A guided tour

You are deciding whether this app is worth your time. Here is exactly what it does.

HeadPause is a practice tool for balance, stillness, steadiness, and ear comfort. It reads head motion from the sensors in your AirPods and turns it into a small, honest set of numbers. This page walks through the screens in the order you would see them.

It is not a medical device. It is a patient, quiet ruler you can practice against.

At a glance

The app at a glance

The same eight screens as the App Store listing, in the same order.

HeadPause Balance runner screen for the Epley Maneuver, step 1 of 6, with a 13-second hold timer and an On target status — 01Know you did it right

HeadPause Today tab with the check-in card asking What do you need right now, four tiles for Balance, Still, Motion and Ring, and a recommended 3-minute Still session — 02One calm check-in a day

HeadPause Practice tab listing Balance, Still, Motion and Ring, each with a routine count and a free-start badge — 03Four ways to practice

HeadPause Still session on a dark green screen with a calm circle, a 4 minute 13 second timer, and a Soundscape only label — 04Hold your head still

HeadPause Motion session reading Hold the horizon, with a 6 minute 48 second timer and a breathing pacer — 05A steady gaze on the move

HeadPause Balance results screen with an 87 percent form score, 84 percent steady, 91 percent angle accuracy, and a New personal best badge — 06See how steady you were

HeadPause Progress tab with a steadiness score of 87 out of 100, a 10-day streak, and an activity calendar for October 2026 — 07Track your steadiness over time

HeadPause Settings screen with General, Module preferences and Data sections, showing Audio & voice, Hardware, and per-practice preferences — 08Private by design

Part 1 · Orientation

What HeadPause actually is.

Before the tour, the one-paragraph framing. Why head motion, why AirPods, and what the app does with what it reads.

1.1 · The premise

Your AirPods already know where your head is.

The motion sensors in AirPods, AirPods Pro, and AirPods Max report head pitch, roll, and yaw many times a second. HeadPause is the practice loop built around that signal. It adapts to whatever audio output you have instead of locking you out when AirPods are not connected.

There are four practice categories. Balance guides positional routines step by step and scores your form. Still is a quiet, eyes-closed session with a soundscape. Motion is a horizon-hold practice for cars, planes, screens and travel. Ring is a sound module for a quieter room.

No account, no ads, no tracking. Your practice history stays on your device. HealthKit is opt-in and only writes Mindful Minutes when you turn it on in Settings. The privacy policy describes exactly what is stored and where.

1.2 · Four tabs

The whole app fits on one tab bar.

The tab bar has four tabs. Today is the check-in and your recommended session. Practice is the library: Balance, Still, Motion, and Ring. Progress is your steadiness score, streak, calendar and trends. Settings is its own tab too.

A circle centered under the HeadPause wordmark shows which audio output is connected; tap it to change the output.

1.3 · Ruler, not coach

The single rule the app tries not to break.

HeadPause will not tell you how you are doing. It will tell you that your form score was 87, you held steady 84 percent of the time, and your angle accuracy was 91.

What those numbers mean for you is yours to decide.

1.4 · Honest hardware fallback

The same app, three different capability stories.

The app reads your audio route and adapts, and it says which mode you are in so the ceiling is never a surprise.

Motion-capable AirPods: head tracking, live pose guidance and scoring in Balance, and the live horizon in Motion.
Any other headphones: voice guidance and soundscapes, with no scoring.
No headphones: the same voice guidance plays through the iPhone speaker, with no scoring. Headphones are quieter and more private.

Part 2 · First launch

What opening the app for the first time feels like.

Six short pages: welcome, what brings you here, headphones, safety, baseline, and your first week. One required acknowledgement, no account, no email, no sign-up.

2.1 · The welcome page

You tap the icon. This is what loads.

A single dark green page with the HeadPause name and one line: Vertigo & Balance Practice. One sentence under it says what the practices are for: balance, stillness, motion sensitivity, and ear calm.

One button, Begin. Six page dots show how many pages there are. A small Skip intro link lets returning users jump straight to the safety acknowledgement.

HeadPause welcome page on a dark green background with the HeadPause name, the line Vertigo and Balance Practice, and a Begin button

2.2 · What brings you here?

The needs picker shapes your first session.

Four cards: I feel spinny or off-balance (Balance), My head feels noisy or tense (Still), Cars, screens, or travel bother me (Motion), and My ears need calm (Ring). Pick anything that fits. HeadPause uses your picks to choose the first session it suggests.

If you pick nothing, the button reads Skip for now and the app starts you with a 3-minute Still session.

What brings you here page with four cards: I feel spinny or off-balance, My head feels noisy or tense, Cars screens or travel bother me, My ears need calm

2.3 · Your audio, honestly

The headphones page tells you what you will get.

The page reads your current audio route and labels it plainly. With motion-capable AirPods it says AirPods connected and that head tracking is active. With other headphones or the speaker it says so, and explains that you get voice guidance without scoring.

This is also where iOS asks for the one motion permission HeadPause needs, so you see the request with its context.

2.4 · The safety acknowledgement

One required tap before the app opens.

HeadPause is a wellness practice, not a medical device. The page says so in plain words and lists the symptoms that mean you should seek medical care instead: new or severe dizziness, one-sided hearing loss, weakness, double vision, trouble speaking, fainting, chest pain, or a sudden severe headache.

The button stays disabled until you tick I understand. The acknowledgement is versioned, so if the wording ever changes you are asked to confirm again.

What we record

Which version of the notice you accepted, and when. It is kept on your device and never sent to us.

Safety page titled Wellness practice, not medical care, with a list of symptoms that mean you should seek medical care and an I understand checkbox

2.5 · Set your starting point

An optional 30-second baseline reading.

The fifth page offers a quiet day-zero anchor. With motion-capable AirPods connected you sit still with your eyes closed for 30 seconds and HeadPause records your resting head motion, so you have something to compare against later.

Run 30-second baseline is the main button. Skip, I'll do it later is a quiet link. You can run it any time from Settings, under Health & privacy. The app does not nag.

Set your starting point page with a Run 30-second baseline button and a Skip, I'll do it later link

2.6 · Your first week

A plan, not a pile of options.

The last page turns your picks into a short plan. Today is one short session, and the rest of the week rotates through the other practices you chose. The button reads Start Day 1 and drops you on the Today tab.

Your first week is ready page with a short plan for today and a Start Day 1 button

Part 3 · Today

The check-in card and the recommended session.

Tell HeadPause what you need right now. It picks a short session and puts it one tap away. A quiet 15-second Steady Check sits below.

3.1 · The check-in

What do you need right now?

The top card asks What do you need right now? and shows four tiles: Balance, Still, Motion, and Ring. Tap the one that matches how you feel. HeadPause turns it into a short guided session.

Underneath, a Recommended card names the session and its length, with one button to begin. On your first day the card below it explains that your Steadiness Index starts after your first session.

Today tab with the Today's check-in card showing Balance, Still, Motion and Ring tiles and a recommended 3-minute Still session with a Begin Still button

3.2 · Steady Check

A 15-second reading of how still your head is.

Further down the Today tab, the Steady Check card reads your resting head motion for 15 seconds with motion-capable AirPods. Repeat it on different days to see how your readings change. It is a measurement of head motion, not a medical test.

Part 4 · Practice

Four categories, one guided runner, one honest results screen.

The Practice tab holds Balance, Still, Motion and Ring. Balance sessions run step by step and end with a form score you can compare with last time.

4.1 · The Practice hub

Four categories, each adapting to your headphones.

The Practice tab lists the four categories with a line about each and a badge that says what is free to start.

Balance: guided positions for spinning and off-balance moments. Six routines, with a free guided run.
Still: quiet-head practice with a steadiness score. Five soundscapes.
Motion: hold your horizon in cars, planes, and around screens. Five environments.
Ring: soft sound beds for a calmer, quieter room.

Practice tab listing Balance with 6 routines and 1 free guided run, Still with 5 soundscapes, Motion with 5 environments, and Ring

4.2 · Balance routines

Pick what you feel. HeadPause picks the routine.

Balance is organised by what you feel, not by maneuver jargon: cards such as My eyes cannot lock steady (gaze stabilization), I want a general balance practice (Brandt-Daroff), and Spinning when you tip your head back. Under each card is the routine it maps to, drawn from Epley, Semont, Brandt-Daroff, Half-Somersault, BBQ Roll, and gaze stabilization.

For routines that depend on a side, HeadPause asks which side. It is clear that it cannot diagnose the affected ear. If you do not know the side, it points you to Brandt-Daroff, which does not need one, and suggests talking to a clinician.

Brandt-Daroff and gaze stabilization are always fully guided and scored. Every other maneuver gets one fully guided, scored run on each side, marked 1 FREE GUIDED RUN. After that, the routine stays available as a voice walkthrough.

4.3 · The guided runner

Step N of M, and whether you are on target.

The runner is a dark green, low-glare screen made for lying down. The routine name and side sit at the top, and a horizon line moves with your head.

Step progress. The card reads Step 1 of 6 with a progress bar, and the instruction is spoken as well as shown.
Hold timer. A countdown ring shows how long is left in the current position.
On-target status. With motion-capable AirPods the screen tells you when your head is in the target pose.
Voice speed and Pause. One tap cycles the voice speed. Pause holds the routine where it is.

Without motion-capable AirPods the same routine runs as a voice walkthrough, labelled as such, with no pose scoring.

Balance runner on a dark green screen showing Epley Maneuver Right, Step 1 of 6, an instruction, a 13 second hold timer and an On target status

4.4 · Results

Form score, steady, angle accuracy, and how it compares with last time.

A scored run ends on a light results card with the routine, the side and the date, then four things:

Number	What it tells you
Form score	How closely your head matched each target pose, out of 100.
Steady	The share of the time you spent in the correct position.
Angle accuracy	How closely you matched the target angle.
vs last time	The change from your previous result for the same routine, when one exists.

A New personal best badge appears when you match or beat your saved best. Buttons offer the other side, or Done to return to Today.

On the free run of a Pro maneuver, a short card explains that you just felt guided pose scoring and offers HeadPause Pro. It only appears when there is a real score to point at.

Results screen for an Epley Maneuver with an 87 percent form score, 84 percent steady, 91 percent angle accuracy, a New personal best badge and buttons Do the left side and Done

Part 5 · Still

Eyes-closed stillness with a soundscape.

Pick a soundscape and a length. Sit quietly. With Pro and motion-capable AirPods, the soundscape fades when your head drifts and returns as you settle.

5.1 · A session

Close your eyes. Let your head settle.

Pick a soundscape and a length, from 1 to 10 minutes, then sit tall with your eyes closed. The screen is a quiet orb and a timer, so there is nothing to read.

A small label tells you what the session is doing, such as Soundscape only, Tracking for your calm score with motion-capable AirPods on the free plan, or, with Pro, drift feedback: the soundscape fades when your head drifts and returns as you settle.

With motion-capable AirPods you get a calm score out of 100 at the end, free. Pro adds spoken coaching and drift feedback along the way.

Still session on a dark green screen with a calm orb, a 4 minute 13 second timer and a Soundscape only label

5.2 · Free and Pro

What changes with Pro.

Free Still sessions run up to 3 minutes with two soundscapes, Music and Ocean. With motion-capable AirPods you get a calm score at the end, free. Pro unlocks every length and every soundscape, plus spoken coaching and drift feedback along the way.

If you only have the speaker or non-motion headphones, Still still runs. It just cannot score you, and it says so.

Part 6 · Motion

Holding the horizon when the world is moving.

Five environments, from a car ride to the hour after travel. A live horizon, a soft breathing pacer, and honest labels for what your audio setup can do.

6.1 · Environments

Five presets for when the world is moving.

Motion offers five environments: Car or rideshare, Plane, train, or boat, Screen or headset fatigue, Before travel, and After travel. Each sets the length and the audio cues. Car and Before travel are free to start. The others are part of Pro.

6.2 · A session

Find your horizon, then hold it.

You sit or stand tall, look forward, and hold still for a few seconds while the app finds your horizon. Then the session shows a line across the screen and a timer. A soft box-breathing pacer plays in your headphones.

With Pro and motion-capable AirPods the session also tracks how long you stayed level and gives gentle haptic nudges if you drift. Without them it runs as sound and visual only, and the label says so. Do not use Motion while driving.

Motion session on a dark green screen reading Hold the horizon, a 6 minute 48 second timer and a Sound plus visual only label, with a horizon line across the screen

Part 7 · Ring

A quieter room for your ears.

Sound beds for masking, focus, wind-down and quiet-room support. No scoring and no head tracking, so it works with any headphones.

7.1 · Four intents

Pick the kind of calm you want.

Ring plays a soft sound bed for as long as you choose. There is no scoring and no head tracking, and it works with any headphones or the speaker.

Mask the ring: a steady comfort bed. This intent is free.
Focus tones: gentle tones for concentration.
Wind down: low-stimulation evening tracks.
Quiet room: a soft layer when silence feels too sharp.

Ring is a comfort tool. It is not a tinnitus treatment and it does not diagnose anything. The other three intents are part of Pro.

Part 8 · Progress

Your numbers, on your device.

A steadiness score, a streak, an activity calendar and trends. Free shows the last 7 days. Pro keeps the full history.

8.1 · The Progress tab

A steadiness score, a streak, and a calendar.

Steadiness score. A composite out of 100 from your Still, Balance and Motion practice over the last 14 days.
Streak and sessions. Your day streak, and how many sessions you completed in the last 7 days.
Activity. A calendar you can switch between week, month and year.
Trends. Calm, Balance form and Motion horizon over the last 30 days, and your recent sessions.

Free shows the last 7 days. A banner at the top says so and links to Pro, which keeps your full history and trends. Everything is stored on your device.

Progress tab titled Your Progress with a banner reading Showing your last 7 days, a steadiness score of 87 out of 100, a 9 day streak, 7 sessions in the last 7 days and an activity calendar

Part 9 · Settings, privacy, and Pro

What is yours to control.

The Settings tab, Health and privacy, notifications, accessibility, and the one-time $9.99 Pro unlock with Family Sharing.

9.1 · The Settings tab

Four groups, sparse on purpose.

Settings is its own tab on the bar. Free users also see a HeadPause Pro card at the top. Underneath are four groups:

General: Audio & voice (volume, voice speed) and Hardware (which audio output is connected).
Module preferences: defaults for Balance (side, form sensitivity), Still, Motion and Ring.
Data: Notifications and Health & privacy.
About: Help & support (including Restore purchases) and Legal & version.

Settings screen with groups General, Module preferences, Data and About

9.2 · Health and privacy

Opt-in, single-purpose, write-only.

HealthKit sync is off by default. When you turn it on and grant the iOS prompt, each completed Still session writes its duration to Apple Health as Mindful Minutes. HeadPause never reads anything from Apple Health.

Your practice history is stored on your device, and HeadPause does not keep a raw recording of your movements. There is no iCloud sync, and nothing is shared with us or any third party. The privacy policy has the full detail.

Run baseline in the same screen repeats the 30-second reading from onboarding whenever you want a fresh anchor.

9.3 · Notifications

Three toggles, each independent.

Under Data, Notifications sit three toggles. iOS asks for permission the first time you turn one on, and each can be switched off on its own.

Session reminders: a daily nudge at your usual practice time.
Streak alerts: a reminder before a streak would lapse.
Weekly summary: a recap of your week's practice.

Reminders are scheduled by iOS on your device. HeadPause does not ping you mid-session and does not send promotional messages.

9.4 · Accessibility

Built to be used with your eyes closed.

Live sessions speak their own cues, so you can follow them with the screen off or VoiceOver off. Text scales with the system text size through the largest accessibility size, and screens scroll instead of truncating. Buttons, toggles and tabs are labelled for VoiceOver, touch targets are at least 44 points, and Reduce Motion replaces looping animations with static states. No state is shown by color alone.

9.5 · Pro

One purchase, yours to keep.

Free includes Brandt-Daroff and gaze stabilization, fully guided and scored. Every other maneuver gets one fully guided, scored run, then a voice walkthrough. Still runs up to 3 minutes with two soundscapes and a calm score with motion-capable AirPods, Motion has the Car and Before travel environments, Ring has the Mask intent, and Progress shows the last 7 days.

Pro is a one-time $9.99 unlock with Family Sharing. It adds guided scoring on every maneuver, your full progress history and trends, every Still length and soundscape with spoken coaching and drift feedback, Motion drift haptics, horizon scoring, and all five environments, and every Ring intent. No subscription and no recurring charge.

Already bought it? Restore Purchases is on this screen and under Settings, Help & support.

HeadPause Pro screen reading Know you did it right, with a one-time, no subscription, Family Sharing badge, three feature rows, a Start HeadPause Pro button at $9.99, Restore Purchases and links to the privacy policy and terms

Ready to try it?

HeadPause is on the App Store for iPhone. If you want to download it, reach the GMX3C team, or read the details on how your data is handled, everything is one click away.

Get HeadPause on the App Store →

Or go back to HeadPause, read the Privacy Policy, or the Support FAQ.

HeadPause is a wellness practice, not a medical device.