I have the app on iPhone and iPad, and after a few sessions I found it easier to use it on the iPad, however I cannot see my full forest on the phone app.

If I check my friends leaderboard, my correct times are there, but not my coins on my profile.

Is this a known issue?

Muchas gracias 🫶🏻

I'm so gladdd

I have been a long time Forest user (August of 2017), and just started using hearing aids (Bluetooth LE) that are connected to my iPhone. The hearing aids are great, but I ran into an annoying issue where the sound would change on a regular interval. After a bit of poking around I concluded that it was because the hearing aids were switching between one of the hearing aid profiles and "streaming audio" profile, which is supposed to happen when you're playing music, watching videos, etc. But I wasn't playing anything and it was happening on a regular interval (around every 20 seconds).

I eventually swiped up on all my apps, killing them, which made the problem go away. Some further testing narrowed it down to Forest being the problem. I used Claude to help me do some more troubleshooting to confirm it and then draft a bug report for me, which I've sent off to the Forest team (text is below).

I'm mostly just including this here so that if anyone else experiences this it will help them diagnose the problem. Hopefully the Forest developers will fix this.

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Subject: Bug: Forest plays silent background audio every 20 seconds, disrupting Bluetooth hearing aids

Hi Forest team,

I'd like to report a bug that makes Forest hard to use with Bluetooth hearing aids. While Forest is running in the background, it starts a silent audio session about every 20 seconds. The audio is at zero volume, but iOS still routes it to my hearing aids, which makes them switch from my normal listening program to their "Streaming" program and back each time. I can hear the change, and it happens around the clock whenever Forest is running.

I confirmed Forest is the cause using the iPhone's system log (captured with Console.app on a Mac). The problem stops completely when Forest is closed.

ENVIRONMENT

- iPhone: iPhone 16 Pro Max
- iOS: 27.2
- Forest: 5.32.0
- Hearing aids: ReSound Sensia 5, connected over Bluetooth LE Audio
- Silent mode on
- Focus session active at the time: this seems to happen regardless of whether a focus session is active.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

1. Pair LE Audio hearing aids (or any Bluetooth LE Audio output) with the iPhone.

2. Open Forest, then send it to the background.

3. Watch the hearing aid's active program (e.g., in the manufacturer's app), or stream the iPhone log in Console.app.

EXPECTED

Forest doesn't start an audio session in the background unless it is actually playing sound the user asked for, such as ambient sounds during a session.

ACTUAL

About every 20 seconds, Forest starts a mixable MediaPlayback session and plays an AudioQueue at volume 0 for roughly 0.8 seconds. It gets routed to the Bluetooth LE output, and the hearing aids switch programs each time.

LOG EVIDENCE (excerpts, Oct 26 2026)

Periodic audio activation (every ~20 s):

18:00:02.228 heard AudioRoutesManager: Handle audio sessions change, Audio is playing: 1

18:00:02.978 heard AudioRoutesManager: Handle audio sessions change, Audio is playing: 0

18:00:22.254 heard AudioRoutesManager: Handle audio sessions change, Audio is playing: 1

18:00:42.221 heard AudioRoutesManager: Handle audio sessions change, Audio is playing: 1

18:01:02.227 heard AudioRoutesManager: Handle audio sessions change, Audio is playing: 1

Forest is the session owner and is in the background:

18:00:02.200562 audiomxd -CMSessionMgr- cmsSetIsPlaying:6588 'sid:0x7e054, Forest(1565), 'prim'' with [MediaPlayback/Default] [Mixable] [System Audio] starting playing to output VAD: VirtualAudioDevice_Default. Ringer switch state: Device is silenced, Session is unmuted. ... NowPlayingApp:NO IsPlayingOutput:YES

18:00:02.232731 audiomxd Received state update for 1565 (app<com.forestapp.Forest(...)>, running-active-NotVisible

Audio is silent and not Now Playing eligible:

18:00:02.231055 audiomxd AQIONode.cpp:768 client <AudioQueueObject@0x78ad765800; ; sid:0x7e054, Forest(1565), 'prim'; play> is NOT Now Playing eligible

18:00:02.231844 audiomxd AudioQueueObject.cpp:6019 AudioQueueObject@0x78ad765800 ApplyParameters: volume 0.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000, 1.000

Routed to the hearing aids (Bluetooth LE output):

18:00:02.207267 audiomxd -CMVAEndptMgr- vaemConfigurePVMSettings: PVMSetCurrentState [MediaPlayback, Default, BluetoothLEOutput, ...-tlea, (null), NO]

Keeps the app alive via a media playback assertion:

18:00:02.227128 runningboardd Acquiring assertion targeting [app<com.forestapp.Forest(...)>:1565] from originator [osservice<com.apple.audiomxd>:126] ... "MediaPlayback".isPlayingProcessAssertion

IMPACT

For hearing aid users, each activation switches the hearing aids into their streaming program, which changes how everything around them sounds, every 20 seconds. AirPods users probably wouldn't notice, but with hearing aids it makes Forest unusable unless I force-quit it.

SUGGESTIONS

- Only activate the audio session while it's actually needed (e.g., during a session with ambient sound turned on), and deactivate it afterward with notifyOthersOnDeactivation.

- Avoid periodic silent playback as a keep-alive. A Live Activity or local notifications may cover the timer use case.

- If background audio is needed for a feature, consider letting users turn it off.

I'm happy to collect more logs or test a build.

Like many other users, I’ve been using Forest and dislike the new UI. I sent the support team an email about the features we miss and asked for an option to restore the classic version. I got this AI-generated response. Does anyone know if the team might actually respond to this feedback?

I am a totally new forest user, so far it is going great, looking for friends to support each other. My DM is open.

Same

I can't find any of the music things I purchased

I have unlocked all the trees I want and I can’t see how planting digital trees is that motivating. I do enjoy seeing how my friends are getting on and I mainly keep using it to be in competition with my peers. But, If I didn’t have that I’m not sure I’d use it. It just seems there aren’t any long term goals.

I’ve recently tried a different app where you use your focus time to decorate a space and this seems more motivating to me cus it’s not like one daily forest and it’s gone.

I guess we were loud enough that something was finally done.

Just updated the app and got greeted with this pop up, it’s now kinda similar to how it was before where you don’t need to open a separate screen to set your time.

I’ve tested and it will show the tree stages and also doesn’t seem to have the annoying bug of the time not setting, once you scroll and stop it actually saves that time.

I don’t wanna get my hopes up too much but it does seem if we keep being vocal about our issues they might maybe eventually do something about it

Is there any redeem code that's working? I already claimed 30 gems of seekerid. Also i have a free trial rn, if that counts..

Looking for anybody up for 90 min sessions. I don't have good tree varieties yet since my previous account got deleted. I ain't so bad. Here's what I did last year. Not great but atleast not bad.

Any one willing to study now id be happy to join 😶

Hey I want to know if I need to have forest plus to be able to plant real trees! Thank you!

hello, my forest app can't stop planting on its own. i read elsewhere i should take off the widget, which i did, and disable background refresh but even after that, since the update, the app plants by itself every day

17f - preferably a time zone that doesn't clash with GST (middle east)
I just want to focus and have fun while studying!! :)
lets lock in together!!

Feature Request: a seasonal plant-based art contest for current or upcoming college students where the winner gets a scholarship and their plants sold in their own store tab for a season.

Users get plants designed by real people, and a feeling that they are doing something good by supporting the app. The artist gets money to help pay for the crippling college costs, and the company gets great PR in a time where AI art is hated with a burning passion. Everyone wins.

The company could even make how you help or will help the environment a question to help line with their mission statement and put on the temporary store page. They could also make a small donation to an environmental group of the winner’s choosing.

It would be something different. Honestly, the idea came from looking at the picture with the kids and banner and realizing they all must be adults by now, but the app might have helped pay their way through college.

Have you noticed it? During the night it took 1/3 of my battery. After all downgrade done from September, I have prepared a simple excell sheet and from new year I was planning to leave the app, but now I’m considering leaving today.

Hi — solo dev here. I saw a lot of you are frustrated with Forest's recent redesign (the 5-tap starts, the reward popups after every session). I'm researching a dead-simple alternative: one-tap start, one-tap repeat from the lock screen, rewards auto-claimed, zero popups — one-time purchase, no subscription. Looking for 15-min chats with people who've felt the friction — 5 questions, no selling. DM me if you're up for it?

The Forest app team decisions are so latched to pushing subscription model that I really hate the team now. I have been a long Time user and I feel irritated at this bullshit decision to remove background sounds from the Store and instead hide them behind subscription.

The Forest app team decisions are so latched to pushing subscription model that I really hate the team now. I have been a long Time user and I feel irritated at this bullshit decision to remove background sounds from the Store and instead hide them behind subscription.