Notify NYC vs Untwist
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Notify NYC
Receive official emergency alerts and information about important City services directly from New York City. This app provides location-based updates to keep you informed about emergency events.
- Official emergency communications
- Location-based alerts
- Information on emergency events
- Updates on City services
- Privacy-focused location tracking
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Notify NYC is New York City's official emergency communications program. Get the Notify NYC app to get information about emergency events and important City services, based on your location. New York City will never track or share your precise location with anyone.
Untwist
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PRIVACY-FIRST ANXIETY RELIEF Your anxious thoughts belong to you, not a company's servers. Untwist is built differently—everything stays on your device. No accounts, no cloud sync, no tracking. Just you and evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) techniques. WHAT IS UNTWIST? Untwist helps you capture and reframe anxious thoughts using proven CBT methods. When anxiety strikes, quickly capture the thought. Later, during your scheduled "worry time," review and reframe it using techniques from cognitive behavioral therapy. KEY FEATURES • Quick Capture When anxiety hits, capture the thought in seconds. Don't let it spiral—just write it down and move on with your day. • Scheduled Review Time Set your "worry time" for when it works best (evenings work well). Postponing review often reduces anxiety naturally—many worries lose intensity over time. • Guided Reframing Step-by-step process helps you: - Identify cognitive distortions in your thinking - Challenge unhelpful thought patterns - Create balanced, realistic reframes - Track how your anxiety changes • Learn CBT Techniques Understand the 13 cognitive distortions with clear explanations, real-world examples, and practical reframing tips. Learn to spot patterns in your thinking. • Worry Box Your private collection of captured thoughts, ready for review when the time is right. Think of it as a holding space for anxiety. • Pattern Recognition Over time, notice patterns in your worries. See which cognitive distortions you tend toward, and build awareness of your thinking habits. PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST • All data stays on your device • No account required • No cloud sync or backups • No tracking or analytics • No advertising • Encrypted at rest with iOS device encryption • We can't access your data—even if we wanted to Your thoughts, reframes, and mental health data never leave your iPhone. We built Untwist this way intentionally because privacy matters, especially for mental health. WHY POSTPONE WORRY? Research shows that scheduling worry time (rather than worrying constantly) can reduce overall anxiety. Benefits include: • Many worries resolve themselves or become less intense • You can give worries focused attention rather than scattered rumination • You're not interrupted by anxiety throughout the day • You build a healthier relationship with anxious thoughts BASED ON COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY CBT is one of the most researched and effective approaches for anxiety. Untwist helps you practice core CBT skills: • Thought awareness - Notice when anxiety shows up • Cognitive restructuring - Challenge and reframe thoughts • Pattern recognition - Identify thinking traps • Evidence evaluation - Separate thoughts from facts THIS IS NOT THERAPY Untwist is a self-help tool, not a replacement for professional mental health care. If you're experiencing severe anxiety, depression, or thoughts of self-harm, please reach out to a mental health professional. PERFECT FOR • Anyone experiencing anxious thoughts • People learning CBT techniques • Therapy clients practicing between sessions • Privacy-conscious users who want control over their mental health data • People who want to try CBT before committing to therapy WHY WE BUILT THIS Mental health data is incredibly sensitive. Yet most apps sync it to the cloud, create accounts, and track everything you do. We built Untwist because we believe your thoughts belong to you. EVIDENCE-BASED & TRANSPARENT Untwist is based on established CBT research and principles. We're transparent about what the app does (and doesn't do), and we'll never make exaggerated claims about results. Download Untwist and start reframing anxious thoughts in complete privacy. --- Questions? Feedback? Email us at john@untwist.app Privacy Policy: https://john-pachec0.github.io/untwist-docs/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Notify NYC at 13 against Untwist's 17.0. On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | Notify NYC | Untwist |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (99 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 25.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 99 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Department of Information Technology And Telecomm | John Pacheco |
Bugs and requests
Notify NYC
Reported bugs
13 issues- Pop-up notifications repeat endlessly and cannot be dismissed
- Notification preferences cannot be saved
- App randomly closes when in use
- Cannot get past the Terms of Use agreement
- No accept button to press on terms of service
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- Repeatedly popping up old notifications
- Alerts keep popping up incessantly
- Parking reform pop up won’t stop popping up
- Old notifications upon opening app
- Ignores notification settings on iPhone
- Cannot navigate app when open
- Required missing person alerts cannot be deactivated
- Missing pictures in missing person alerts
Requested features
13 requests- Allow deactivation of missing person alerts
- Include pictures in missing person alerts
- Add a share button for alerts
- Allow users to choose which alerts they receive (without mandatory ones)
- More granular alert controls
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- Option to receive amber/grey alerts
- Ability to set neighborhood for localized alerts
- Dismiss All button for pop-up notifications
- Eliminate pop-ups and rely on banner notifications
- Fix inability to navigate app when open
- Update the app regularly
- Improve alert detail and specificity
- Allow users to toggle off ALL categories of alerts
Untwist
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notify NYC
No in-app purchases
Untwist
No in-app purchases









