BrainAware - Support & FAQs

How do you protect my privacy?

We take data privacy very seriously. First of all, the user is at the centre: this is your phone and your data, and we want to empower you to manage your own health. Nobody else can see your individual data if you don’t want to share it. The app collects your data anonymously: We receive the data only together with an anonymous ID that we cannot trace back to you. Data may be shared with third-parties in aggregated form (combining multiple users into a group anonymously), ensuring that individual records remain unidentifiable.
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For more information, please visit our Ethics page or read our  Privacy Policy.

Do you store any content from my phone?

No content is tracked or stored. The app only collects the timing patterns of taps, your app usage patterns, the frequency with which you use your phone and limited metadata (such as phone model type, to adjust the measurements for accuracy). Nothing beyond that.

For more information, please visit our Ethics page or read our  Privacy Policy.

Which data privacy procedures do you follow?

The data is encrypted and sent over a secure connection. We are fully compliant with European GDPR privacy regulations. We value transparency and publicly share our research results with the scientific community.

For more information, please visit our Ethics page or read our  Privacy Policy.

Has this been scientifically validated?

Yes, there are 20+ studies ongoing or completed, and more to come. We work in a broad ecosystem of renowned scientific institutions, and our publications are featured in top-rated peer reviewed journals.
Further information can be found in the Science section of the QuantActions website.

Why touchscreen taps?

Traditionally, only laboratory-based tests and expensive imaging provide reliable data on the health of the brain. QuantActions has developed a new way of deriving such insights in a user-friendly and economical way - purely from the way a user interacts with their smartphone touchscreen. It turns out that these screen touches contain very rich information about the state of the brain, for example relating to fine motor skills.

What data do you collect?

We focus only on touchscreen taps: We register when the user touches the screen to type or navigate. Important: We only collect the timing patterns of screen touches, not what is typed or where the user clicks. We do not collect any content, we only look at the timing patterns: tap - no tap - tap - no tap. Sounds simple, yet from this we can derive powerful insights into the user’s brain health.

For more information, please visit our Ethics page or read our  Privacy Policy.

How do you derive insights?

The timing data of the taps is sent to our server in regular intervals, where our powerful AI algorithms compare them to our database of clinical data and can detect patterns (“behavioral markers”). For example, the speed of tapping provides insights into the user's cognitive speed (how well the brain performs). Even very subtle changes in tapping speed over time can reveal changes in brain health, such as those that can occur with fatigue or burnout.

How is Cognitive Fitness measured?

We assess how your brain works without you having to take lots of tests. We start by looking at a variety of timing patterns of your smartphone interactions, such as your touches on the screen or keyboard. Using this information, we create a behaviour map that shows your unique patterns.
Our AI model has been trained to recognise patterns in this map associated with the outcome of certain cognitive tests in controlled settings. Instead of making you undergo multiple tests, our model can predict your potential performance on these tests just by looking at your behavioural map.
In the end, our model puts all these predictions together to give you a cognitive fitness score, offering insight into how fit your brain is.

Good to know: The score will be even more precise if you enter your year of birth in the app settings.

How is Sleep Quality measured?

Although we do not record exactly when you sleep, using your smartphone taps our algorithm can accurately estimate the likelihood of when you are sleeping. Using this data, our algorithm can accurately predict your daily sleep-wake cycle. This method has been scientifically validated in comparison with traditional sleep tracking devices.

How is Social Engagement measured?

Using our algorithm, we measure the level of social usability of a range of apps and capture the time you spend on them as well as your taps while using them. Again, we do not record any of the content of your app or what you do on them at any time or in any form, merely the time you spend using them and your tap movements on them.

How do I know the app is working?

A small '~ba' symbol is continuously displayed in the header at the top of your phone screen while the app is running.
Note: This does not apply to users with Android 13 operating system or higher who have not given the app permission to receive notifications.

How do I hide the '~ba' in the notification tray and the notification bar?

1. Long press on the notification in the notification tray. 2. Click on the small gear that appears on the top right corner. 3. Deselect the notification class called "QA Service". Do NOT deactivate "All BrainAware notifications", otherwise you will no longer receive any notifications at all. You manage your notifications in the app settings. In case you have accidentally disabled "All BrainAware notifications", go to the BrainAware app info in your phone settings and re-enable 'Scores Updates'.

Which permissions have to be enabled on my phone?

The app requires two permissions “Display over other apps” and “Usage access”. The only data the app collects through the first permission is the timing patterns of your taps. The app cannot record where you tap or the content of your screen in any form. The app will not display anything on your screen when you’re not using it. The only data the app can collect through the second permission are the names of the apps and how often you use them. The app does not record any content from your apps or any other details.

Do I have to keep opening the app to ensure it keeps running?

In principle, you don’t have to open the app to keep it running in the background. The app relaunches by itself. However, we recommend adjusting your phone's battery settings. This will ensure the app runs smoothly in the background without interruption, while still consuming very little battery power. To do this, open 'Battery optimisation' in the app settings and the relevant instructions will open.

The background tracking of the app stops working from time to time. What can I do?

In some cases, your phone’s operating system may stop our app from running, e.g. due to extreme battery saving or low battery. To prevent this, we recommend adjusting your phone's battery settings. This will ensure the app runs smoothly in the background without interruption, while still consuming very little battery power. To do this, open 'Battery optimisation' in the app settings and the relevant instructions will open. Alternatively, simply open the app once a day.

Why does it sometimes show high battery consumption in the phone settings?

In exceptional situations, it may happen that the battery consumption in the phone settings is temporarily displayed mistakenly higher than it actually is. The reason for this is that the operating system attributes inexplicable energy consumption, e.g., in the event of battery problems, to those apps that are running in the background.

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