Frequently Asked Questions

Daybreak is a science-based habit change platform that combines an AI companion (Dawn), a content-blocking browser extension, and features like journaling and mood tracking to help you break bad habits and build better ones.

Daybreak offers a free tier with core features including daily check-ins, journaling, and limited Dawn AI conversations. Premium plans unlock unlimited AI conversations, advanced analytics, priority support, and more.

Daybreak is available on the web, as a mobile app (iOS and Android), and as a browser extension for Chrome, Edge, and Safari.

No. Daybreak is a supplementary tool designed to complement professional treatment, therapy, and support groups. If you need professional help, we encourage you to reach out to a licensed therapist or counselor.

Daybreak supports recovery from substance use disorders (alcohol, drugs, nicotine) as well as behavioral habits (gambling, gaming, social media, pornography, and more). Our evidence-based approach applies across habit types.

Daybreak combines evidence-based therapeutic frameworks (CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing) with AI-powered personalization and content blocking — all in one platform. Most apps address only one aspect; Daybreak provides a complete toolkit.

Absolutely — Daybreak is designed to complement professional treatment, not replace it. Many users use Daybreak between therapy sessions to practice coping skills, track their mood, and journal about their progress. Your therapist may find your Daybreak data helpful during sessions.

You can be up and running in under 5 minutes. Create an account, complete a brief onboarding questionnaire, and you're ready for your first daily check-in. Installing the optional browser extension takes just a few more minutes.

Dawn is your AI habit change companion — a conversational AI grounded in evidence-based behavioral science. Dawn can help you understand your triggers, track your mood, set goals, and develop strategies for lasting change.

Yes. Your conversations with Dawn are encrypted and never shared with third parties. You can delete your conversation history at any time. Dawn does not share information between users.

If Dawn detects signs of a crisis in your conversation, it will gently provide immediate crisis resources including the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and local emergency services. Dawn is not a substitute for professional help.

A daily check-in is a brief assessment where you log your mood, cravings, and any triggers you experienced. This data powers your progress analytics and helps Dawn provide personalized guidance.

Recovery plans are personalized action plans generated based on your specific triggers, coping strategies, and recovery goals. They include daily routines, emergency plans, and long-term objectives.

Yes. Dawn uses companion memory to remember key details from your past conversations — your goals, triggers, milestones, and preferences. This means you don't have to repeat yourself, and Dawn can provide increasingly personalized guidance over time.

Free accounts have a daily message limit. Premium plans unlock unlimited conversations with Dawn, so you can check in as often as you need to. There's no limit on conversation length or topics.

Daybreak Focus is a free, lightweight browser extension that helps you block distracting content, filter harmful websites, and maintain digital wellness. It's available for Chrome, Edge, and Safari.

Daybreak Focus is available for Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Safari support is also available. All three browsers share the same feature set and can sync settings across devices.

Focus modes are customizable blocking profiles that let you switch between different configurations. For example, you might have a "Deep Work" mode that blocks social media and entertainment, and a "Relaxed" mode with fewer restrictions. Each mode has its own emoji, color, and set of blocking rules.

Daybreak Focus can block content in multiple ways: by category (social media, gaming, entertainment, etc.), by custom site lists you create, by real-time keyword filtering, and via curated blocklists for harmful content. You can choose to fully block pages or blur filtered images instead.

When enabled, Daybreak Focus automatically forces safe search on Google, Bing, DuckDuckGo, and other major search engines. This prevents explicit results from appearing, even if the user hasn't enabled safe search in their browser settings.

Yes! You can add custom websites and keywords to block. This lets you target specific sites that are personally distracting or triggering — for example, specific subreddits, forums, or any other site.

Yes. When you're signed into your Daybreak account, your focus modes, blocking rules, and custom lists sync across all connected browsers. Change a setting on your laptop and it takes effect on your desktop too.

Strict mode adds an extra layer of commitment. When enabled, you can't simply turn off blocking — there's a configurable cooldown period before changes take effect. You can also set a password to prevent impulsive disabling. This is especially helpful for building lasting habits.

No. Daybreak Focus is designed to be lightweight with near-zero performance impact. It runs efficiently in the background and won't affect your browsing speed or page load times.

Absolutely. Daybreak Focus is 100% private — your browsing activity is never collected, stored, or sent to our servers. All blocking and filtering happens locally on your device. Only aggregated statistics (like block counts) are synced if you choose to use analytics.

Visit the sign-up page and create an account with your email address. You'll complete a brief onboarding questionnaire so we can personalize your experience.

Go to the login page and click "Forgot Password." Enter your email address and we'll send you a verification code to reset your password.

Yes! Your account syncs across all devices. Log in on any browser or device to access your full recovery data.

You can cancel your subscription anytime from your account settings at app.daybreakscience.com/dashboard/settings. Your premium features remain active until the end of your current billing period. No cancellation fees apply.

We offer full refunds within 14 days of purchase for annual plans and 7 days for monthly plans. Contact [email protected] with your account email to request a refund.

Yes. You can export all your data (check-ins, journal entries, conversations, and more) at any time from your account settings. The export is provided as a downloadable JSON file.

We accept all major credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) as well as Apple Pay and Google Pay. All payments are processed securely through Stripe.

Yes. We offer discounted rates for students and nonprofit organizations. Contact [email protected] with verification of your student or nonprofit status and we'll apply the discount to your account.

Time Vault lets you lock away digital content (apps, websites, files) and set scheduled unlock times. It helps you build healthier digital habits by creating intentional barriers between you and potentially triggering content.

Time Vault is designed to be difficult to bypass on purpose. Depending on your settings, bypassing may require a waiting period, a trusted contact's approval, or may not be possible until the scheduled unlock time.

You can configure daily, weekly, or custom schedules for when your vault unlocks. For example, you might allow social media only between 6-7pm on weekdays. Outside those windows, the content stays locked.

Yes. You can designate a trusted contact (an accountability partner, therapist, or family member) who can approve or deny early unlock requests. This adds an extra layer of accountability to your recovery.

That's up to you and your goals. Common choices include social media apps, streaming services, gaming platforms, news sites, or specific websites that tend to pull you into unproductive rabbit holes. Start with your biggest time sinks and adjust from there.

Absolutely. Your recovery data is encrypted and never shared with third parties. We take HIPAA-level precautions to protect your sensitive health information. See our privacy policy for full details.

You can request account deletion from your account settings or by emailing [email protected]. We will delete all your data within 30 days in compliance with GDPR and CCPA. This action is irreversible.

All data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.3) and at rest (AES-256). Dawn conversations and journal entries are encrypted server-side with per-user keys.

Yes. We comply with both GDPR (EU) and CCPA (California) regulations. You have the right to access, export, correct, and delete your personal data at any time. We don't sell your data and never will.

No. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal data with any third parties for marketing purposes. The only third-party services involved are essential infrastructure providers (hosting, email delivery) that process data under strict data processing agreements.

First, make sure the extension is enabled in your browser's extension settings. Check that your active focus mode has the correct categories or sites toggled on. If blocking was recently changed, try refreshing the page. As a last resort, remove and reinstall the extension.

Try refreshing the page and sending your message again. If the issue persists, check your internet connection. During peak usage times, responses may be slightly delayed. If Dawn is still unresponsive, clear your browser cache or try a different browser.

Make sure you're signed into the same Daybreak account on all devices. Check your internet connection and try manually triggering a sync from the Instances page. If the issue persists, sign out and back in to refresh your session tokens.

Try resetting your password via the "Forgot Password" link on the login page. Make sure you're using the correct email address. Check that your browser accepts cookies (required for authentication). If you're still locked out, contact [email protected] for manual account recovery.