Stay Present with Your Phone: A Systematic Review and Standardized Rating of Mindfulness Apps in European App Stores

Dana Schultchen; Yannik Terhorst; Tanja Holderied; Michael Stach; Eva-Maria Messner; Harald Baumeister; Lasse B Sander

doi:10.1007/s12529-020-09944-y

Stay Present with Your Phone: A Systematic Review and Standardized Rating of Mindfulness Apps in European App Stores

Int J Behav Med. 2021 Oct;28(5):552-560. doi: 10.1007/s12529-020-09944-y. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Authors

Dana Schultchen¹, Yannik Terhorst^{2

3}, Tanja Holderied⁴, Michael Stach⁵, Eva-Maria Messner³, Harald Baumeister³, Lasse B Sander⁶

Affiliations

¹ Clinical and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 41, Ulm, Germany. dana.schultchen@uni-ulm.de.
² Research Methods, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, Ulm, Germany.
³ Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 47, Ulm, Germany.
⁴ Clinical and Health Psychology, Institute of Psychology and Education, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 41, Ulm, Germany.
⁵ Institute of Databases and Information Systems, Ulm University, James-Franck-Ring, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
⁶ Institute of Psychology, Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Psychotherapy, Albert-Ludwigs-University of Freiburg, Engelbersger Str. 41, 79085, Freiburg, Germany.

Abstract

Background: Mindfulness-based interventions show positive effects on physical and mental health. For a better integration of mindfulness techniques in daily life, the use of apps may be promising. However, only a few studies have examined the quality of mindfulness apps using a validated standardized instrument. This review aims to evaluate the content, quality, and privacy features of mindfulness-focused apps from European commercial app stores.

Methods: An automated search engine (webcrawler) was used to identify mindfulness-focused apps in the European Apple App- and Google Play store. Content, quality, and privacy features were evaluated by two independent reviewers using the Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS). The MARS assesses the subscales engagement, functionality, aesthetics, and information quality.

Results: Out of 605 identified apps, 192 met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality was moderate (M = 3.66, SD = 0.48). Seven apps were tested in a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Most of the apps showed a lack of data security and no privacy policy. The five apps with the highest ratings are from a credible source, include a privacy policy, and are also based on standardized mindfulness and behavior change techniques.

Conclusions: The plethora of often low-quality apps in commercial app stores makes it difficult for users to identify a suitable app. Above that, the lack of scientific verification of effectiveness and shortcomings in privacy protection and security poses potential risks. So far, the potential of mindfulness-focused apps is not exploited in commercial app stores.

Keywords: Apps; MARS; Mindfulness; Mobile health; Systematic review; mHealth.