Frequently Asked Questions

1. How does the Emotion Sense app work?
   This app collects data by asking you to complete short surveys about your mood at different times of the day. When a survey is ready to be answered, an icon will appear in your notification bar, just like when you receive a text message. By clicking on this notification, you will be taken directly to the survey. You can then see your aggregated responses on the Emotion Grid screen. Over time, as you add more answers, you will be able to see more details about how your mood relates to the sensor data that your phone can capture.
2. Can I provide more responses?
   Yes, you do not need to wait for a notification to input how you feel. By clicking on "How do you feel?" when you open the app, you will be taken through a longer survey about your mood, location, activities, and more.
3. Why can't I see how my mood relates to all the sensors?
   You can unlock different feedback views as you use the app. Remember, the more you respond to the notifications, the more data the app will have to give back to you.
4. How can I report any problems or provide feedback and suggestions?
   We welcome your ideas, suggestions, and experience using this app. If the app ever crashes, please click the "Report" button on the dialog that tells you the app has stopped working. For anything else, please get in touch via e-mail: you can find our contact details here.
5. How do you plan to use the data?
   We will use the data to research how people's moods relate to the way they use their smartphone and the information that smartphone sensors can collect.
6. Why does the app ask me to log in via Facebook?
   By logging in with Facebook, we can access basic details from your Facebook profile which we only use to support our research. The app currently does not post anything to Facebook, and will never do so without your explicit consent.
7. What about my privacy?
   The data that this app collects about your mood and from your sensors is stored securely on a server at the University of Cambridge. It is only accessible to members of the research team, and only for the purposes of conducting research about how mood relates to your phone's sensor data. We will never publish your data; any scientific publications we submit will only contain aggregated statistics. If you have any concerns, please contact us: our details are here.
8. What does the background service do?
   This app runs a background service which sends you notifications to answer the surveys. If you force quit this background service, the app will not work. To restart the service, just open the Emotion Sense app.
9. Can I change the app's settings?
   You can control how many notifications you get each day, and when they are allowed. From the app's home screen, hit the "Profile" button, and then go to "Application Settings." To completely disable notifications, you can untick the "Allow Notifications" item. The other sliders let you control the time of day and maximum number of notifications. The "Reset" button will return the settings to their default values, which are: 2 notifications per day, anytime between 8:00 AM and 10:00 PM.
10. Does this app use my 3G data plan?
    This app stores data on your phone while it collects it. The app will then wait up to 24 hours for your phone to connect to a Wi-Fi network; if you never use Wi-Fi on your phone, the data will eventually be sent via 3G.
11. Can I access my raw data?
    Yes, we can provide you with all the data we have collected from your phone. To do so, please get in touch with us. You will need the unique identifier that you can find on your Application Settings page, your phone's IMEI number, and to have logged in via Facebook
12. My question isn't listed here / Where can I get more information?
    This app was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, in the United Kingdom. Our names and contact details are here.