For Android users

You can download the Android TapCounter app here:

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Android TapCounter Installation

The purpose of this research app is to continuously collect the timing patterns of screen touches.
The app only records WHEN you tap. It cannot record where you tap or the content of your screen in any form, to keep your privacy safe.

1. Download the TapCounter app from the Google Play Store.

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Search terms on App Store: ‘TapCounter Quantactions’, ‘QuantActions' 

2. Open the TapCounter app, click 'Next' and accept the Privacy Policy.

3. Grant permission 'Display over other apps'.

1. Click the Grant button. (Note: this first screen may vary depending on the App version)
2. Click on TapCounter in the list.
3. Click on the slider to grant permission.
4. Press back TWICE to return to this page.

A green circle with a check mark confirms that you have successfully granted permission.

Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

4. Grant permission 'Usage access'.

1. Click the Grant button. (Note: this first screen may vary depending on the App version)
2. Give consent to collection, processing and storage of data.
3. Click on TapCounter in the list.
4. Click on the slider to grant permission.
5. Press back TWICE to return to this page.

A green circle with a check mark confirms that you have successfully granted permission.

Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

5. Grant permission 'Physical activity'. (only for app versions 2.0.0 and higher)

1. Click the Grant button.
2. Click Allow in the pop-up to grant permission.

A green circle with a check mark confirms that you have successfully granted permission.
Click Next.

Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
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Continue here if you have accidently clicked on 'Don't allow'

The TapCounter app requires this permission to run in the background.
1. Open the TapCounter app and click Next.
2. Accept the Privacy Policy.
3. Click the Grant button.
‍4. Click Grant in the pop-up to be redirected to the app settings.
5. Click first Permissions.
6. Click Physical activity and select Allow.
7. Press back 3 times to return to the permission screen. Click Next.

Learn more about our Privacy Policy.

6. Allow notifications.

Notifications are optional, but highly recommended.
TapCounter notifies you, for example, when data collection is impaired or an app update is available.

If you allow notifications, you increase the chance of providing more accurate data for research.

Click Next.

7a. Add your profile data.

If you have already registered a device with TapCounter and want to pair a second device, go directly to the next step Pair a device.

New User:
Optionally add your profile data (birth year and gender).
This information is provided anonymously and helps us improve our algorithms.

Click Next and continue with step 8 in these instructions.

7b. Pair a device.

Follow this step if you have already registered a device with TapCounter and want to pair a second one.

On the device that you have already registered:
1. Click on the + on the main app screen.
2. Click Pair device. A QR code is displayed.

On the device you are currently setting up:
1. Switch to DEVICE PAIRING on the onboarding profile page.
2. Click Scan QR code.
3. Allow TapCounter to use the camera.
4. Scan the QR code that is displayed on your first device.
Both devices are paired automatically.

Alternatively, you can manually enter your identity ID and password, which are displayed under the QR code.

8. Connect your device to your study.

1. Click SCAN QR CODE.
2. Allow TapCounter to use the camera.
3. Scan the QR code you received from your study manager.

Note: You can skip this step now and make your data available for your study later. Read the FAQs to find out how to proceed in this case.

9. Start data collection.

Click START COLLECTING MY TAPS to begin collecting data and, if you have already connected your device to a study, to make it available to it.

10. Done. You are ready to go.

The main screen of the app shows "TapCounter is initialising". After a few minutes to hours this changes to "TapCounter is working fine!".
If the initialisation phase takes longer than a day, please contact your study manager.

A small 'qa' 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.

Thank you!

FAQ for Android

Which Android operating systems are supported?

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The app requires Android 8.0 or later.

Can I switch phone or use the app on a second phone too?

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Yes. Here is how it works.

Is the TapCounter running properly?

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How can I connect my app with a study?

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The device can be connected to a study either during onboarding (see instructions) or later in the app.

To connect to a study after the app has already been set up:
1. Open the menu in the top left corner.
2. Click Participate.
3. Allow TapCounter to use the camera.
‍4. Scan the QR code you received from your study manager.

What should I do if permissions are missing?

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The TapCounter app requires some permissions to run in the background.
If one or more are missing, a pop-up will appear when you open the app.

Learn more about our Privacy Policy.
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'Draw over' or 'Usage access' permission is missing

A red exclamation mark shows you which permission is disabled.
The procedure is the same for both.
1. Click on the red exclamation mark.
2. Click on TapCounter in the list.
3. Click on the slider to grant permission.
4. Press back TWICE to return to the app.

A green circle with a check mark confirms that you have successfully granted permission.

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Physical activity permssion is missing

1. Click Grant in the pop-up to be redirected to the app settings.
2. Click first Permissions.
3. Click Physical activity and select Allow.
4. Press back 3 times to return to the app.

How do I copy my personal IDs?

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1. Click on the + on the main app screen.
2. Click Copy my IDs.
3. You can now paste the IDs (identity ID and device ID) e.g. into an email to send it to your study manager.
To do this, press your finger on the empty email field until the 'Paste' option appears. When you click on 'Paste', your IDs should appear as text.

Be aware, that these are your unique IDs and are linked to your data. Please only share them with those you trust.

How do I manually synchronize my data?

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Open the menu in the top left corner, go to Settings and click Sync now.

How much data does the app use?

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The app is very data efficient: data syncing requires very little data usage, ranging from a few KB to a few MB per month i.e. the size of a single photo captured by your phone camera. One year of user data is approximately 10MB.

Does my phone have to be connected to the internet all the time?

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No. The app only requires internet connection to sync your data. It is designed to sync data using WiFi, and after multiple failed attempts it will tap into the 3G or 4G data.

What can I do if the app repeatedly stops working?

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In some cases, your phone’s operating system may stop running the TapCounter app, e.g. when the battery is very low. To ensure that the app runs in the background without interruption, while still consuming very little battery power, we recommend that you adjust your phone's battery settings. Alternatively, simply open the app once a day.

To do so, open your phone's battery settings by searching for 'battery' in the phone settings.
Huawei: 1. Find the app in the list. 2. Toggle to deactivate the system management. 3. Click OK to confirm. The app entry shows now 'Managed manually'.
Samsung: 1. Click on 'Battery'. 2. Select 'unrestricted'.
OPPO & OnePlus:
1. Click 'Battery usage'. 2. Toggle to activate both a) Allow background activity, b) Allow auto launch.
Xiaomi: 1. Toggle to allow 'Auto launch'. 2. Click 'Battery saving' and select 'unrestricted'.
Pixel: Settings cannot be adjusted.

How does this affect the battery usage of my phone?

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The app is power efficient and uses less than 2% of your phone battery. It has no impact on your phone speed.

What data is collected by the Android TapCounter app?

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1. The model of the mobile device on which the app is installed.
2. The timing of each touchscreen interaction, including time zone.
3. The names and launch times of the apps run on the mobile device.
4. The battery log of the mobile device.
5. Usage patterns, and performance and stability indicators of the app itself.
6. Optional: Year of birth and gender
7. Type of activity (walking, running, cycling, moving in a vehicle), incl. time of start and end of activity.

No personally identifiable content as in text messages, images, browsing history or contact information is ever collected. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.

How do I stop the app from recording data?

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To stop data collection, you can delete data and stop recording in the app settings or uninstall the app.

Please inform your study manager if you wish to officially withdraw from the study.

Couldn’t find what you were looking for? Write to us at support@quantactions.com
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