Support

Answers to the usual questions. For anything else, email contact@mntlapps.com; we read every message.

Logging by breath

How do I log a puff by breathing out?

Tap Blow to log, then breathe out steadily toward the bottom edge of your iPhone, where the microphone is, from about a hand's width away. The plume climbs while you breathe out; when it reaches the top, the puff is counted. Billow keeps listening for your next puff until you tap Done, so a run of puffs needs only one tap.

I have to blow too hard, or it doesn't pick me up

• Aim at the bottom edge of the phone, not the screen.
• Check that a case or your hand isn't covering the microphone.
• Go to Settings → Recalibrate my breath and do the three short blows again, in the kind of place you usually log. Billow sets its thresholds from your own breath.

It counted something that wasn't a puff

Right after a puff is logged, Undo appears for a few seconds. Billow is tuned to ignore talking and claps, but steady wind or a fan blowing at the phone can sometimes look like breath.

Does Billow record me?

No. The microphone is on only while the blow screen is open. Sound is analysed on your iPhone as it happens and then discarded; it is never recorded, saved or sent. Billow never listens in the background. The privacy policy has the details.

Can I log by breathing out on the Lock Screen, or from a widget?

No. iPhone apps can only use the microphone while they're open on screen, which is also how we want it. Widgets and controls log with a tap of +1, without opening the app. Their Blow button opens Billow straight to the blow screen.

Can I log without the microphone at all?

Yes. Use Tap to log on Today, or the +1 on a widget. You can turn microphone access off in Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

Widgets and controls

Here's where to put Billow's widgets and controls:

• From the Billow icon: touch and hold the Billow app icon and pick a widget size at the top of the menu. The icon turns into the widget.
• Home Screen: touch and hold an empty area, tap Edit → Add Widget, choose Billow, and pick the small, medium or large size. The large one adds your days under the limit, money kept today and your week.
• Today View (swipe right on your first Home Screen page): scroll to the bottom, tap Edit → Add Widget, and choose Billow.
• Lock Screen: touch and hold the Lock Screen, tap Customize → Lock Screen, tap the widget area, and choose Billow.
• Control Center: swipe down from the top-right corner, tap +, then Add a Control, and search for Billow. There are two: Log a puff and Blow to log.
• Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro and later): Settings → Action Button → Controls, and choose Log a puff.

If Billow isn't in the list yet, open the app once, then try again. Restarting your iPhone also refreshes the widget gallery.

Sound and haptics

Tap Sound on Today, or go to Settings → Sound, to choose between sound and haptics, discreet (haptics only), or silent (the plume only). Breath logging works the same in every mode. Billow's tone plays even when the ring/silent switch is set to silent, which is why discreet mode exists.

Language

Billow speaks English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese, Korean and Chinese, and follows your iPhone's language. To use a different one for Billow only, open the Settings app → Apps → Billow → Language.

Health

The Health page counts from your last puff and fills in what your body does as nicotine leaves. The timings are what most people can expect, drawn from published research on stopping nicotine; yours may differ. They are not medical advice.

SOS

The red SOS button at the top of Today opens what helps in a hard moment, fastest first: two minutes of breathing with Billow, a ten-minute wait timer that tells you when it's up, a Nicotine Anonymous meeting, and a free quitline where Billow knows one for your region.

The mirror

The camera button in the middle of the tab bar opens the mirror: your front camera, framed with Billow's name and today's progress, to look at yourself while a craving passes. Take a photo to share it or save it to Photos. Billow keeps no photos, and saving asks only to add photos, so Billow never sees your library. To turn either off, open the Settings app → Privacy & Security → Camera or Photos.

Your plan

Billow sets today's limit from your plan: where you started, where you want to be, and over how many weeks. Change any of it on the Plan tab. If you go over, nothing is lost; tomorrow is a new day and the plan carries on.

Billow Plus and purchases

• Restore: on a new iPhone, go to Settings → Restore purchases, signed in with the same Apple Account.
• Free trial: the monthly plan starts with 3 days free for new subscribers. Cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends and you won't be charged; you keep Plus until the trial runs out.
• Cancel the subscription: open the Settings app, tap your name → Subscriptions → Billow. You keep Plus until the end of the period you've paid for.
• Refunds are handled by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com.

Your data

• Where it lives: on your iPhone only. There's no account and no Billow server.
• New iPhone: Billow's data comes across when you restore from an iPhone backup (iCloud or computer) or use Quick Start.
• Delete everything: Settings → Delete all data. This can't be undone.

Getting help to quit

Billow is a tracking tool, not medical advice. If you'd like support, talk to a doctor or pharmacist. In the US, call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free coaching, or visit smokefree.gov. Elsewhere, your national health service can point you to a local quitline.

Contact

Email contact@mntlapps.com. It helps to include your iPhone model and iOS version.