I started exploring the world of looping background sounds and streaming ambient audio tracks when living in a college dorm and searching for strategies for playing relaxing sounds on an Amazon Echo Dot that could block out dorm noise; the first version of this post was titled “How Amazon Alexa Can Help You Sleep” and included several options for enabling white noise or ambient sounds for relaxation. That said, the title of that post was a bit misleading, as I frequently used background sounds and ambient audio for vision breaks rather than sleeping.
Living with low vision means that I have to proactively manage visual fatigue; for me, this manifests as hard-to-control double vision, pain from bright lights or blurry vision, or discomfort from having to use my energy to look at something, but being so tired/fatigued that my brain doesn’t process what that “something” is. Listening to background sounds and streaming ambient audio tracks can help me block out noise in classrooms or other environments so that I can focus on resting my eyes, relaxing, or minimizing other distractions when studying.
Here is a list of ad-free background sounds and ambient audio tracks that can be used for vision breaks, studying, and relaxation, with an emphasis on applications that support options for low vision access and keyboard shortcuts. I did not include websites or resources that use YouTube or social media platforms for playing audio tracks, as YouTube videos can contain unexpected ads, distractions, or may include visualizations with strobe or flashing lights; they may also be blocked in classrooms or on student devices.
Turn on background sounds and ambient audio in Settings
The following options include built-in white noise machines and options for playing background sounds/ambient audio that can be configured in device settings; no internet access or app downloads required.
Accessibility: Background Sounds on iOS/iPadOS/MacOS
Enable Background Sounds by going to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Visual > Background Sounds.
Background Sounds is a built-in accessibility feature on iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices that can turn the device into a portable sound machine and does not require internet access. Background Sounds can also be used while the device is locked or when other media is playing, and users can configure advanced settings with the Equalizer feature
Options for Background Sounds on Apple devices include:
- Balanced noise
- Bright noise
- Dark noise
- Ocean
- Rain
- Stream
- Night
- Fire
- Babble
- Steam
- Airplane
- Boat
- Bus
- Train
- Rain on Roof
- Quiet Night
One of my friends found this feature particularly helpful when they were recovering from a stroke, as it was easier for them to turn on Background Sounds compared to searching for a video of ocean sounds on YouTube. This was super helpful for blocking out distracting noise.
Google white noise and Google ambient sounds
Google Nest smart speakers have built-in voice commands for playing white noise and other ambient sounds. Users can request a specific ambient sound, white noise, or just ask Google to play ambient noise. Options for ambient sounds on Google devices include:
- Babbling brook sounds
- Baby shusher
- Country night sounds
- Fireplace sounds
- Forest sounds
- Lullaby
- Nature sounds
- Ocean sounds
- Oscillating fan sounds
- Outdoor sounds
- Rain sounds
- Relaxing sounds
- River sounds
- Running water sounds
- Thunderstorm sounds
- Water sounds
- White noise
Amazon Alexa white noise
Amazon Alexa used to have a built-in skill that would play white noise (“Alexa, play white noise”), though I have had trouble getting this to work as of May 2026. That said, there are several white noise skills and ambient audio skills available for Alexa devices, many of which are designed for sleep. I currently have a skill called Sleep Sounds enabled that has hundreds of options, including white noise, cat purring, and others.
There are many Alexa skills for sleep that can be enabled to play looping audio tracks, including:
- Ocean sounds or ocean waves
- Icy snowstorm
- Brown noise
- Campfire sounds
- Thunderstorms
- Classical music
- Sleep playlists on Spotify and Amazon Music
Users can also enable a sleep timer to turn off audio tracks after a specific timeframe by saying “Alexa, set a sleep timer for two hours” or for any amount of time up to 24 hours. The sleep timer functionality can also be used when listening to audiobooks, streaming music playlists (Amazon Music and Spotify have lots of ambient audio playlists), or with other Alexa skills.
Related links
- iPhone Accessibility Settings For Occipital Stroke
- History Podcasts and Audio-Based Resources For VI Students
- Dictation and Audio-Based Assistive Technology For Writing
- Activity Ideas For Vision Breaks
- Audio Workouts and Low Vision
Generate ambient audio/ambient music: Bloom by Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers
Bloom is a generative music player designed by Brian Eno and Peter Chilvers that enables users to create their own music by tapping on the screen or interacting with on-screen patterns. The ambient music tracks can be played in the background of other applications or left open so users can watch the colorful patterns, and there is an option for configuring a sleep timer as well.
I am a huge fan of the original Bloom app and have introduced it to several students with CVI, who enjoyed creating their own relaxing music tracks and interacting with the display; many of the students also liked the related Trope app. I have also shared Bloom and its related apps with other students that have low vision that would listen to the soundtracks when taking vision breaks or while studying.
Bloom is available exclusively for iOS and iPadOS for a one-time purchase of $4 USD; Trope is also available for a one-time purchase of $4 USD. There is also another generative music player application called Air for a one-time purchase of $2 USD, which involves tapping on geometric patterns like triangles.
For Android users, the Bloom: 10 Worlds app is available on both iOS/iPad and Android devices for a one-time purchase of $8 USD. That said, students with CVI may find the home screen of this app confusing, as users are prompted to tap on each of the tiles at least once to unlock them for playback, and the tiles appear as dark gray/black gradients when the app is first downloaded.
Related links
- Bloom App by Brian Eno & Peter Chilvers – App Store
- Trope App – App Store
- Air App – App Store
- Bloom: 10 Worlds App – App Store
- Bloom: 10 Worlds – Apps on Google Play
- Audio Art Resources For Visually Impaired Students
Free ambient audio streaming/listen to background sounds ad-free
Many students and teachers turn on background sounds and ambient audio for studying or to block out distracting noises in the classroom, but don’t necessarily want to turn on a YouTube video for ambient audio. Here are free options for natural ambient sounds for studying, ad-free nature sounds, and websites with free relaxing nature sounds that can be played within web browsers. I also included several options that incorporate city sounds, cafe sounds, aesthetic study soundtracks, and other ambient sounds for focus and calm. Some of these websites include options for streaming nature sounds in addition to streaming sounds of transportation, places, objects, or specific types of noise (such as pink noise, brown noise, white noise, etc.).
When selecting websites for inclusion in this section, I focused on applications that had a minimalist interface with large icons (with a preference for high contrast backgrounds), hyperlinks to playlists, quick set-up options or automatic playback options, and tested if I could navigate customization menus with keyboard access. I excluded websites that pair audio with streaming video, as these can be distracting or potentially contain strobe/flashing lights such as lightning flashes.
To play audio tracks, I recommend opening these websites in a separate window or tab for continuous listening. Sometimes, I will open audio tracks in a separate web browser so that I can quickly adjust settings without impacting other tabs that are open.
Moodist
Moodist is a free and open-source ambient sounds library that enables users to create custom layered audio tracks that incorporate over 80 different sounds, including nature, animals, places, urban soundscapes, things, and more. Moodist can be used with keyboard access (Tab to move through sounds, enter to activate/deactivate) and has a minimalist interface with white icons/text on a black background.
myNoise
myNoise is a free website with ambient audio tracks across a variety of categories and user needs, curated by the incredible Dr. Ir. Stéphane Pigeon, a sound engineer and audio enthusiast who records many of these soundscapes in locations around the world. Users can adjust sound levels with color-coded visualizers that support keyboard access; for example, k and j can be used to adjust the visualizer and sound levels.
Acoustic Atlas
Acoustic Atlas is different from the other websites on this list as it is designed as an academic resource for documenting the sounds of Montana and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. That said, it’s a tremendous archive of free nature sounds with hundreds of tracks available, including options for free MP3 downloads. Tracks vary in duration, and many of the options I encountered lasted an hour or more. Acoustic Atlas can be accessed with a keyboard, but does not have the same minimalist interface as many of the other websites listed.
Here is a short (but not all-encompassing) list of Acoustic Atlas tracks that are longer than 60 minutes, which can be used as ambient audio for studying or for free nature sounds:
- Rhinoceros Auklets at Protection Island (extended)
- San Rafael Swell Beaver lodge extended ambient recording
- Night at the National Bison Range (Montana) – extended
- Moosehorn Lake, Uinta Mountains (Utah) ambience
- Woodhouse’s toads in eastern Washington (extended)
- Relict leopard frogs – extended ambient recording
- Rhinoceros auklets on Protection Island, extended
- Range Creek extended recording
Tabletop Audio
Tabletop Audio is an ad-free source for ambient audio tracks that lists available 10-minute ambient tracks in a grid-style layout. Audio tracks are organized into categories such as historical, modern, fantasy, sci-fi, and other genres so users can find tracks that align with their interests. As the name suggests, it was originally designed for tabletop role-playing games, but it can be used as background sounds for studying or as an ambient audio playlist as well.
A Soft Murmur
A Soft Murmur offers ten free sounds that can be layered together to create a custom ambient audio track; users can select which sounds they would like to hear by tapping/clicking on the icons listed on the home page and selecting the Play button. A Soft Murmur does not support keyboard access, but does include high-contrast light-colored icons against a dark background.
Moodil
Moodil has a large selection of nature sounds and ambient noise types that can be layered together by selecting icons on the home page, along with the option to play custom mixes by selecting Top List (blue button); users can also bookmark Top List playlist links for quick playback. When I used Moodil for the first time with low vision, I had to enable invert colors to figure out where icons were located, though I was able to memorize the location of icons fairly quickly once I identified the items on the grid. Moodil is not keyboard accessible, and is unrelated to the Moodle LMS application.
Related links
- Moodist: Ambient Sounds for Focus and Calm
- Custom Soundscapes for Focus, Relaxation & Sleep | myNoise ®
- Acoustic Atlas: Montana State University MSU Library
- Tabletop Audio – Ambiences and Music for Tabletop Role Playing Games
- A Soft Murmur
- Moodil – Nature sounds
Bonus: Websites with free streaming music for studying and generative music players
Some students prefer to listen to instrumental music when studying, but don’t want to deal with managing a playlist, using a streaming service, or listening to the same songs over and over again. Not to be confused with AI-generated music or generative AI, here is a list of free online generative music players that stream instrumental tracks; users can open these websites in a separate tab/window and listen to music without interruption.
Generative.fm
Generative.fm is a collection of ambient generative music composed by humans, with a massive collection of tracks and playback options. The high-contrast layout includes a simple geometric design for each audio track, and users can configure the player to change to a new ambient generative audio track after a specified period of time.
Dot Piano
Dot Piano is another collection of ambient generative music played on piano, and automatically starts playing music when a user opens the Listen option (default on mobile devices). Users can shuffle songs, skip songs, and customize the high-contrast colorful visual animations that appear on the screen; in my experience, the 3rd dot option where the dots appear in a straight line and move up/down on the screen does not create a strobe or flashing effect. Users can also compose their own MIDI tracks on Dot Piano as well.
Train Jazz
Train Jazz is a data visualization project that uses real-time New York City Subway train location data to create a jazz combo played in real time. Users can customize the visualization to display bars or a real-time map of where trains are located (though this is admittedly challenging to see with low vision); I do not recommend using the bar effect for users that are sensitive to flickering or flashing lights, and users can hide the map by swiping to the edge of the page to hide the color-changing dots. Train Jazz is a great source for free study music and unique generative music, and can also be incorporated into lessons about sonification (great for Expanded Core Curriculum lessons!).
Related links
Other ideas for finding background sounds and ambient audio for low vision
- Many of the Explore.org livecams feature an ambient audio soundtrack that is ad-free and plays continuously. These can be useful as a standalone audio track or as a way to watch something relaxing. One example is Homosassa Springs Underwater Manatees | Explore.org
- Freegal Music offers ad-free streaming and a limited amount of free music downloads every week, with a large selection of ambient audio tracks. Users will need a library card from a participating public library to access Freegal Music.
- Several educational institutions offer virtual calming rooms with a curated list of ad-free ambient audio tracks, like this one from Sacramento City United School District: Virtual Calming Room: SCUSD. I found this by searching for streaming ambient audio tracks from .edu domains; learn more strategies in Web Search Tips and Operators For Low Vision
Published May 8, 2026. Updated May 2026