Will SWiPE work with my phone make and model?

SWiPE has been optimised to run on iPhones models 12 and later, and Android 7 and later. It may not work as well on some older phones. It is recommended that you have a recent update for your operating system.

I don’t see any of my preferred alcoholic drinks in the options provided

There is a list of generic and popular (unbranded) drinks for you to choose from, but we encourage you to personalise your training by taking photos of your favourite drinks or brands. You can do this using your camera as normal, or you can search for the brand online and screenshot it, so it appears in your photo library. Then, when you set up your training, simply select these images.

I can’t relate to the positive images in the options provided

We encourage you to personalise your training by selecting photos from your own photo library of things that you like, things that are important to you, or activities/hobbies you want to do more often (that could replace drinking for example!). You may wish to use photos of your family, pets, friends, holidays, or really anything that inspires you or relates to your personal values or goals.

The app says that it trains users to “SWiPE away” alcohol, yet sometimes I swipe alcohol towards me and positive images away. Is this an error?

No. The SWiPE app uses a form of cognitive training called “Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM)”. It works by subconsciously training individuals to avoid alcohol by repeatedly “swiping away” alcohol-related images. However, for the training to be subconscious, users must be focusing on something other than whether the image is alcohol or not. This is why the images are presented in either landscape or portrait rectangles. In order to progress through the task, you must respond to the orientation of these rectangles (rather than the actual image itself). Approximately 90% of the “SWiPE away” rectangles contain alcohol, and approximately 90% of the “SWiPE towards you” rectangles contain positive images. This way, while your attention is focused on the orientation of the rectangles, you are being subconsciously trained to avoid alcohol (by not consciously focusing on it). However, there will always be 5-10% of images that seem to appear in the “wrong” orientation (e.g., swiping alcohol towards yourself) – don’t worry, this is the app doing exactly what it is meant to!  

When I started doing the training, the app definitely required me to pull about half of the alcohol images towards myself.

Before starting the brain training, we use a similar training task to measure your cognitive bias for alcohol (i.e., the strength of your “alcohol autopilot”). This task does involve pushing approximately 50% of alcohol images towards yourself, but it is quite short (takes 1-2 mins), and is only done once at the beginning and once at the end of the 4-week brain-training program.

Who can see the images I upload to SWIPE?

No one other than yourself can see the images you use in the SWiPE app. In order to protect user privacy, the images are not really “uploaded”, rather, the SWiPE app is “directed” to the selected images in your photo library, so that no one else can view them.

Can I change the images I chose for the brain-training task?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to change your photos once you have selected them. This is because the brain-training achieves its effects through repeated responding to the same images. If you have completed the 4-week brain-training program and wish to try again using different images, you can delete and re-purchase the app, which will allow you to choose new images during the app’s setup.

How long does the brain-training take?

Each brain-training session takes only 3-5 minutes to complete. As part of the training program, you should aim to complete at least 2 sessions per week for 4 weeks. However, if you want to complete more sessions, you can. Once you have completed the 4-week program, you can also continue the brain-training.

Why is the brain-training task repetitive?

Cognitive Bias Modification has been shown to reduce the brain’s responsiveness to alcohol-related cues (i.e., the areas of the brain that are responsible for wanting alcohol when reminded of it). However, the brain-training process requires repeated practice, just like exercising or playing a musical instrument. In this sense, the training may seem a bit repetitive or monotonous, but you can think of it as a brain workout to help override the “alcohol autopilot”!

I am unable to progress through the app.

If you find yourself unable to progress through the app, try scrolling down slightly, as it is possible that the “Next” button may be hidden. This can happen on phones with smaller screen sizes, or phones where the text size has been increased. Tap the “Next” button to progress through the app flow.

During the brain-training task, the images appear to be stuttering/flickering right before I swipe them. 

This issue can sometimes occur if your phone is operating with low RAM. Please try closing all background apps that are open in your phone and then retrying the brain-training task.

I pressed “back” and now the app is stuck saying “loading”.

If you’re using an Android, please do not use your phone’s “back” button to navigate back to a previous screen in the app, otherwise it may become unresponsive. Instead, just close the app and re-open it to pick up from where you left off.

When I scroll through the images in “Image Selection”, some of them don’t appear.

Sometimes it can take a moment for the images to load, particularly if your internet connection is not strong. Try waiting for 30-60 seconds and the images should have loaded. If this does not work, check that your phone is connected to a stable internet connection and try again.

I am not able to use my own photos from my photo library.

When selecting the images to be used in the brain-training, the app will prompt you with a notification stating “SWIPE would like to access your photos”. Make sure you click the option “allow access to all photos” and not “select photos” or “don’t allow”. If you have not done this, go to “Settings”, then “Privacy”, then “Photos”, then select “All photos” in order to grant SWiPE permission to use your photos in the brain-training.

I am not receiving notifications to do training sessions or report on my drinking.

When you open SWiPE for the first time, make sure you tap “allow” when the app asks for permission to send you notifications. If you have not done this, go to “Settings”, then “Notifications”, then find the SWiPE app and make sure notifications are turned on.

I cannot select the last few images in the “Image Selection” window.

Some users with smaller screen sizes may be unable to select the last image when choosing their 6 alcohol or 6 positive images (it may appear cut-off at the bottom). In order to select the image, scroll down near where the text is written (i.e., the top half of your screen), rather than scrolling up where the images are, then select the image. See these instructions:

If I update the app will I lose my data?

For some phones or operating systems using version 1.1.1 any subsequent updates may result in a loss of data entered, however the training each week is identical and so we recommend simply recommencing the 4-week program, noting that with this newer version you can also change your photos. However, from versions 1.1.3 (released 13/4/22) onwards all data should be retained with any update.

If you have any other questions about the app, please don’t hesitate to get in touch by contacting us!