Mendway help and FAQ
Answers about how Mendway counts, what is free, your data, and where to get help.
Getting started
What is Mendway?
Mendway helps you quit a habit and see what you get back. It counts the money you keep, the time you get back, and the days you put behind you.
When a craving hits, tap "I'm having a craving" on Today. It walks you through a short breathing exercise and a few quick steps while the wave passes.
You can also check in each day, earn badges, and watch a forest grow, with one tree for each month.
Mendway is a self-help tool. It is not medical advice or treatment.
Which habits can Mendway help with?
Six: drinking, smoking, vaping, porn, sugar and fast food, and gaming.
You can track more than one at the same time. Each one keeps its own day count. The money, time and days from all of them are added together on Today.
To add one later, go to You → Manage my habits → Add a habit. The list shows habits that are not running. If you paused one, tap "Resume" on it in Manage my habits instead of adding it again.
Can I use Mendway without an account?
Two parts work without one:
- The setup questions. You answer them first, and make an account at the end. Nothing you answered is saved to an account until you do.
- The breathing exercise. On the welcome screen, tap "Having a craving right now?" It shows no numbers and saves nothing.
Everything else, like your counts, check-ins, badges and forest, needs an account so it can be kept.
Why does setup ask so many questions? Can I skip some?
Many of them have a Skip button, and skipping is fine. The answers you do give are put to work:
- What you pick for "What usually sets off a craving?" shapes the buttons on your craving screen.
- Your hardest time of day sets the time of a heads-up note, if you turn reminders on.
- Your answer to "Why now?" shows on the craving screen, so you can read it on a hard night.
- If you said you had tried before and gave your longest stretch, the Forest tab shows how this run compares.
- If you drink, one question is about your safety, not your score.
You can change your "why" any time. Tap the card at the top of the You tab.
I stopped before I found Mendway. Can I count those days?
Yes. When setup asks when this quit started, tap "I already started" and pick the day you stopped. That day counts as day 1. So if you stopped yesterday, today is day 2. Your money and time are counted from that day too.
If you are starting today, tap "I am starting right now."
There is no setting to change the start date later, so pick the day you mean.
How your numbers are counted
How does Mendway count my days?
Mendway counts calendar days, and each day counts once. The day you stopped is day 1. A new day starts at midnight on your phone.
If you record a slip, that day still counts once. It is never counted twice, and it is never taken away.
The "Day" tag at the top of Today is your longest current count. Each habit card shows its own.
"Days total" adds up every habit, including ones you have paused. So two habits at 100 days each shows 200.
In the week after a slip, the top tag can show two numbers, like "Day 1 · 143 in all." The second number is every day you have counted for that habit.
How does Mendway count the money I've saved?
Money is your days times your daily cost, if you gave one in setup. For example, if a day cost you $20, ten days adds up to $200.
Today's amount is added as soon as the day starts. The small "+$20 today" tag shows what today added.
The total adds up all your habits, including ones you have paused. Amounts are shown in dollars.
For drinking, smoking, vaping and food, the Forest tab splits the money into a few lines, like "Drinks not bought." For porn and gaming it shows evenings and hours back instead. The split is worked out from your one daily number. It is not a record of what you really spent.
How does Mendway work out the hours I got back?
Time is your days times the minutes a typical day took.
For porn and gaming, setup asks for those minutes, and Mendway uses your number. For the other habits, setup asks about money instead, so Mendway uses a typical amount for each one:
- Drinking: 90 minutes a day
- Smoking: 45 minutes a day
- Vaping: 30 minutes a day
- Sugar and fast food: 25 minutes a day
Today shows the total in whole hours, so part of an hour does not show yet. Paused habits are included.
I guessed my daily cost wrong. Can I change it?
Yes. Go to You → Manage my habits and tap the cost under the habit. You can also tap the habit's card on Today, then tap "What a day costs."
When you change it, Mendway works out your whole history again with the new number. So your total money can jump up or down. That is because the total is always your days times your daily cost.
For porn and gaming, this is also where you add a daily cost if the habit costs you money too. You need a connection to save a change.
What happens when I pause a habit?
Pausing keeps every day, dollar and badge you have earned. It only stops the counting. Your current count ends where it is, and the habit leaves Today.
When you resume, a new count starts that day. The days while it was paused do not count. All the days from before still count in your totals and your badges. A paused habit does not show on the Forest tab, but its forest is there again once you resume.
To pause or start again, go to You → Manage my habits and tap "Pause" or "Resume." This needs a connection.
There is no way to delete a single habit. If you paused one and want it back, tap "Resume" rather than adding it again.
Slips and resets
I slipped. What happens to my progress?
You keep it. Your money, hours, forest, badges, check-ins and waves ridden all stay exactly as they were. Your total days stay too.
The only thing that moves is the day count for that one habit. It reads day 1 from today. Any other habits you track carry on as they are.
The day it happened still counts in your total days. If the Forest tab shows a card about your longest stretch before, it counts all of that habit's days, so a slip does not lower it.
How do I record a slip?
Everything else stays yours. Only the day count moves. To record a slip, there are two ways:
- On the You tab, tap "Something happened."
- On the craving screen, after "Not yet," tap "It already happened."
If Mendway asks which habit, pick one. Then tap "Count today as day 1." Your other habits stay as they are.
Next, Mendway asks "What was around it?" You only answer if you want to. It is for spotting patterns, not for the record. You can tap "Skip this."
A slip always counts from today. There is no way to pick an earlier date. It works with no signal, and it is sent when you are back online.
What if I tap the wrong thing on the slip screen?
Your money, badges, forest and total days all stay, even after you confirm. Only that habit's day count moves, and only once you tap "Count today as day 1."
Before you confirm, you can back out. Tap "Not yet — take me back" to close it, or "Pick a different one" if you chose the wrong habit. There is no undo after you confirm.
If you need help with it, email support@mendwayapp.com.
Craving rescue
How does the craving button work?
Tap "I'm having a craving" at the bottom of Today. It takes about two minutes, and there is nothing to decide.
- Breathe. Follow the ring: in for four counts, hold for seven, out for eight.
- Name it. Tap what set it off, or tap "Skip — can't name it." The buttons start from what you picked in setup. If you skipped that question, or added the habit later, you get the usual ones for your habit.
- See what is in the room with you: your own numbers, and your "why" if you wrote one.
If it passed, tap "I rode it out." If it hasn't, tap "Not yet." That opens "Stay a few minutes," with simple things to do with your hands. From there you can also:
- Text the person you saved under "Someone to text," if you added one.
- In crisis, or thinking about suicide? In the US, call or text 988. Anywhere else, contact your local emergency number.
- Tap "It passed" when it does.
- Tap "It already happened" to record a slip.
If you track more than one habit, it starts on your longest-running one. Tap its name at the top to switch. You can close it at any step. Closing it saves nothing and counts nothing against you.
What does "waves ridden" mean?
A wave is a craving you rode out. Each time you tap "I rode it out" or "It passed" on the craving screen, Mendway adds one. The breathing-only screen you can open without signing in doesn't count waves.
Your wave count only goes up. A slip does not change it. Waves ridden also earn badges.
Can I get craving help if I'm locked out or not signed in?
Yes.
- No account yet? On the welcome screen, tap "Having a craving right now?"
- PIN lock on? Under the keypad, tap "Breathe first — no PIN needed."
Both open the breathing ring, then a short list of things to do with your hands. In the US, you can call or text 988 from there if you are in crisis or thinking about suicide. Anywhere else, contact your local emergency number.
None of your numbers show, and nothing is saved. If you came from the PIN screen, the app stays locked.
Can I reach someone from the craving screen?
Yes. Go to You → Someone to text. Add a name and their phone number.
On the craving screen, tap "Not yet" to reach the "Stay a few minutes" step. A button to text them shows up there. It opens your own messages app with a blank message. Mendway never contacts them, and their name and number never leave this phone.
That step also shows how to reach help. In crisis, or thinking about suicide? In the US, you can call or text 988 there. Anywhere else, contact your local emergency number.
Check-ins and streaks
What is a check-in?
A quick note to yourself about today. Tap "Check in for today" on Today.
There are two sliders: mood, from Rough to Good, and craving, from None to Fierce. You can add one line if you want, up to 140 characters. Then tap "Save today."
You can check in once a day. If you change your mind, open it again and tap "Update today." Once Today has loaded, check-ins work with no signal too.
What happens to my check-in streak if I miss a day?
Nothing bad. Miss a day and the streak waits for you.
Your check-in streak counts the days you checked in, not days in a row. It only ever goes up. So if you check in Monday and Tuesday, skip Wednesday, and check in Thursday, your streak is 3.
You can't check in for a day that has already passed. And Mendway never sends a note about a day you missed.
Badges and forest
How do I earn badges?
There are three kinds, plus one hidden badge:
- Time: Day One, then 7, 30, 60, 100, 150 and 270 days, and One Year. These count the total days of your one habit with the most days, so a slip does not lower them.
- Money: $250, $1,000 and $5,000, from all your habits added together.
- Grit: 10, 30 and 75 waves ridden.
- Hidden: one more. You will see it when you earn it.
Once you earn a badge, it is yours for good. A slip or a pause never takes one away.
If none of your running habits has a daily cost, the money badges you haven't earned say "Add a daily cost." Tap one to open Manage my habits, then tap the habit's cost.
How does my forest grow?
The Forest tab shows one habit at a time. If you track more than one, tap a name at the top to switch.
Each of the last five months gets a tree. Months before you started show as an outline. A tree grows taller with each day you count in that month. This month's tree is still growing. The number of trees at the top is how many past months had at least one counted day.
Further down, you can see what this habit has given back in money or time. If you answered the setup question about your longest stretch before, a card shows that too.
For most habits there is also a Body section with typical timelines. These are general, not a prediction about you.
Badges live on their own Badges tab. They don't change how the trees grow.
Each habit
Why did Mendway show me a safety note about drinking?
Setup asks how often you were drinking. That question is about your safety, not your score, and it stays between you and the app.
If you answer "Most days" or "Every day, heavily," Mendway shows one important note. Quitting heavy daily drinking suddenly can be dangerous and may need medical help. Please talk to a doctor about the safest way to stop.
Mendway will be here either way. Tap "I understand — continue" to go on, or "Call SAMHSA" to reach the free US helpline at 1-800-662-4357. In the US, if you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988. Anywhere else, your doctor or local emergency number is the fastest route. The same note shows if you add drinking later.
How do I block porn on my iPhone for free?
Mendway has a free step-by-step guide that uses tools already built into your iPhone. Pick your porn habit on the Forest tab, or tap its card on Today, then tap "Set up free blocking."
The guide covers:
- Turning on Screen Time's filter for adult websites.
- Adding the sites you want blocked for good.
- Optional: a free filter for your Wi-Fi network. It covers that Wi-Fi only, not mobile data.
- Letting someone you trust hold your Screen Time passcode.
Apple's filter does not catch everything, and the Wi-Fi filter is a layer, not a lock. They add a few seconds of pause where you need it.
Screen Time is free and built into your iPhone, and the Wi-Fi filter uses a free outside service. We'd rather show you these tools than sell them to you.
How do I limit gaming on my iPhone for free?
Mendway has a free guide for this too, using Screen Time on your iPhone. Pick gaming on the Forest tab, or tap its card on Today, then tap "Set up free blocking."
The guide shows you how to:
- Set one daily time limit for all games at once. Without a Screen Time passcode, the limit can be skipped in one tap, so the guide shows how to set one.
- Turn on Downtime, so games are off-limits during hours you choose.
- Take one game off your phone. Offloading a game removes it but keeps its saved data.
- Optional: make putting a game back need the Screen Time passcode. This hides the App Store, so installing any app needs the passcode too.
It takes about ten minutes, once.
How does Mendway work for sugar and fast food?
It works like the other habits. You tell Mendway what a typical day of takeout and snacks costs. It counts the money you keep and the days you put behind you.
Some buttons on the craving screen are made for this habit, like "Late-night kitchen" and "Saw an ad or a cue."
During setup, and on the You → "If you need someone now" page, there is a note about getting help. If food feels out of your control, or you are skipping meals or restricting, please reach out. A doctor or an eating-disorder helpline can help more than a counter can.
In the US, the ANAD helpline is free: 1-888-375-7767, Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Central. It is not open around the clock. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. These numbers are for the US. Anywhere else, contact your local emergency number or your doctor.
Notifications
What notifications does Mendway send?
Only these, and only if you allow notifications:
- A daily check-in reminder. It is off until you turn it on, and then set to 8pm. You can change the time.
- A heads-up 45 minutes before the time of day you said is hardest: 7:15am for morning, 12:15pm for afternoon, 5:15pm for evening, or 9:15pm for late night. If you picked "It is not about the clock," there is no heads-up.
- A note at 9am on the morning you reach a time badge. Mendway sets these up when you open the app.
- If you start a free trial, one note before it ends. See "Will Mendway remind me before my trial charges?"
The heads-up and the badge notes only come while the daily reminder is on. Mendway never sends streak warnings, and never a word about a day you missed.
How do I turn reminders on or off, or change the time?
Go to You → Notifications. Use the "Daily check-in reminder" switch, and pick a time below it. Once the daily reminder is on, and if you named a hardest time of day, you can also switch the heads-up on or off there. It starts on.
You can also turn on "Keep them discreet". Then the heads-up and badge notes on your lock screen say only that Mendway has something for you.
Mendway asks about the daily reminder after a check-in, usually your first. When you start a free trial, Mendway may also ask about a note before the trial charges. Saying yes to that note doesn't turn on daily reminders. If you said no to the daily reminder, you can turn it on here any time.
If your phone is blocking notifications for Mendway, the switch can't work yet. Tap "Open phone settings" and allow them there.
Reminder settings are saved on this phone only. On a new phone, set them again.
Offline and syncing
Does Mendway work without internet?
The most important parts do. The craving button always opens with no signal. If your numbers have loaded on this phone before, it uses the ones last saved, and waves you ride out are saved too. Right after opening the app with no signal, your "why" may not show.
These save with no signal and are sent later:
- Waves you ride out
- Check-ins, once Today has loaded
- Slips you record
These need a connection:
- Adding, pausing or resuming a habit
- Changing a daily cost or your "why"
- Opening Insights
- Making an export
- Saving a new badge to your account
- Signing in, making or deleting an account, and buying or restoring Premium
If Mendway can't load your numbers, Today shows the ones last saved on this phone and says so. If none are saved yet, it says "Your numbers are safe" and shows a "Try again" button.
What happens to things I save with no signal?
They are saved on your phone first, and they show on your screen right away.
Then Mendway keeps trying to send them while the app is open, and tries again whenever you open it. You don't need to do anything.
If you sign out before they are sent, they are deleted. Mendway warns you first.
I got a new phone. Will my progress come with me?
Yes. Sign in with the same email and password. Your habits, days, money, badges, check-ins and setup answers are saved on your account.
A few things stay on the old phone, so set them up again:
- Reminders
- Your PIN lock
- Someone to text
- Light or dark mode
If you have Premium and it doesn't show, see "I paid, but Premium isn't on. How do I restore it?"
Premium, trial and billing
How much does Premium cost, and how does the free trial work?
There are two choices:
- Yearly: a 7-day free trial if your Apple Account can still get it, then one payment each year until you cancel.
- Lifetime: one payment. It never renews.
The price is shown on the paywall before you pay. It comes from the App Store, so it is in your own currency and can differ by country. Go to You → Premium to see yours.
The trial is only for an Apple Account that can still get it. If the button says "Subscribe yearly" instead of "Start the 7-day trial," the trial may not be available to you. Apple's purchase screen shows the final terms before you pay.
After the 7-day free trial, the yearly price is charged to your Apple Account. To avoid that first charge, cancel at least 24 hours before the trial ends.
Will Mendway remind me before my trial charges?
Yes, if Mendway is allowed to send notifications on your phone. Mendway sends one note before your free trial ends. It tells you the time to cancel by if you don't want the first charge. It comes even if your daily check-in reminder is off.
It comes on a phone where you are signed in to Mendway. If you have already canceled the trial, the note may still come. You can ignore it.
So please don't rely on the note alone. To check your trial for sure, open Settings on your iPhone, tap your name, then tap Subscriptions. You can see your trial there, and cancel it if you want.
If the note comes, tap it to open Apple's subscriptions page. Keep it or cancel. No hard feelings either way.
Can I get a refund?
Refunds for App Store purchases are handled by Apple, not by Mendway. Mendway can't give refunds directly.
To ask Apple, go to Apple's Report a Problem page at reportaproblem.apple.com and sign in with your Apple Account. Pick the Mendway purchase and follow the steps.
Privacy and your data
What does Mendway store about me?
On your account:
- Your email, and the name you gave.
- Your habits: what a day costs, when you started, and your day counts.
- Your check-ins: mood, craving and any line you wrote.
- Cravings you rode out: when, and what you named.
- Slips: when, and anything you tagged.
- Your badges.
- Your setup answers, including your "why."
- How sure you feel, from setup and again after a month.
- Whether you have Premium, and when it renews or ends.
- When you agreed to let Mendway store your health information, and which version of the privacy policy that was.
Kept on this phone:
- Your setup answers, until you make an account.
- Your PIN lock, kept as a scrambled code, not the digits.
- Someone to text: their name and number. These never leave the phone.
- Your reminder times, and light or dark mode.
- If you are in a free trial, when it ends, for the reminder.
- A copy of your habits and numbers, so the craving button works with no signal.
- Anything you saved with no signal that has not been sent yet.
Mendway does not ask for your contacts or your location.
Who can see my data?
Your account data is kept with Supabase, the service that runs Mendway's database, so it is there when you sign in. Your account can only read its own data. Nobody else who uses Mendway can see your habits, check-ins or notes.
The emails Mendway sends you, like a password reset link, go through an email service, so it gets your email address. Your data is not end-to-end encrypted, so the people who run Mendway could technically see it.
Purchases go through Apple. Mendway uses a service called RevenueCat to check whether you have Premium. It gets a random ID for your account and your purchase details. It does not get your email, your habits or your notes.
There are no ads, no tracking tools, no tools that analyze how you use the app, and no crash reporting. RevenueCat shows us purchase totals, such as how many trials became subscriptions. The name and number you save under "Someone to text" never leave your phone.
For all the details, tap "Privacy policy" near the bottom of the You tab.
Can I lock Mendway with a PIN?
Yes. Go to You → PIN lock and tap "Set a PIN." Pick four digits, then enter them once more.
Mendway asks for it when you open the app, and again if you have been away for a minute or more. After five wrong tries, you wait 30 seconds before you try again.
The PIN is on this phone only and is never sent anywhere. It stops people from seeing Mendway if they glance at your phone. It does not lock your phone.
Forgot it? Tap "Forgot it?" and confirm "Sign out." Signing out from that screen also clears the PIN. A normal sign-out from the You tab keeps it. Your data stays in your account. Sign back in and your forest, your numbers, your badges and every day behind you are where you left them.
Can I get a copy of my data?
With Premium, you can get your check-ins, the cravings you rode out and your slips. Go to You → Export my data and tap "Make the file."
Your record comes in CSV, a plain spreadsheet format. It has a row for every check-in, every craving you rode out and every slip you noted, in the order they happened. It does not include your habit settings, badges or setup answers.
Mendway builds it on your phone. Then the iPhone Share menu opens with your record as text, not as a file. If you pick Mail, the text goes in the email itself. You can paste it into a spreadsheet app or a note. Nothing passes through us.
How do I delete my account?
Go to You → Delete my account, then tap "Delete everything."
This erases your Mendway account and everything Mendway keeps in it, permanently, on every device:
- Your habits and day counts
- Your check-ins
- The cravings you rode out
- Your slips
- Your badges
On this phone, it also cancels your scheduled reminders, clears anything waiting to be sent, and forgets the person you saved to text. Your PIN and reminder times stay on the phone until you change them. It cannot be undone, and we cannot get it back for you. Our backup copies are erased within 30 days. Deleting does not delete emails you sent us; ask us and we will delete those too.
Mendway also asks RevenueCat, the service that checks Premium, to delete what it holds about your account. Apple keeps its own record of any purchase, and deleting does not cancel a subscription. If you subscribed, cancel it first in Settings → your name → Subscriptions, or you will keep being billed. The delete message has a "Manage subscription" button for this.
Account and sign-in
How do I sign up or sign in?
With your email and a password. That is the only way to sign in. Your password needs at least 8 characters, and no card is needed to sign up.
New here? Answer the setup questions, then tap "Create my account" at the end. Enter your email and a password, tick the box below them, then tap "Start day one."
The box says you agree that Mendway may store the health information you enter, like your habits, cravings, check-ins and notes, to run the app for you. You can't make an account without ticking it. The privacy policy and terms are linked right under it. You can take your yes back at any time by deleting your account or emailing support@mendwayapp.com.
If Mendway asks you to confirm your email, open the link on this phone.
Already have an account? Tap "I already have an account" on the welcome screen.
I forgot my password. What do I do?
On the sign-in screen, tap "Forgot your password?" Enter the email you signed up with and tap "Send the reset link."
Open the link on this phone. Reset links work once, for an hour, and only on the phone that asked for them. Then pick a new password with 8 characters or more.
If the link has expired, tap "Send me a new link."
Can I change my email, my name or my start date?
Not in the app. There is no setting for your email, the name you gave, or a habit's start date. If you need your email changed, write to support@mendwayapp.com.
Here is what you can change:
- Your "why": tap the card at the top of the You tab.
- What a day costs: You → Manage my habits.
- Reminders, PIN lock, someone to text, and light or dark mode: on the You tab.
What happens when I sign out?
Your habits, days, money and badges stay on your account. Reminders pause until you sign back in.
To sign out, go to You → Sign out. Mendway asks first, so you don't sign out by mistake.
Anything kept only on this phone, like the person you text, is removed. If something has not been sent yet, Mendway warns you first.
Getting help
Is it safe to quit drinking all at once?
Mendway isn't medical care, so please talk to a doctor about the safest way for you to stop.
Quitting heavy daily drinking suddenly can be dangerous and may need medical help.
In the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline can point you to treatment and support for alcohol and drugs. It is free, confidential and open 24/7: 1-800-662-4357. This number is for the US. Anywhere else, your doctor or local emergency number is the fastest route.
You can find this any time at You → "If you need someone now."
What will happen to my body when I quit?
Mendway isn't medical care, so please ask a doctor about your own health.
Quitting heavy daily drinking suddenly can be dangerous and may need medical help. Talk to a doctor first.
For most habits, the Forest tab has a Body section with typical timelines. They are not a prediction about you.
In the US, the SAMHSA National Helpline is free, confidential and open 24/7: 1-800-662-4357. Anywhere else, contact your doctor or local emergency number.
I need to talk to someone right now. Where do I go?
If you are in danger right now, call your local emergency number.
In the US:
- In crisis, or thinking about suicide? Call or text 988, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. It is free, confidential and open 24/7.
- For help with alcohol or drugs, call the SAMHSA National Helpline: 1-800-662-4357. It is free, confidential and open 24/7.
- For eating concerns, the ANAD helpline is free: 1-888-375-7767, Monday to Friday, 9am to 9pm Central.
These numbers are for the US. Anywhere else, contact your local emergency number or your doctor.
In Mendway, go to You → "If you need someone now." It is near the bottom of the You tab. On the craving screen, the "Stay a few minutes" step also has links to call or text 988.
No doctor or clinician has reviewed Mendway's wording. The helpline numbers and hours come from each helpline's own website.
How do I contact Mendway?
Email support@mendwayapp.com. You can also go to You → Contact us, which opens your mail app.
It helps to tell us what happened and what you expected to happen.
Still stuck?
Email us at support@mendwayapp.com.