CogniAware is a free privacy and digital wellbeing tool. It shows you in real time how popular apps track your data and use addictive design patterns to keep you hooked.
WHAT COGNIAWARE DOES:
Screen time monitoring
Tracks real time spent in each app. Set daily limits and get notified when you go over.
Dark pattern detection
Identifies manipulative interface tricks that keep you in apps longer than you intend: infinite scrolling, variable rewards, disappearing content, algorithmic feeds.
Camera and microphone permission audit
Checks which installed apps have access to your camera and microphone. Quickly jump to permission settings to revoke access.
Device fingerprinting detection
Shows what information about your device apps can read without any permissions: model, OS version, screen resolution, timezone and more.
Real-time notifications
Alerts about detected tracking methods and exceeded time limits. Fully configurable — choose which threat categories to monitor.
Knowledge base
Educational content explaining how manipulation and tracking mechanisms work from both a psychological and technical perspective.
PRIVACY:
- All data processed locally on your device
- Zero data sent to external servers
- No ads, no analytics, no tracking
- Free, no hidden costs
PERMISSIONS:
- Usage stats access — to read screen time data
- Notifications — for threat alerts and time limit warnings
- Battery optimization exclusion — to keep monitoring running in the background
CogniAware does not block apps or modify your system. It informs, educates and helps you use technology more consciously — the rest is up to you.