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It's a 28-day guided wellness practice combining paced "coherence" breathwork, an optional heart-rate biofeedback signal, and focused visualization, with a short daily session and progress tracking.

It is a contemplative practice built on a speculative framework — not medical or psychological advice and not a substitute for professional care. See our disclaimer.

Open the app and start Day 1 — each session is roughly 18–22 minutes and guides you step by step. If you have a paired Apple Watch and grant Health permission, sessions use your live heart rate. No Watch? You can start the optional finger pulse sensor instead. With neither, sessions run on a clearly labeled simulated signal.

Apple Watch — reads heart rate from your paired Watch via Apple Health. The session badge shows Live · Apple Watch while real readings are driving the visuals.

Finger pulse — no Watch needed. On iPhone, rest a fingertip over the rear camera during a session and the app reads your pulse from it, using the flash to light your finger. You start it yourself; it never runs on its own. Frames are analyzed on your device for brightness only, and no photo or video is recorded or saved.

Simulated — no sensor; the session shows an illustrative practice signal that is not a real measurement of you, and is labeled Simulated Signal on screen. This is what runs whenever Watch data isn’t available and you haven’t started the finger pulse sensor.

An iPhone with a paired Apple Watch, and permission for the app to read heart rate in Apple Health (Settings → Privacy & Security → Health). The app reads heart rate only. If you decline, you can still use the finger pulse sensor, or sessions will run on the clearly labeled simulated signal.

Tip: heart-rate samples flow most frequently while your Watch is actively measuring — starting a Workout or Mindfulness session on the Watch gives the smoothest live signal.

An iPhone, and permission for the app to use the camera (Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera). During a session, choose the finger pulse option and rest a fingertip over the rear camera lens — the flash lights your finger, and the app reads your pulse from the changing brightness.

It only ever runs when you start it. The app looks at frame brightness alone to find your pulse; no photo or video is recorded, saved, or sent anywhere. See the Privacy Policy for the full detail.

Tip: cover the lens and the flash gently but completely, and keep your hand still — a steady, fully covered lens gives the cleanest reading.

Everything stays on your device in a private local database. There are no accounts and no cloud. We don't collect, transmit, or share your data, and there's no analytics or tracking. See the Privacy Policy.

All of your data lives in a private local database on your phone — deleting the app deletes all of it. The current version doesn’t include an export feature; if one is added, it will only run when you actively choose to share.

Aperture Protocol is a wellness and reflection tool, not a medical or crisis service, and it isn't monitored. If you're experiencing distressing voices, visions, persistent fear, or any mental-health concern, please talk to a qualified professional. If you're in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, contact your local emergency number or a crisis line in your area right away.

iPhone running iOS 26 or later. An Apple Watch is optional — with one paired, sessions can use your live heart rate via Apple Health; without one, you can use the finger pulse sensor, or sessions run on the labeled simulated signal.

Purchases are handled by the app store you downloaded from. Refund requests for App Store purchases are managed by Apple at reportaproblem.apple.com. We're glad to help with anything else by email.