Here are some frequently asked questions relating to m-Path

My m-Path notifications are not producing a sound. Why?

To ensure that your m-Path notifications produce a sound, there are some settings on your phone that are helpful to check. We have detailed these below, but if you would like assistance working through these, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

Android

Check m-Path notifications in the settings on your android

Notifications are normally automatically enabled when you open m-Path for the first time for all Android versions up to version 12. For Android 13 and above, users are asked to give permission for notifications when they open the app for the first time. To check if notifications are allowed on Android 13 and above. On your phone please go to Settings -> Apps -> m-Path and check that Notifications are allowed.

Check sound for all notifications on your android

Many Android phones have different settings. Not all these tips will be directly applicable on each phone. If you would like any assistance with checking these, please look up how to find these setting on your device or email us and we can help with this.

1. Make sure ‘do not disturb’ is off. Swipe down from the top of a Home screen and check that Do Not Disturb is off.
2. Make sure notification sounds in general on your phone are enabled (i.e. make sure that you hear a sound for other apps too). Go to Settings > Sounds (or Sounds and Vibration) > check that volumes are set to loud (on some devices there will be a specific option to set the volume of notifications).
3. If you still hear no m-Path notification sound it may help to change the default notification sound. To do this, you can go to settings > Sounds (or Sounds and Vibration) > Change notification sound (on some phones you first have to go to advanced). On some phones you can also go to Apps > select m-Path > Try to change notification sound for m-Path specifically.

iOS (iPhone)

Check m-Path notifications in the settings on your iPhone

The first time you open m-Path you will be asked to enable notifications.

Please click ‘Allow’.

If you didn’t click Allow or forgot if you did, you can enable notifications as follows:

On your phone please go to Settings -> Notifications-> m-Path and click on allow notifications and make sure ‘Sounds’ is on.

Check sound for all notifications on your iPhone

1. If your device has a Ring/Silent switch, move the switch forward—toward the device’s display—so that orange isn’t showing.

2. Open Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and make sure that Do Not Disturb is off.

3. Go to Settings > Notifications > m-Path > make sure Sounds is on.

4. Make sure to turn your sound volume up (test if you can hear notification sounds of other apps).

I have been logged out of m-Path, how can I log back in again?

To re-access your m-Path account, you will need to use your recovery code

We’ve created some instructions to help you to use your recovery code. The link below will take you to another page on this website which will detail how to find and use your recovery code to re-connect with your account in the m-Path app.

If you are logged out or have uninstalled the app and did save your recovery code:

Please follow the instructions using the link below to re-connect with your account using your recovery code.

How to find and use your recovery code

If you are logged out or have uninstalled the app and did not save your recovery code:

Please contact us by email, and we can issue you with a new temporary recovery code so you can regain access to your account.

If you need assistance with using the recovery code, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

What is my recovery code and why do I need it?

Important: When you first set up m-Path, you are given a recovery code. This is the only way to access your account if you are logged out, change devices, or reinstall the app. We strongly recommend saving this code somewhere safe when you first receive it.

How can I find my recovery code?
If you are still logged into m-Path, you can find your recovery code within the app. To do this open the menu (upper left in the app), click on extra and then click on ‘Recovery code’ (we have added a screenshot below). You may have to wait 15 minutes before the code is shown. This is so that someone that borrows your phone for a minute does not have immediate have access to the recovery code.

Can I use m-Path on more than one device?

No, it is important that you only use m-Path on one device. Your personal invitation code can only be used once. This means that if you try to log into your account on a second device, log out of m-Path after setting up your account, or uninstall and re-install m-Path, you will not be able to re-connect with the study using your personal invitation code and you will no longer receive notifications.

If this happens, you will see the m-Path welcome message, but when you enter your invitation code, you will see a message saying “No practitioners found”. To re-connect with your account, you will need to follow the steps for using your recovery code.

If you need assistance with using the recovery code, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

I need help with setting up the m-Path app

We’ve created some instructions to help you install the m-Path app. The link below will take you to another page on this website which will detail how to install the m-Path app. 

Instructions to install the m-Path app

 I have another question, who can I contact about this?

You can contact a member of the team to ask any other questions. Please send emails to calming-minds-queries@exeter.ac.uk

How long do I have to respond to a notification?

At each prompt, the survey is available for a limited time. After the initial notification, you have 5 minutes to open the survey to complete it. If the survey is not answered in this time, reminder notifications are sent after 15 and 25 minutes. Each time, the notification is active for 5 minutes, before it expires. This means that the last response window closes around 30 minutes after the initial notification. This short response window is intentional: we are interested in your momentary experiences directly as they happen, so responding promptly helps capture how you feel and think right now. These reminders may create the impression that you are missing more messages than you actually are, so please do not feel under pressure to attend to these reminders if it is not a time when you are able to respond.

I answer most of the notifications but I’m getting messages informing me that my participation rate is still low. Why?

Please note that only complete surveys are saved in m-Path. Once you reach the last page of the survey and save your responses, the app confirms that your responses were uploaded. Partial responses do not get recorded by m-Path and therefore do not count towards the 60% that you need in order to continue with the study. Make sure to answer all questions and save your responses at the end of each survey. If you are experiencing technical difficulties with these, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

Why am I not receiving any prompts?

Prompts are scheduled throughout the day (6 times per day between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM). We set it up this way to avoid sending prompts at inconvenient times (e.g., very early or very late). If you are not receiving notifications, possible reasons include:

• Push notifications for m-Path are disabled
• Your phone is in Do Not Disturb / Focus mode
• Background app activity is restricted
• Your phone is not connected to the internet

Please ensure that the internet connection is working and check your device settings to ensure notifications are enabled.

If you need assistance with setting up the notifications, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

I just installed the app and haven’t received any notifications yet. Is this normal?

Yes. On the day that you install the app, you only see a short introduction text. You will start receiving the survey notifications after 10am the day after you have fully signed into the app and completed the set-up.

Why did I receive notifications after 10:00 PM?

The study is designed to send prompts between 10:00 AM and 10:00 PM. However, small delays (e.g., a few minutes) may occur due to phone software or connectivity changes. Additionally, reminder notifications are sent 15 and 25 minutes after a prompt. If the last prompt is sent shortly before 10:00 PM, reminders may occur until shortly after 10:00 PM. If you are normally asleep by this time, then we would encourage you to keep to your usual routine and not try to respond to this last notification. We do not expect anyone to be able to respond to every notification and you should be able to meet the 60% threshold by responding to enough of the other notifications.

If a completely new prompt (not a reminder) is sent significantly after 10:00 PM, this may indicate a technical issue. In this case, please contact the research team at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

Can I use m-Path without an internet connection?

No. You can only receive notifications when you are connected to the internet.
If you receive a notification and turn off your internet connection during the interaction, the answers will not be loaded and saved.

Is the aim to complete 60% of questions for each day, or overall?

This is overall, across the ten-day period. We understand that for many people it will be difficult to respond to all six messages every day – indeed there may be days when you can only respond to a couple, and then other days (for example, at the weekend) when you have more flexibility and are able to answer most of them. In addition, if, after ten days, you have not managed to respond to 60% of the messages but would still be able to reach 60% with a few extra days, you will be offered another four days to help with meeting that threshold. If you have any questions or concerns about reaching this threshold, please email us at calmingmindsproject@exeter.ac.uk

Why do I need to complete 60% of these to take part in the study?

The reason that we ask you to complete these is because they help us to understand your experiences of worry, rumination, and overthinking in daily life. This is important because questionnaires typically ask about your average experience over a longer period, whereas the m-Path surveys give us a more detailed picture of how overthinking affects you in daily life moment-to-moment. This helps us to understand more about how your overthinking works and how it relates to where you are and what you are doing. This can also inform the therapy. We will ask you to complete these again after the therapy so that we can see how your daily experience of repetitive negative thinking has changed, and whether the therapy has helped with this.