What a busy few month for Samsung: it released the Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro at the start of the month, followed them up with the affordable Galaxy A57 a little while after, and is now capping the month with a health app.
This particular health app is called Hearapy, and it’s available to download now on the Google Play Store. Nope, not Samsung’s own Store app, or the iPhone App Store. Just the Play Store.
It’s an incredibly simple app: you open it up, press ‘start’, and you’ll hear a long buzzing drone. By default it’s a minute long, but you can change it to anything from 40 seconds to two minutes.
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But why would you do this? Well, the point is to reduce motion sickness: the drone is at 100Hz, which according to the app “simulates your balance system”. In theory, listening to the noise can protect you from motion sickness for up to two hours, so you can protect yourself when taking a journey without needing medication.
Naturally, I downloaded the app to give it a spin.
Getting buzzed
Samsung recommends using the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro with the app, so being a rebel, I did it with the non-Pro model. I didn’t notice any particular effects whatsoever, so followed Sammers’ command and went for the Pros, and these gave a noticeably different result to my ears (and noggin).
I’m guessing the bespoke woofer and amplifier in the Buds 4 Pro are important in creating the 100Hz sine wave, because it had a marked effect the second time around. Listening on the Pro model, I felt like my skull was rattling around in my head.
It was definitely doing something, but I’m sat at my desk. I’m not travelling, even to the kitchen right now, so I can’t really say if it’s helping with motion sickness. Given the noticeable effect it had on me though, I wouldn’t be surprised if it did.
But does it matter? Motion sickness can often be treated (at least to a degree) with a placebo, and I imagine many people who suffer from travel sickness will find great comfort in an app such as this. A quick panacea process before a flight or car ride could stop you feeling rough during it, even if it’s not the 100Hz sine wave that’s doing it.
That’s doubly true for other causes of motion sickness; I know plenty of people who get motion sickness at the theater, or playing video games, and Hearapy could be a great way to soothe that. And if all else fails, it’s just a fun way to get a buzzy head effect — if you own the Buds 4 Pro.
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