DreamLab

3,258

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd Lifestyle

PEGI 3

Help solve cancer while you sleep.

The Garvan Institute of Medical Research needs more computing power to speed up cancer research. Donate the power of your smartphone to help, with DreamLab - the flagship program of Vodafone Foundation Australia.

Download the app, choose how much data to give (it's free for Vodafone Australia customers), and let your phone crack a piece of the cancer puzzle as it recharges.

For Vodafone Australia customers, the data to use DreamLab is free on the Vodafone network in Australia (but if you’re also contributing over WiFi, you’ll be charged as per your WiFi plan). For everyone else, you’ll be charged as per your mobile or WiFi plan for the data you contribute. Roaming incurs international rates, but we auto disabled DreamLab when you roam.

With just 1,000 users DreamLab will process research data 30 times faster than what Garvan could do without it.

Why does the app request photos, media & files permission? The app requests access to photos, media, files permission in order to temporarily store the tiny research problems whilst they are being processed and solved by your phone. DreamLab will only access the files it has created in the files directories. It does not need access to any of your private information or photos.

Reviews

4.7

3,258 total

5 2,661

4 321

3 138

2 57

1 81

Gavin Man

Nice idea but crazy OVERHEATS phone! Nice concept. Please fix overheating issue as I am using a Galaxy S4 running Lollipop and it goes up to 40°c battery and on the CPU it gets over 70°c because of Dreamlab! Please either fix the overheating or add option to pause Dreamlab if the temperature has reached too high. Thanks

Zain Ali

Well deserved 5 stars I had posted a previous negative review due to the app killing my phone whilst charging but it seems they have fixed that issue. And because of that I cannot find a fault with this updated version. Great app for an even greater cause. Good luck to the researchers!

Metodi Tsvetanov

A user before me pointed out a mistake in the notification which tells you how many problemS you solved. His comment dates back from May 2016. Untill now it is not fixed. Generally the idea behind the app is superb but cmon you have a typpo in your app.... This is not serious. Also the lack of further info on what is happening while the app is running raises my concern. I will stop using this app for now.

Ozzy Jay

Star upgrade :-) Could you incorporate a way for us to see how close we are to solving a problem individually and/or collectively? I got heaps of ideas how :-) that way we can stay plugged in if we know our individual contribution is close :-) also, thanks for allowing us to start helping from when we start charging :-) Peace p.s. Wish we could use our internet from home for this while we're not there. A secure access and it could run all day if we wanted it to :-) double peace

slushie Jazzman

Great idea - doesn't turn on automatically with Huawei Mate 8 Fantastic program. Lack of WiFi cap is awesome as well as being able to start at any time, no longer worrying about battery levels. Doesn't even consider opening automatically anymore though :(

Xavier Hutchinson

Great app Works perfectly and doesn't cook your device in the process like other research apps. Only problem I've noticed is completely trivial in that the message that tells you how many problems you solves doesn't cater for plurals. In that it doesn't matter if you completed 1, 5 or 50 problems the pop-up notification speaks in the singular. Fantastic app!

User reviews

Gavin Man April 21, 2016

Zain Ali December 23, 2016

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 3, 2016

Hi Zain. Our new version is getting great reviews! Collectively DreamLab users have already completed 10.2% of the cancer research project in half the time it would have taken the researchers. We need your help to speed up cancer research even more. We hope you'll give it another go :)

Metodi Tsvetanov March 22, 2017

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 3, 2016

Our new version is getting great reviews! Collectively DreamLab users have already completed 10.2% of the cancer research project in half the time it would have taken the researchers. We need your help to speed up cancer research even more. We hope you'll give it another go :)

Ozzy Jay April 18, 2016

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 3, 2016

Hi Ozzy. We've changed the app so you can start when not fully charged. Collectively DreamLab users have already completed 10.2% of the cancer research project in half the time it would have taken the researchers. We need your help to speed up cancer research even more. We hope you'll update the app and get involved again :)

slushie Jazzman April 28, 2016

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Are you still experiencing this problem? If so, could you please visit the App Settings and Send Feedback so that we can investigate further? Many thanks

Xavier Hutchinson May 17, 2016

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd May 22, 2016

Thanks Xavier for your feedback and for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research. We'll look into the notification issue you mentioned, thanks for bringing this up. Alyssa

Daniel Jasin December 22, 2016

I LOVE THIS PLEASE FIX I have been using this app for some time and it STILL acts up. Out of nowhere, it will say that it's working and shows me how long it has been working but won't have solved any problems. Uninstalling and reinstalling the app fixes this but this happens about once a week now and is becoming very annoying. Please fix this.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd January 11, 2017

Hi Daniel. Sorry for the radio silence. We've been busy working on a new version that we had hoped to release before Xmas. It shouldn't be too much longer. Thanks for your patience and please look out for the new version.

Hugo XYZ August 28, 2016

Fantastic App is simple to use. Hope to receive more app updates and more updates on our progress in fighting cancer. Also allow us to run the research while not charging... Update: desktop app for this would also be cool... occasional glitch... when the cancer research stops. Also allow us to use the app to clear ram so this thing can be run faster.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Thanks for the five stars and most importantly for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research.

Sam Ward May 9, 2016

Faulty Doesn't work anymore despite updating. Used to work just fine, but now after eight days and nine hours of problem solving, it just doesn't run nearly as often as it should despite meeting all conditions (full charge, plugged in, wifi on, unlimited data allowance). Can't manual start and won't auto start. Needs work.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Hi Sam. We want to look into this some more. If you're still experiencing this issue, could you please visit the app settings and click send feedback? Then we can look into the log which will give us some clues as to what the problem is. Thanks for helping us to make DreamLab better.

Tristan V June 11, 2016

Android 6.0.1 After upgrading to Android 6.0.1 (from Android 6) the app isn't working properly. It seems to stop working after I lock the screen. I've sent an email through the DreamLab app, and I'll update this review if a solution is found. Until then, it is still a good app and a great cause!

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd July 18, 2016

Thanks Tristan for your feedback, we're looking into this one.

Nick Zuclich July 18, 2016

No longer works. Have emailed and received no responses. The app runs all night and when my phone is fully charged... Yet never transmits any data or solves any problems. Monthly data usage is always at 0 for both mobile and wifi and no new problems are ever solved. Please advise. For reference, i AM using the new version of the app. The problems started a couple weeks after installing it...

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd July 18, 2016

Hi Nick. From your updated review it sounds like it's working for you now? Please let us know if not.

Joanne Deng April 26, 2016

Great, but for one small thing It seems that the app still runs in the background, without notifying me (does not show up in notifications panel as an ongoing process). Otherwise, perfectly simple and easy to use!

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Thanks for the great review and most importantly for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research :) The app is built to work in the background, and will send you a notification each time you unplug from charge telling you how many problems you have solved.

Granville Westecott April 19, 2016

Great idea Great idea, poorly executed. Given up in frustration! :-( Now it won't run at all. Opens the run screen but that's it. And I can't post to your website cos chat keeps opening! :@

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Sorry to hear your experience has been less than ideal. If you haven't deleted the app we'd love to look into this some more. Could you please visit the App Settings and click Send Feedback so that we can investigate further? Thanks for helping us to improve.

Avtar Taggar July 16, 2016

Have been using this on my phone and tablet. I have solved 1000+ problems on my phone and 10000+ on my tablet. However, is there any way of knowing where this ranks in the overall totals. I also process projects through BOINC (SETI@Home etc) on my laptop and I know exactly where I stand for my country, globally and even compared to people who signed up on the same day as me. If the figures and standings were available, it would encourage competition and get the processing done even quicker!

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd July 18, 2016

Hi Avtar. Thanks for using DreamLab. Adding ranks and levels, and allowing you to compare your contribution to others is absolutely on our to do list! So stay tuned. Thanks for your support, 11K+ problem is awesome!

Russ Clinton October 7, 2016

Cannot process beyond 25% of a project. Help I keep submitting this information, but I receive no response. I feel obligated to quit using my electricity to support an app that doesn't communicate. NOW STUCK ON 38.3%. HELP

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd November 6, 2016

Hi Russ. There was a bug in the app that kept display frozen at 38.3%, but it has been fixed and you can see we're making good progress now. Sorry we're not able to respond to every question (I'm a team of one!), but keep using to support important research. Find out more here https://www.vodafone.com.au/red-wire/dreamlab-garvan-samantha-oakes/

Luka Lugonja January 4, 2017

Brilliant app! If some people have problem with heat, it is up to their phone. Mine phone is cold, all sensors showing around 30 degress, battery also. It would be even better if i could turn it on while its not charging. For instance to set it to stop working when my battery is 40%.

William Miller May 20, 2016

Limited processing This app is installed on my phone because it's a worthwhile cause. Whilst I do see that 2810 problems solved in 8 days 21 hours, the issue is that I've had this installed for half a year. My phone is always recharged every night, and the Wi-Fi setting is always "keep active whilst being recharged". There definitely should be much more than 8 days given 6 hours a night at the minimum. Also late at night, there should be an option to just auto start processing instead of waiting for 95% battery life!

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd May 22, 2016

Hi William, thanks for using DreamLab and for your feedback. You can already choose to play and pause processing even when not fully 95% charged. We're also looking to give users the option to auto start and to use when not on charge - stay tuned! Alyssa

Bradley Mackintosh October 23, 2016

No longer works, it now works again After doing almost 2000 problems and nothing has changed in the settings, it no longer works. It was a good app. I deleted the app and we downloaded it and have since done another 2500 problems. Updates on how close we are collectively and also a percentage to see how much individually we have achieved.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd September 19, 2016

Could you please send us feedback through the app (Settings) so we can check this out? You were a star user having solved 2,000 problems, so we'd hate to lose you. Thanks

Kittredge Seely November 7, 2016

A Boost For Cancer Research It nice being able to give a hand to researchers even if they are far away. I just turned on unlimited WiFi. This makes DreamLab use my multicore CPU. The solutions have been really finishing faster. The only problem is that charging overnight can hurt your cellphone battery. So I charge during the day and start DreamLab when charging starts. Then DreamLab runs until my cellphone finishes charging. My battery isn't damaged and lots of computing gets done. Samsung S7s for science!

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd November 15, 2016

Thanks for the great review, and most importantly for using DreamLab to help researchers find better treatments for cancer.

Pete Garside November 16, 2016

Stops It's a great app and makes me feel that I am really helping. Seems to have stopped working again though and can run for hours but still stuck half way through a problem. I'll give it a few days to see if there's an update and then try reinstalling

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd September 19, 2016

Hi Pete. Thanks for letting us know about this. We're working on a new version at the moment and hope that will address the issue you've mentioned.

Mansoor Muhammad August 7, 2016

Easy and quick Like Brother machines, this app sits in your phone and never bothers you about start/stop issues or power consumption or any other concern. Without you noticing anything, you are doing good work. Cheers

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd September 19, 2016

Thanks for using DreamLab. If you'd like to know more about how it's helping, read here https://www.vodafone.com.au/red-wire/dreamlab-garvan-samantha-oakes/

Nick Butler April 30, 2016

Brilliant Imagine the power of harnessing all that unused smart phone compute. Similar to projects before it like folding@home, but the effort to get started is so low. Great app, great cause. It would be interesting to get information about the calculations taking place.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Thanks for the five stars and most importantly for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research. We're looking in to giving our users even more detail on the contribution they're making, so stay tuned!

JULIAN SANDERS May 15, 2017

WORKS FINE, NO PROBLEMS The app only works when the phone is charging, e.g. overnight, and its easy to set it to work only on wifi. No phone temperature problems on my Samsung J3. One minor issue - had to delete and reinstall.

Stilt Jack February 5, 2017

Not only a worthwhile cause, but well-designed and stylish. Install it and forget it - it will run only when your phone/tablet is fully charged and (if you like) only when it's on wi-fi. Should be standard in all devices - so much computing power is wasted.

Matthew Jeffries July 27, 2016

Love it but... This is the second time the app has got in a state where it fails to progress, night after night. I have to reinstall the app to get it working again. Sadly I lose my stats in that scenario, and I like to keep track of my contribution.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd September 19, 2016

Hi Matthew. If this has happened again, could you please send feedback through the app (Settings) so we can check this out in more detail. We agree you shouldn't lose your stats, especially when you're doing so well!

Brandon Mc-Wilhite May 4, 2016

THE BEST DEVELOPERS You guys are amazing! Every idea I've posted in a review has been added, and I have no clue what could make this app any better. You are the best app developers I have come across and I am glad to have this app on my phone. On a side note, this app does not slow down your phone at all, people. Just download and help support cancer research! (I have external batteries so I'll be processing all day, every day.)

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Thanks Brandon for the 5 stars and the feedback. Our app developers at b2cloud were blown away by your comments, so thanks for making their day! You made ours by being such a huge fan of DreamLab. Thank you.

November 25, 2016

Amazing App An amazing app which allows you to do your bit. Had it on consecutively for a few nights now and while it's in use and charging. I can't say what in actually doing but problems are being solved and I think that's good! Can't wait to help more.

Asif Javaid June 19, 2016

Why this app accessing my media/photo or you making us fool? It looks that you just making us fool. You are just trying to get users data only for your benefit. 1. If this app is for research purposes then why it needs our personal data? 2. The system which is hanged to give us inputs whole the time to many users I think that system/ server can process more efficiently and fast rather just sending / receiving the data. 3rd I don't believe that you are doing good with us but for a while I accept you doing a sympathy to the victims but if is it free ?

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd July 18, 2016

As noted in the Google Play the app requests access to photos, media, files permission in order to temporarily store the tiny research problems whilst they are being processed and solved by your phone. DreamLab will only access the files it has created in the files directories. It does not need access to any of your private information or photos.

Michael Magnaye October 11, 2016

Crowdsourcing done right! Works perfectly! (Edit: Not anymore... it doesn't startup by itself when battery is 100% and the data doesn't reset back to zero when the month reset date rolls by) One hangup I have is that although I'm with Vodafone, I'm unable to use more than 500MB. Even if it means it will eat into my data if Vodafone is not willing to make >500MB free (assuming this is partly the reason for the limit), you should let the user decide this with fair warning.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd September 19, 2016

Hi Michael. Great to have another Vodafone customer using DreamLab! When we started building DreamLab people told us they'd be worried about it using too much of their data. Now people want to give more, which is great! Thanks for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research :)

Gary Wright December 3, 2016

Disappointing ... won't reset I have found that once I hit the 500Mb per month WiFi usage it does not reset at the reset date. You are only able to use Vodafone data set at unlimited. Yes ... I know it is Free data usage but I only turn my data on when I need to.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd January 11, 2017

Hi Gary.We've been busy working on a new version that we had hoped to release before Xmas. It shouldn't be too much longer, but the good news is that we've fixed the data reset issue in this version. Thanks for your patience and please look out for the update :)

Teemu Kivinen October 6, 2016

The monthly reset doesn't work. And also the mobile data cap could be removed, because some people, I amongst them, have unlimited data so I don't use wifi, but I'd still like to submit the benefit of my phone.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd November 6, 2016

Thanks for the feedback and for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research. We'll look into the monthly reset issue and keep monitoring feedback on mobile data usage (most people are worried about it using too much mobile data!).

Amey P October 7, 2016

After my first week, I saw that overall project status jumped from 36.XX to 38.3%. It was very motivating to have the feeling of contribution to this increase. But this week, the status seems to be stuck at this level.. for days.. even when the "problems solved" counter is rising. Is it likely that multiple devices on same WiFi network somehow corrupt each others' data?

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd November 6, 2016

Hi Amey. There was a bug in the app so the display was frozen at 38.3% for a week! But it has been fixed now and you can see progress is humming along nicely now. Thanks for your patience and for using DreamLab.

Dee Zhou May 3, 2016

good cause. but app does not auto start even when fully charged. also missing monitoring capability. showing a clock is not helpful. job log. job result can be helpful. also have a widget or keep in notification space is helpful to start contribute more.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Hi Dee. Thanks for the five stars and most importantly for using DreamLab to fast track cancer research.

Christopher J McKellar May 7, 2016

[Review Update]: Issues solved All issues have been solved with the introduction of new app features in the latest update. Great work Vodafone for listening to feedback :)

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd February 15, 2016

Thanks Chris for your patience and for updating the app! Really great to have you using DreamLab. Alyssa @ Vodafone Foundation

Jay Christopher April 4, 2016

Computing issues The app keeps shutting down with plenty of access to WiFi and power sources. On the LG G4. Help I want to continue assisting with research.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Hi Jay, If you're still experiencing this issue, we'd love to look into it some more. Could you please visit the App Settings and click Send Feedback so that we can investigate further? Thanks for helping us to improve.

Christina Harrington May 17, 2016

New version is good. Still needs to be initiated to get it going sometime. But this version much better than the last. I like knowing progress of the project and number of problems I've helped solved.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 3, 2016

Hi Christina. Our new version is getting great reviews! Collectively DreamLab users have already completed 10.2% of the cancer research project in half the time it would have taken the researchers. We need your help to speed up cancer research even more. We hope you'll give it another go :)

Faith MzBehavin September 20, 2016

Awesome idea Battery issue fixed. Thank you. My phone stays on the charger if I'm not on at my desk or in my house and Dreamlab stays running the whole time. Have asked all my FB friends to install it, too.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd June 5, 2016

Hi Faith. DreamLab only works when your phone is plugged in to charge so shouldn't drain your battery. If you're still experiencing this issue, could you please visit the app settings and click send feedback? Then we can look into the log which will give us some clues as to what the problem is. Thanks for helping

Sam Mole April 23, 2016

Great app! I like the new display, is there any way to also display the old stats of how many users and how much the research is being sped up?

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 26, 2016

Hi Sam. Sounds like you're missing the old stats! We're looking in to providing a new screen where you get more metrics, so it's on the list of things we're considering. Thanks for the feedback, and for using DreamLab.

Scott Titensor May 11, 2016

Cool concept, great update, doesn't always start when 100% charged I like that you can manually start it driving even if your phone isn't fully charged. Doesn't start independently anymore, even if charged.

Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Ltd April 26, 2016

Hi Scott. Happy you like the new version! Huge thanks for using DreamLab to speed up cancer research.

Nick Cowling November 20, 2016

I lost both my parents far too young to cancer and I am a survivor myself. More people need to involved in contributing to research. A great way to use my data.