{"id":1908767,"date":"2026-04-29T11:00:49","date_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1908767"},"modified":"2026-04-29T11:00:49","modified_gmt":"2026-04-29T08:00:49","slug":"i-vibe-coded-a-meditation-app-and-the-experience-wasnt-soothing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1908767","title":{"rendered":"I Vibe Coded a Meditation App, and the Experience Wasn’t Soothing"},"content":{"rendered":"
I’ve never been consistent when it comes to meditation. I lean on the practice when I’m stressed, which is counterintuitive. The goal is to do it daily, so you can better center yourself.<\/p>\n
I don’t love having to search for a specific meditation on YouTube or having to pay for an app that I don’t use enough to make it worth the cost. I also find there are seasons of life I theme my sessions around. Right now, it’s getting pregnant.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
After two years of fertility treatments<\/span><\/span>, I wanted to see if I could create an app that could help me connect with my womb, process the pain<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and get in a good headspace before my next embryo transfer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And wouldn’t it be cool to send it to my fellow IVF warriors, if it worked well? I came across Thunkable AI, which lets you ideate, build, test and launch a fully native mobile app on a single platform. Thunkable launched back in 2016, but its no-code<\/span><\/span> layer (also known as vibe coding<\/span><\/span>) was released in March. There’s a free tier and paid options that range from $19 to $189 per month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deep breath. Here goes.<\/p>\n
Vibe coding a new app<\/h2>\n
I signed up as a free user and was taken straight to the build page. I was curious to see how far I’d get as a non-technical creative person, without any tooling training.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Before I put anything into the prompt, I spent a few minutes pondering what I wanted the app to do. Because IVF makes conceiving a medical experience, I wanted the app to help bring me back into my body and to tap into the energy source in the womb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s what I told Thunkable: “I’ve been doing fertility treatments for two years. I had a recent early-stage miscarriage. I want to build a meditation app specifically for myself, that other IVF patients might be able to use, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I want it to bring me back into my body, connect with my womb and the source of creation. I will do daily meditations for the next few weeks in the lead-up to my next embryo transfer. I want to be calm and confident, without putting pressure on the situation.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s the initial response:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I was hoping to be able to pick multiple preset prompts, but it wouldn’t let me, so I picked the most applicable one. Here’s how it looked:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Then, Thunkable AI opened this screen and coded for a few minutes to create this.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
There was a Runtime Error issue that I couldn’t resolve with the “Fix with AI” button, so I asked Thunkable in the chat. I prompted it to generate prerecorded mediations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The result was pretty impressive. It generated six themed meditations, created a dashboard to track sessions, and a section for intention-setting. I don’t do any journaling on screens, so I requested a bigger library of meditations so I wouldn’t need to keep repeating. It even gave my app a name: Bloom.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I followed it up with more context: “Please create more versions of each topic, like womb connecting, womb creativity, body scans, transfer prep, post transfer, challenging limiting beliefs that I can’t get pregnant.”<\/p>\n
It also suggested I add features like difficulty levels, a bookmark option so you can save your preferred meditation sessions, and a filter for session duration.<\/p>\n
It created a library of 20 meditations, which was a great start. I asked it to add 10 more, with a few specific to IVF — and it did it within seconds. It even created one called Inflammation Calm because I told it I have silent endometriosis.<\/p>\n
But when I pressed play to listen to one of the meditations, nothing happened. I told Thunkable I couldn’t hear the audio, but I got hit with a usage limit, so I needed to upgrade. Keep this in mind if you’re creating an app, as you’ll likely need the $19-per-month plan for higher usage limits.<\/p>\n
Silence is golden?<\/h2>\n
I wasn’t able to hear the audio, which I thought was because I needed to upgrade. I queried it in the chat.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I moved on to run a live test preview of the app on my iPhone to see if the audio would work there.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I downloaded the Thunkable app, generated test code and fed that back into the dashboard I was building in. The audio still didn’t work.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I reached out to support, and they confirmed the AI tool doesn’t generate the audio content. I’d have to create the meditations separately, then upload them into code in the app.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I jumped over to ChatGPT<\/span><\/span> to create a 10-minute script, using the prompt: “Create a 10-minute guided meditation script for a daily grounding practice in the lead-up to IVF. This meditation app will be solely focused on IVF\/for patients.”<\/p>\n
Then I went over to ElevenLabs<\/span><\/span> to generate the audio by reading ChatGPT’s script:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>ElevenLabs\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I then had to use yet another platform to host that audio, so I could add the public link into Thunkable. I prompted it to update the code in the chatbox, then checked if the code had been updated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But still, it didn’t play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told Thunkable support I couldn’t no-code my way out of it. They gave me the prompt and code fix.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
That worked, but only on the web, not in the app. It’s also a bit buggy, as it doesn’t show the progress bar in the audio. Plus, the audio voice sounds very robotic and not the most meditation-friendly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can check out my AI-generated app and try the meditations here.<\/p>\n
The verdict\u00a0<\/h2>\n
I was able to create something that looked like an app but didn’t exactly work as I’d imagined. If the platform had been able to generate (real-sounding) voices as well as scripts, I would’ve been able to ship an app from scratch within a couple of hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I liked the idea of having a custom app just for meditations, so I don’t have to search for fertility meditations on YouTube and get interrupted with ads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it’s a much bigger project than I expected without the audio generator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m also cautious about being guided by AI-generated advice with something so intimate. Creating a series of words of affirmation might be the better move. In a journey that’s already so medical, I want to lean into humanity and not add anything artificial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I continued working on this, I’d probably just pick a few meditation topics that are more personal to my IVF experience and maybe record them myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For example, adding a meditation for each IVF milestone, such as “waiting for the embryologist call” after the egg retrieval. Only an IVF patient will know the importance of these intimate moments and milestones.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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AMANDA SMITH<\/span><\/div>\n
Contributor<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Amanda Smith is a freelance journalist and writer. She reports on culture, society, human interest and technology. Her stories hold a mirror to society, reflecting both its malaise and its beauty. Amanda’s work has been published in National Geographic, The Guardian, Business Insider, Vice, News Corp, Singapore Airlines, Travel + Leisure, and Food & Wine. Amanda is an Australian living in the cultural center of gravity that is New York City.<\/span> See full bio <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n\n
I’ve never been consistent when it comes to meditation. I lean on the practice when I’m stressed, which is counterintuitive. The goal is to do it daily, so you can better center yourself.<\/p>\n
I don’t love having to search for a specific meditation on YouTube or having to pay for an app that I don’t use enough to make it worth the cost. I also find there are seasons of life I theme my sessions around. Right now, it’s getting pregnant.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
After two years of fertility treatments<\/span><\/span>, I wanted to see if I could create an app that could help me connect with my womb, process the pain<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and get in a good headspace before my next embryo transfer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And wouldn’t it be cool to send it to my fellow IVF warriors, if it worked well? I came across Thunkable AI, which lets you ideate, build, test and launch a fully native mobile app on a single platform. Thunkable launched back in 2016, but its no-code<\/span><\/span> layer (also known as vibe coding<\/span><\/span>) was released in March. There’s a free tier and paid options that range from $19 to $189 per month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deep breath. Here goes.<\/p>\n
Vibe coding a new app<\/h2>\n
I signed up as a free user and was taken straight to the build page. I was curious to see how far I’d get as a non-technical creative person, without any tooling training.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Before I put anything into the prompt, I spent a few minutes pondering what I wanted the app to do. Because IVF makes conceiving a medical experience, I wanted the app to help bring me back into my body and to tap into the energy source in the womb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s what I told Thunkable: “I’ve been doing fertility treatments for two years. I had a recent early-stage miscarriage. I want to build a meditation app specifically for myself, that other IVF patients might be able to use, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I want it to bring me back into my body, connect with my womb and the source of creation. I will do daily meditations for the next few weeks in the lead-up to my next embryo transfer. I want to be calm and confident, without putting pressure on the situation.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s the initial response:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I was hoping to be able to pick multiple preset prompts, but it wouldn’t let me, so I picked the most applicable one. Here’s how it looked:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Then, Thunkable AI opened this screen and coded for a few minutes to create this.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
There was a Runtime Error issue that I couldn’t resolve with the “Fix with AI” button, so I asked Thunkable in the chat. I prompted it to generate prerecorded mediations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The result was pretty impressive. It generated six themed meditations, created a dashboard to track sessions, and a section for intention-setting. I don’t do any journaling on screens, so I requested a bigger library of meditations so I wouldn’t need to keep repeating. It even gave my app a name: Bloom.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I followed it up with more context: “Please create more versions of each topic, like womb connecting, womb creativity, body scans, transfer prep, post transfer, challenging limiting beliefs that I can’t get pregnant.”<\/p>\n
It also suggested I add features like difficulty levels, a bookmark option so you can save your preferred meditation sessions, and a filter for session duration.<\/p>\n
It created a library of 20 meditations, which was a great start. I asked it to add 10 more, with a few specific to IVF — and it did it within seconds. It even created one called Inflammation Calm because I told it I have silent endometriosis.<\/p>\n
But when I pressed play to listen to one of the meditations, nothing happened. I told Thunkable I couldn’t hear the audio, but I got hit with a usage limit, so I needed to upgrade. Keep this in mind if you’re creating an app, as you’ll likely need the $19-per-month plan for higher usage limits.<\/p>\n
Silence is golden?<\/h2>\n
I wasn’t able to hear the audio, which I thought was because I needed to upgrade. I queried it in the chat.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I moved on to run a live test preview of the app on my iPhone to see if the audio would work there.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I downloaded the Thunkable app, generated test code and fed that back into the dashboard I was building in. The audio still didn’t work.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I reached out to support, and they confirmed the AI tool doesn’t generate the audio content. I’d have to create the meditations separately, then upload them into code in the app.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I jumped over to ChatGPT<\/span><\/span> to create a 10-minute script, using the prompt: “Create a 10-minute guided meditation script for a daily grounding practice in the lead-up to IVF. This meditation app will be solely focused on IVF\/for patients.”<\/p>\n
Then I went over to ElevenLabs<\/span><\/span> to generate the audio by reading ChatGPT’s script:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>ElevenLabs\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I then had to use yet another platform to host that audio, so I could add the public link into Thunkable. I prompted it to update the code in the chatbox, then checked if the code had been updated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But still, it didn’t play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told Thunkable support I couldn’t no-code my way out of it. They gave me the prompt and code fix.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
That worked, but only on the web, not in the app. It’s also a bit buggy, as it doesn’t show the progress bar in the audio. Plus, the audio voice sounds very robotic and not the most meditation-friendly.\u00a0<\/p>\n
You can check out my AI-generated app and try the meditations here.<\/p>\n
The verdict\u00a0<\/h2>\n
I was able to create something that looked like an app but didn’t exactly work as I’d imagined. If the platform had been able to generate (real-sounding) voices as well as scripts, I would’ve been able to ship an app from scratch within a couple of hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I liked the idea of having a custom app just for meditations, so I don’t have to search for fertility meditations on YouTube and get interrupted with ads.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But it’s a much bigger project than I expected without the audio generator.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I’m also cautious about being guided by AI-generated advice with something so intimate. Creating a series of words of affirmation might be the better move. In a journey that’s already so medical, I want to lean into humanity and not add anything artificial.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If I continued working on this, I’d probably just pick a few meditation topics that are more personal to my IVF experience and maybe record them myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For example, adding a meditation for each IVF milestone, such as “waiting for the embryologist call” after the egg retrieval. Only an IVF patient will know the importance of these intimate moments and milestones.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
I’ve never been consistent when it comes to meditation. I lean on the practice when I’m stressed, which is counterintuitive. The goal is to do it daily, so you can better center yourself.<\/p>\n
I don’t love having to search for a specific meditation on YouTube or having to pay for an app that I don’t use enough to make it worth the cost. I also find there are seasons of life I theme my sessions around. Right now, it’s getting pregnant.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
After two years of fertility treatments<\/span><\/span>, I wanted to see if I could create an app that could help me connect with my womb, process the pain<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and get in a good headspace before my next embryo transfer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
And wouldn’t it be cool to send it to my fellow IVF warriors, if it worked well? I came across Thunkable AI, which lets you ideate, build, test and launch a fully native mobile app on a single platform. Thunkable launched back in 2016, but its no-code<\/span><\/span> layer (also known as vibe coding<\/span><\/span>) was released in March. There’s a free tier and paid options that range from $19 to $189 per month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Deep breath. Here goes.<\/p>\n
Vibe coding a new app<\/h2>\n
I signed up as a free user and was taken straight to the build page. I was curious to see how far I’d get as a non-technical creative person, without any tooling training.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Before I put anything into the prompt, I spent a few minutes pondering what I wanted the app to do. Because IVF makes conceiving a medical experience, I wanted the app to help bring me back into my body and to tap into the energy source in the womb.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s what I told Thunkable: “I’ve been doing fertility treatments for two years. I had a recent early-stage miscarriage. I want to build a meditation app specifically for myself, that other IVF patients might be able to use, too.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I want it to bring me back into my body, connect with my womb and the source of creation. I will do daily meditations for the next few weeks in the lead-up to my next embryo transfer. I want to be calm and confident, without putting pressure on the situation.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Here’s the initial response:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I was hoping to be able to pick multiple preset prompts, but it wouldn’t let me, so I picked the most applicable one. Here’s how it looked:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Then, Thunkable AI opened this screen and coded for a few minutes to create this.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
There was a Runtime Error issue that I couldn’t resolve with the “Fix with AI” button, so I asked Thunkable in the chat. I prompted it to generate prerecorded mediations.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The result was pretty impressive. It generated six themed meditations, created a dashboard to track sessions, and a section for intention-setting. I don’t do any journaling on screens, so I requested a bigger library of meditations so I wouldn’t need to keep repeating. It even gave my app a name: Bloom.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I followed it up with more context: “Please create more versions of each topic, like womb connecting, womb creativity, body scans, transfer prep, post transfer, challenging limiting beliefs that I can’t get pregnant.”<\/p>\n
It also suggested I add features like difficulty levels, a bookmark option so you can save your preferred meditation sessions, and a filter for session duration.<\/p>\n
It created a library of 20 meditations, which was a great start. I asked it to add 10 more, with a few specific to IVF — and it did it within seconds. It even created one called Inflammation Calm because I told it I have silent endometriosis.<\/p>\n
But when I pressed play to listen to one of the meditations, nothing happened. I told Thunkable I couldn’t hear the audio, but I got hit with a usage limit, so I needed to upgrade. Keep this in mind if you’re creating an app, as you’ll likely need the $19-per-month plan for higher usage limits.<\/p>\n
Silence is golden?<\/h2>\n
I wasn’t able to hear the audio, which I thought was because I needed to upgrade. I queried it in the chat.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I moved on to run a live test preview of the app on my iPhone to see if the audio would work there.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I downloaded the Thunkable app, generated test code and fed that back into the dashboard I was building in. The audio still didn’t work.<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>Thunkable AI\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I reached out to support, and they confirmed the AI tool doesn’t generate the audio content. I’d have to create the meditations separately, then upload them into code in the app.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I jumped over to ChatGPT<\/span><\/span> to create a 10-minute script, using the prompt: “Create a 10-minute guided meditation script for a daily grounding practice in the lead-up to IVF. This meditation app will be solely focused on IVF\/for patients.”<\/p>\n
Then I went over to ElevenLabs<\/span><\/span> to generate the audio by reading ChatGPT’s script:<\/p>\n\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>ElevenLabs\/Screenshot by CNET<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
I then had to use yet another platform to host that audio, so I could add the public link into Thunkable. I prompted it to update the code in the chatbox, then checked if the code had been updated.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But still, it didn’t play.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I told Thunkable support I couldn’t no-code my way out of it. They gave me the prompt and code fix.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n
![\"Headshot](\"https:\/\/www.cnet.com\/a\/img\/resize\/39de37760e13a05a51a973004c23136b265a66ad\/hub\/2024\/06\/17\/adfc8d63-be5d-4bd2-9974-58a5face1043\/amanda-smith-headshot-1.jpg?auto=webp&fit=crop&height=64&width=64\")
<\/div>\n