Your phone could reward you for not smoking: app locks apps until you pass a breath test
NCT ID NCT05224154
First seen Sep 02, 2026 · Last updated Sep 03, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests a smartphone app called Re-Connect that locks access to fun apps like social media and games. To unlock them, you must pass a breath test showing you haven't smoked recently. Researchers want to see if this reward system is easy to use, acceptable, and helps people who smoke at least 10 cigarettes a day and want to quit. The study involves a small group of adults and will measure how often they use the app and whether they stay smoke-free over six months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A smartphone app that unlocks selected apps only when a breath test shows you have not smoked recently
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a new, low-cost tool to help people quit smoking by rewarding abstinence with access to their favorite apps.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 9 participants, so results may not apply broadly. The app's success depends on people staying motivated and using it consistently.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
-
9 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
-
Dec 2021
- Finished
-
Feb 2026
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * individuals who report smoking at least 10 cigarettes per day for at least 2 years, -18 years of age or older * do not have any health complications that might interfere with the study or require more intensive treatment (e.g., emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, asthma, lactose intolerance) * report a strong desire to quit smoking (8 or higher on a 10-point Likert scale) * has prior experience using a smartphone, speak English, and are literate, will be eligible for the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Individuals with mental health complications that are either un-managed or that have been managed for less than 6-months
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Acceptability of health care are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Rowan University
Glassboro, New Jersey, 08028, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- A mechanistic test of treatment strategies to foster practice quitting
- Project QUIT+: adapting and testing a smoking cessation intervention for transgender and gender expansive individuals
- Fog and restart: could poetic metaphors break the smoking habit?
- Can an AI coach help parents kick the habit?
- Can an AI chatbot break the smoking habit?
- Students as anti-smoke ambassadors: a new way to fight youth smoking?