There are a few phone settings that the participant will need to update in order for mEMA to operate successfully.


  • Android: New for mEMA 9.1.4
    • In Settings > Apps & Notifications > Advanced > Special app access
      1. Select "Display over other apps"
      2. Scroll through app list and select "mEMA"
      3. Enable permission "Display over other apps"
      4. Note: This menu can also be accessed in Settings > Apps & Notifications > mEMA > Advanced > "Display over other apps"
      5. Note: For Android users, within the "Device & App Notifications" portion of the "Notifications" option found in the system settings, users need to leave GNCS notification access disabled.
    • Some Huawei devices may need an additional settings update. In Settings > All
      1. Choose "Startup Manager"
      2. Enable mEMA to run automatically when the device is restarted.
      3. Note: This menu may be different on different Huawei devices. It may also be accessed by Settings > Battery > App launch > Disable automatic management for your app. 
        1. Enable Auto Launch
  • Apple and Android: Verify that Notifications are enabled for mEMA (Android) and mEMA-Sense (iOS)
    • On iPhone: In Settings > Notifications 
      1. Enable "Allow Notifications" option
      2. Set Banner Style to "Persistent" (Recommended)
      3. Re-boot the device (i.e. power off and turn back on again)
        1. Some settings will not save until device is restarted.
    • On Android: Set notifications from mEMA to "Allowed"
  • Android: Turn off Battery Optimization, or "Doze", for mEMA
    • Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > mEMA > Advanced > Battery > Battery optimization
    • Tap on Battery optimization, it will bring up a list of apps that are not optimized. 
    • Tap on the "Not optimized" drop-down and select "All apps" 
    • Choose mEMA from the complete app list and turn off Battery optimization.
    • Restart phone.
    • Note: Some Android phone models, such as Samsung or Huawei, have additional Android User Interfaces, or "skins". These Android skins may have other battery optimization settings unique to their Android UI. 
      • A useful tool for finding additional battery settings is the website Don't kill my app! It provides screenshots and instructions for OnePlus, Samsung, Huawei, and other Android devices on which settings to exempt mEMA from.
  • Apple: Turn off "Low Battery Mode"
    • Go to Settings > Battery
    • Disable "Low Battery Mode"
  • Apple and Android: Turn off automatic updates for the operating systems (OS)
    • On iPhone: In Settings > iTunes & App Store
      • In the section titled "Automatic Downloads", set the slider next to "Updates" to "Off" (white).
      • Optional: Automatically install any updates for the mEMA-Sense app.
        • In Settings > iTunes & App Store, section "Automatic Downloads", set the slider next to "Apps" to "On" (green).
    • On Android: In Settings > Software Update
      • Deselect "Download updates automatically"
      • Different Android skins may have the option in different places. If you can't find it using the above steps, open the device Settings app and search for "Software Update" or "Systems Update", and see if it provides options for turning off an automatic OS update. However, Android devices are typically less aggressive than iPhones when it comes to OS updates. Generally, an Android user has to initiate the OS update process, even if the update is automatically downloaded. If the option to not download Android OS updates can't be found, instruct the participant to not update the OS while enrolled in the study.
      • Optional: Automatically install any updates for the mEMA app.
        • Open the Google Play Store app  
        • In the upper left side of the screen, tap the menu icon 
        • Open Settings > Auto-update apps
        • Select either "Over any network" or "Over Wi-Fi only", as the participant prefers.
          • We recommend "Over Wi-Fi only" to prevent unnecessary data charges.
  • Permissions
    • All permissions should be enabled for both Apple and Android for the mEMA app to work correctly.
    • If all permissions are not granted, Android uploads can be stuck on message "Backing Up Data"
    • An important note on permissions: mEMA only collects data that is enabled by the researcher. For example, if the researcher does not have Location data enabled then no location data will be collected.
    • The permission for "Contacts" is due to Garmin integration. This allows Garmin to display contacts for incoming emails and other notifications. mEMA does not collect a participant's contacts.