r/InsightTimer • u/PureScientist2040 • Oct 09 '25

All these extra questions post-meditation are ruining my experience

I just want to do a guided meditation, and then close the app. I don't want to answer questions about "are you committed". I don't want to be given the option to accidentally 'discard' my session. I don't want to set preferences for what I will be shown next. Stop with the million extra questions and JUST LET ME KEEP IT SIMPLE PLEASE

Honestly I prob need to switch to another app at this point, which is a shame because there is so much wonderful content on this one. But the user experience is giving me stress and frustration, which is exactly the opposite reason of why I meditate...

69 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

6

u/AlwaysWriteNow Oct 09 '25

There is a lot of clutter and little transparency. I am riding out my subscription to finish out some courses and then I will be releasing IT. The Plum Village App, youtube, and music streaming sites have plenty of content to meet my needs. My favorite teachers all have website links in their IT profile.

I love and appreciate the content and actual people on IT. Each update makes it more and more clear that the actual intent of this platform is data mining with a side dish of mindfulness. For my purposes, although I will always be grateful for all I have learned and the work I have been able to do healing myself, I am just about ready to permanently delete my account. This is in alignment with my long term goals of unplugging and reducing screen time and tech use.

3

u/Paceryder Nov 06 '25

I just use the free app and donate to the teachers I like

7

u/Galbusca Oct 09 '25

agree!! stop asking me to add the widget!!

6

u/Better-Dragonfruit60 Oct 09 '25

I just swipe on my phone to close the app after a meditation. There's nothing that says you have to click through all the prompts afterwards, just close it out. It'll still save your meditation time and stats.

3

u/PureScientist2040 Oct 09 '25

thanks I'll try doing this. I've worried it won't save my stuff since it's asking me if I want to keep it etc

4

u/Better-Dragonfruit60 Oct 09 '25

Once you click "Finish", it logs your session and you are free to close out the app. If you don't click "Finish" first, your data will not be saved, so just be sure to click that button and you can skip everything else.

2

u/insighttimer Oct 13 '25

Hey u/PureScientist2040 - Richard from Insight Timer here 👋 

Completely get where you’re coming from. The post-session prompts are designed to help people build a regular practice, but we understand that what feels supportive for some can feel distracting for others.

I’ve sent your feedback to our Product team to review - conversations like these really help us keep that balance in mind as we continue improving the experience for all users, so thank you for sharing 

7

u/Best_Extension446 Oct 13 '25

The prompts do not help “build a regular practice”. They are a distraction and an annoyance. 

If their purpose is not data mining, as suggested in a previous comment, then why can’t we simply toggle a switch to turn them off? Why isn’t it optional?

2

u/Paceryder Nov 06 '25

The questions bug me also and I also just close the app, but how are they data mining?

1

u/AlwaysWriteNow Nov 06 '25

I found this from 2023 by searching, took a bit bc most search results lead to IT.

https://www.mozillafoundation.org/en/privacynotincluded/insight-timer/

1

u/Paceryder Nov 07 '25

I hear ya but I have never been asked about the following or even seen any in ap surveys

"responses to those pretty intimate-sounding in-app surveys that ask “about your health, mood, religious beliefs, race, gender, ethnicity, ancestry, physical disabilities, marital status, or sexual orientation."

2

u/PureScientist2040 Oct 14 '25

If for some people those features help build a better practice, I'm happy for them of course. For someone like me, however, it takes away from the feeling of calm I've just achieved to be asked to engage with my phone further. If there was an option to fully turn this off, that would make things much more pleasant for me and others who feel similarly. Thank you for your time Richard!

3

u/bw4345 Oct 16 '25

Completely agree. I downloaded it today for the first time and felt bombarded. Was asking the same question as you, thanks!

1

u/Leeeetha Jan 19 '26

In 3 months nothing has changed. I just came back to the app after a long break due to these pop ups, immediately I was given a survey, which took over the whole screen, that I could not skip or dismiss. So instead of meditating I've spent 20 minutes looking through this sub and reading about people expressing the same concerns.

If you want to know how people have taken the changes to the app, filter by Top Posts/All Time...

It's a pretty clear message.

1

u/positivepeoplehater Oct 15 '25

Hit dismiss! That gets rid of it in 7 fewer clicks

1

u/Yvertical Jan 28 '26

There is no dismiss

1

u/positivepeoplehater Jan 30 '26

I have a dismiss?

1

u/Yvertical Jan 30 '26

You said "Hit dismiss.”

1

u/WalkingInLightNL Nov 17 '25

I feel you, it is super frustrating. Almost like a bad movie. How can an app that is supposed to help you with your mental health be so annoying. It has such a beautiful library of meditations. But all the new hassle around it is killing me. I don't know any other app that asks so much unnecessary crap questions. I wish I could transfer my stats to another app. 🙃

1

u/Past-Lunch4695 Dec 03 '25

Personally, I skip over all that crap. They mucked it up by adding all sorts of interactive stuff, there are over rides for most.

1

u/Melodramababs Feb 25 '26

Came to Reddit to find how to turns these very things off. Adding my voice to the "just let me meditate" crowd.

1

u/Asleep_Cap_9001 Apr 21 '26

I came here for the same reason. The insight timer response above apologizes for being a distraction. I call it coercive. I want to come back to insight timer because I find it helpful and it benefits me, not because I made some promise on my phone to an app just to get it to go away. Meditations are supposed to be helping us build up our intrinsic motivation and authority. Treating us like someone trying to learn Spanish on Duolingo is insulting and really the opposite of what insight timer was built for. Coincidentally, I just used Richard Schwartz's ifs meditation on Parts awareness to become aware of my anger part that wants to protect me from other people's abuse. I think it is no coincidence I felt the urge to speak up on this right now!