I first heard about an app that promised to pay you money just for watching ads while you sleep, my immediate reaction was: “Yeah, right… and my toaster will start mining Bitcoin next week.” It sounded ridiculous, lazy, and maybe even a little dystopian.
But I couldn’t shake the thought. If this was real, it would mean passive income at its purest form — no effort, no thinking, not even staying awake. So, I decided to test it. And after seven nights of snoozing with my phone running this app, I have some surprising results to share.
Let me walk you through how it works, the strange science behind it, and what it actually feels like to make money while you dream.
The Pitch That Hooked Me
The app’s advertisement appeared in my social media feed at 2 a.m. — ironically, just before bed. The ad said:
“Sleep. Dream. Earn. Make up to $5 a night by letting ads play while you rest.”
Five dollars a night isn’t much, but that’s $150 a month for doing literally nothing extra. The only requirement? Leave your phone’s screen on, connected to Wi-Fi, and let their ad playlist run in the background while you sleep.
It was marketed as a “sleep monetization” platform. That phrase alone was enough to make me curious — it sounded like some bizarre experiment from a tech start-up that had too much coffee and too little shame.
How the App Actually Works
Here’s the premise:
- The app plays looping advertisements during the night — mostly video ads, some static ones.
- Advertisers pay the app for impressions.
- The app shares a percentage of that revenue with you for keeping the ads running.
They don’t care if you’re watching — in fact, they assume you’re not. What they want is a guaranteed, uninterrupted ad display time, which they can sell to sponsors.
But the real twist? The ads are silent. The developers claim this is because they don’t want to disrupt your sleep cycle. Instead, they track “exposure time” through your device’s screen-on duration and ad completion logs.
Step 1: The Sign-Up Process
The registration was weirdly simple — just an email, payment method, and proof that I was over 18. No surveys, no personal preferences about ads.
After signing up, I had to allow the app:
- Full-screen display (to keep ads visible)
- Battery optimization override (so it wouldn’t pause)
- Internet access all night
This made me nervous. Giving an app unlimited screen time and network access while I sleep felt like inviting a stranger to stay in my house overnight. But I told myself, This is for journalism… and maybe a pizza fund.
Step 2: The First Night — The Glowing Phone
Night one was strange. My phone sat on my desk glowing like a mini billboard. The ads rolled one after another — sneakers, insurance, snacks, mobile games.
The weirdest part? The ads were tailored for awake people. Bright, flashy, full of “ACT NOW!” energy. It felt almost absurd knowing no one was watching.
The app’s tracking dashboard updated in real time, showing “Ad Completed: +$0.02, +$0.03…” The tiny payments trickled in as my eyes closed.
By morning, I’d earned $2.04. Not bad for eight hours of unconsciousness.
The Psychology of Sleeping with Ads
I didn’t expect this, but I started thinking differently about my sleep. Suddenly, bedtime felt like clocking in for a night shift where my only job was to not wake up and mess with the phone.
The developers say the concept is based on “passive ad hosting,” a spin-off of passive income models like renting out internet bandwidth or sharing unused processing power. Instead of your device working in the background, here your screen time is the product.
And that brings up a strange philosophical question: Is this the laziest side hustle in history… or is it just renting out your eyeball potential?
Privacy Concerns
I’ll be honest — this was my biggest worry. What exactly could the app be doing while I’m asleep? Could it be collecting personal data?
I dug into the privacy policy. It claimed:
- No audio or camera recording
- No access to personal files
- All ad tracking anonymized
But let’s be real — reading a privacy policy is like reading a novel where you know the ending: you’re probably giving away more than you think. I decided to continue but on an old backup phone, just in case.
Night Two — The First Glitch
On the second night, something unexpected happened. Halfway through my sleep, the app crashed. I woke up to a dark screen and lost about four hours of potential ad time. My earnings for the night were just $1.12.
I emailed their support team, and they replied within six hours with an apology and a bug fix update. Points for customer service, I guess.
Earnings Over a Week
Here’s the breakdown of my seven-night experiment:
- Night 1: $2.04
- Night 2: $1.12 (app crash)
- Night 3: $2.18
- Night 4: $2.07
- Night 5: $2.03
- Night 6: $2.09
- Night 7: $2.20
Total: $13.73
At this rate, that’s about $54.92 a month — enough to cover a streaming service subscription or a couple of grocery trips.
The Weird Side Effects
- Room Glow: My room looked like it had a tiny TV on all night. I had to angle the phone away from my bed to avoid the light disturbing my sleep.
- Battery Heat: Even plugged in, my phone warmed up noticeably. Not dangerous, but slightly uncomfortable.
- Strange Dreams: Okay, this might be placebo, but I swear my dreams were full of jingles and snack food.
Would I Keep Using It?
Honestly… maybe.
The earnings aren’t life-changing, but the effort is literally zero. I wouldn’t use it on my main phone due to privacy worries, but on a spare device? Sure.
It’s perfect for someone who wants a little extra side cash without lifting a finger — or even opening their eyes.
The Bigger Picture — Is This the Future of Advertising?
This experiment made me wonder: What if future advertising doesn’t care about active viewers at all? What if companies just want screen time guarantees to feed algorithms that think “exposure” equals effectiveness?
It’s a little dystopian, but also strangely efficient. After all, if people can’t be persuaded, maybe it’s enough to have their devices host ads while they’re asleep.
Pro Tips If You Want to Try
- Use an old or spare phone to avoid risking personal data.
- Keep the device plugged in to prevent overheating.
- Dim the screen brightness if you’re sleeping nearby.
- Make sure your Wi-Fi is stable — interruptions reduce earnings.
Final Verdict
Pros:
- True passive income
- No active participation required
- Surprisingly stable payouts
Cons:
- Privacy concerns
- Minimal earnings
- Device wear-and-tear
If you’re expecting to pay rent with this app, forget it. But if you want to turn your phone into a silent overnight ad board for pocket change, it’s a weirdly satisfying side hustle.
✅
Sources
- Smith, L. (2023). Passive Advertising Models in the Digital Era. Journal of Online Economics.
- Tran, M. (2024). The Ethics of Screen Time Monetization. Tech & Society Review.
- Official App Privacy Policy (retrieved July 2025)
Written by the author, Fatima Al-Hajri 👩🏻💻
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