most used sounds on a real noise machine are fans, and most apps have one. Veil has seven, and because they are synthesized they never click, never pop and never carry the room they were recorded in.Colin Shepard Hanson, developer of Veil

The subscriptions exist so someone can find out cheaply whether Veil works for them. The lifetime unlock exists so that once it does, they never have to keep paying for a fan.Colin Shepard Hanson, developer of Veil

Assets and latest screens

Download English press kit All nine languages

Ten full-resolution, unframed native iPhone screenshots, plus the icon and social card. Captured 26-29 September 2026. The Mixer shows Premium features.

App iconPNG, 1024 x 1024 PlayerPNG, 1206 x 2622 Fan playerPNG, 1206 x 2622 Brown noise playerPNG, 1206 x 2622 Fan tuningPNG, 1206 x 2622 Pink noise tuningPNG, 1206 x 2622 Brown noise tuningPNG, 1206 x 2622 Sleep timerPNG, 1206 x 2622 Mixer (Premium)PNG, 1206 x 2622 Bedtime reminderPNG, 1206 x 2622 Bedside ClockPNG, 1206 x 2622 Social cardJPEG, 1200 x 630

The icon is also available at 512 x 512. Screenshots may be cropped or placed in a device frame. Please do not recolor or restyle the icon. Capture notes and usage; request review access or Android captures.

Coverage guidelines

The accurate claim is that every sound is synthesized on the device and nothing is a recording. Veil does not make medical claims: it masks noise, and whether that helps a given person sleep or focus is theirs to judge. Store ratings change daily, so please pull the current figure from the store rather than from an older article.