# EARS Mobile Sensing — Behavioral research system

> Behavioral research tool for collecting digital data to study mental health patterns. (iPhone/iPad app by Ksana Health Inc.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ears-mobile-sensing/id1442007322 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ksana Health Inc](https://appshunter.io/developer/1516560765)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Medical
- Price: Free
- Rating: 2.73/5 from 30 App Store ratings · 7 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.6 · 97 MB
- Languages: English, German, Spanish
- Released: 2019-02-09
- Data updated: 2026-07-07
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ears-mobile-sensing/id1442007322/reviews.md

## What is EARS Mobile Sensing?

The Effortless Assessment Research System (EARS) is a behavioral research tool developed by Ksana Health. EARS is intended to be used by individuals who have consented to participate in one of EARS' ongoing research studies.

Mobile devices have 
a lot to say about behavioral health. Giving behavioral health researchers access to your digital information helps them study patterns in behavior. Information gathered can be used to better support mental and behavioral health and can help solve mental health challenges.

Ksana Health builds digital research tools with a focus to improve mental health, especially amongst underserved group and young people.

Ksana keeps your digital data safe and does not sell it to anyone or use it to target you with advertising.

Our Ethics Committee ensures that:
- You agree with how your data is used
- Ksana keeps your data safe
- Benefits of the research outweigh any risk
- Easily opt out at any time.

Research data collected with EARS:
- Accelerometer
- GPS, for general mobility, habits, and patterns
- Keyboard usage for sentiment.
- Music and media listening, including musical and affective qualities of songs
- Battery state and charging time 
- Call Status
- Screen Time Device Usage
- Sleep data through HealthKit

EARS was selected as part of The Opportunity Project, an initiative focused on using open data to improve the lives of American citizens.

## Key features

- Behavioral health data collection
- GPS for mobility patterns
- Keyboard sentiment analysis
- Music and media listening data
- Screen time and device usage tracking
- Sleep data integration
- Call status monitoring

## Recent user reviews (7 of 7)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ears-mobile-sensing/id1442007322/reviews.md

### 1/5 — the keyboard is bad

*2025-11-25*

I don’t understand how they expect us to use the keyboard when it’s really bad??? It’s really not worth doing 😒

### 2/5 — please, i am BEGGING, fix the keyboard!!

*2025-08-13*

i have had autocorrect, autocapitalization and predictive text turned off for YEARS. this has led to me overall getting better at spelling. however, i downloaded this app today for a research study, and all of a sudden, all of the aforementioned are back, much to my chagrin. to improve the user experience, i would greatly recommend updating the keyboard—as many other users have also suggested—to sync with device settings. can't even type an em dash with the ears keyboard!!

### 1/5 — absolutely horrible keyboard

*2025-08-10*

I understand that this is meant for research , but they really need to update the keyboard

### 1/5 — Laggy

*2024-10-10*

Total chungus keyboard it autocorrects before yo even finish typing a word and is so laggy. At least I get payed for the study 🤷‍♀️

### 1/5 — Keyboard is awful

*2024-04-23*

They want you to use a special keyboard which has a predictive text feature which is the worst I have ever used. Does this weird thing where after it corrects something incorrectly and you start deleting to fix it, it will change the word back to what you had meant to type. It's really aggressive too, I have to go back and forth multiple times to write what I wanted. Really glad I only have to use this for 5 weeks.

### 2/5 — Drains Battery/TERRIBLE Keyboard

*2024-04-01*

Like other reviews state, this app will drain your battery super fast. But, for me, the worst part is the keyboard. It does not work like the regular apple keyboard. There is no way to turn off the predictive text, which I truly hate, so it inserts random words into whatever you type. If you want to correct a word that was placed using predictive text (ie: calling to call) if you try to back up it will simply erase everything. The autocorrect feature is completely unpredictable, and the emoji section, where your favorites would normally be, doesn't function in the same way. So those won't be where you need them to be. Lastly, the space bar is also not sensitive enough to catch all spaces, so you will have several run on words, and you can only use is to navigate side to side. You cannot navigate to a line above or below. 

I have to use this thing for a year, and I am really unhappy about it.

### 2/5 — Serious battery drain

*2021-04-16*

Because it is constantly running in the background, this app drained my battery in no time flat, especially once it reached 40-50%. I was having to fully charge it once a day, which is unheard of for me. Seriously inconvenient!

## Frequently asked questions about EARS Mobile Sensing

### What kind of data does EARS collect?

EARS collects data such as accelerometer readings, GPS location for mobility, keyboard usage for sentiment analysis, music and media listening habits, battery status, call status, screen time, and sleep data via HealthKit.

### Is EARS free to use?

Yes, EARS is available for free. The app is a tool for research participants and does not require any payment to download or use.

### How does EARS protect user data?

Ksana Health states that your digital data is kept safe and is not sold to anyone or used for targeted advertising. An Ethics Committee ensures data usage agreements, safety, and that research benefits outweigh risks.

### What is the purpose of the data collected by EARS?

The data collected by EARS is used by behavioral health researchers to study patterns in behavior, which can help improve mental and behavioral health support and address mental health challenges.

### Can I opt out of the EARS research study?

Yes, the Ethics Committee ensures that you can easily opt out of the research study at any time. Specific opt-out procedures would be provided by the research study administrator.

### What devices does EARS support?

EARS is supported on iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices. It is designed to leverage the sensors and capabilities of these Apple mobile devices.

### How often is EARS updated?

The latest version of EARS is 2.5.1, and it was last updated on December 22, 2025. This indicates a relatively recent update, suggesting ongoing development and maintenance.

### What is the age rating for EARS?

EARS has an age rating of 4+, meaning it is considered appropriate for children aged 4 and older. This rating is based on general content guidelines.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.5.6 — 2026-06-23

Keyboard Improvements

### 2.5.5 — 2026-05-12

Bug fixes and stability improvements.

### 2.5.3 — 2026-04-28

Bug fix for a keyboard crash on newer iOS versions

### 2.5.1 — 2025-12-22

- New keyboard look and feel
- Additional keyboard settings available in app

### 2.4.0 — 2025-11-06

Improvements Include:
- Ability for participants to answer a self-initiated EMA if configured by a study
- Support for smaller Screen Time intervals.
- Updates to some custom wording.

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## More apps by Ksana Health Inc

- [Vira by Ksana Health](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vira-by-ksana-health/id1622715111)

All apps by Ksana Health Inc: https://appshunter.io/developer/1516560765

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-07-07.*