Frequently Asked Questions about HabitAware's Sporty Keen & Keen2 Smart Bracelets

(the habit tracking awareness bracelet for trichotillomania and dermatillomania)

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Product FAQ

Why did you make the Sporty Keen and Keen2 bracelets?

We made the Sporty Keen and Keen2 awareness bracelets out of a desire to solve co-founder Aneela's struggle with compulsive hair pulling (trichotillomania). After seeing first-hand how effective our first prototypes were for Aneela, and how profound her success was, we knew we could help others reduce their unwanted hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (dermatillomania) and nail biting (onychophagia), if we refined the solution. After much research, many conversations with treatment professionals and people with Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors, along with iterations of prototype after prototype, we brought HabitAware Keen to the world. 

After creating Sporty Keen, we realized that for a lot of people, awareness was only half the battle. Keen2 answers the question: Okay, I’m aware, what do I do next? 

Keen2 offers an in-app journal so that you can ask yourself questions like “Where am I?” “What time is it?” “Who am I with?” and identify patterns in your triggers so that you can make sure you’re ready for hard situations. Keen2 encourages the user, prompting you to identify your motivations as well as sending supportive messages daily. 

What types of behaviors can Keen and Keen2 help me with?

Both Sporty Keen and Keen2 are designed to build your awareness of unwanted behaviors that are physical movements of the wrists, repetitive and focused on the body. These Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors include, but are not limited to: hair pulling (trichotillomania), skin picking (dermatillomania / excoriation disorder), and nail biting (onychophagia).

Sporty Keen and Keen2 generally work best with behaviors related to hand/wrist motions near the head, face, and legs. We have also had some customers successfully use it for picking of the hands and arms, though a user may find more false alarms with these areas of the body as they overlap with many typical benign hand movements.

Who are Keen bracelets for? What ages? Can Sporty Keen and Keen2 be used for kids?

Sporty Keen and Keen2 are designed for kids (ages 8+) and adults who are ready to change. If you bring the willingness, HabitAware’s smart bracelets provide the awareness. With these two key ingredients you have the power to take control of your subconscious Body Focused Repetitive Behavior (BFRB). Keen bracelets are not a magic wand that will stop your BFRB, but it is an instrumental tool in the process toward sustainable behavior change. Sporty Keen and Keen2 provide the awareness, allowing you the choice to stop.

If a Sporty Keen or Keen2 is for a child, we highly encourage parents to talk with their child before ordering to ensure they are ready to put in the effort for lasting behavior change. Also please review our webinar before ordering as well.

Do Keen bracelets physically stop me from doing my subconscious & unwanted behavior?

No, neither Sporty Keen nor Keen2 can physically stop you, nor do they prevent the unwanted behavior from happening. It brings you awareness of where your hands are so that you can choose healthier alternatives. Once you have committed to changing your behavior, Keen bracelets can be a powerful tool that helps you succeed over the long-term.

What evidence do you have that this type of awareness bracelet works?

In addition to witnessing the success of thousands of customers worldwide, we have researched the power of awareness with top clinical experts. While Keen bracelets represent a new technology, the idea for this type of bracelet in academic research is not new. Awareness underpins the gold standard technique in behavior change, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and our bracelet enables and increases that awareness. HabitAware has been awarded several research grants from the NIH and NSF to further develop the technology, and as we identify improvements we will continue to incorporate them into the product.

How do Sporty Keen and Keen2 work? How is it specific to me?

After you take either Keen out of the box, you train it with the app by performing your specific scanning behavior for 15 seconds. For example, if you typically play with a patch of hair before pulling, you train Keen by playing with the hair repeatedly. Keen's sophisticated motion sensors record the repetitive way you do the behavior, and thereafter silently monitors your hand. Once recorded, Keen simply makes you aware with a gentle vibration when you do the behavior.

Keen2's app has a carefully presented set of courses to prepare you for the training process, but once you reach the training stage, it only takes 10 seconds to record your specific gesture. Once Keen2 is set up, you can enter journal entries and details about each episode when you perform your behavior. The app offers a variety of courses with education and mindset training for overcoming your BFRB, and also sends you motivational messages.

Will Sporty Keen or Keen2 shock me?

  • No, both Keen bracelets bring you into awareness with a simple vibration every time you perform your specific behavior. Expert psychologists confirm that there's a reason scientists stopped advocating for electric shock decades ago. The best way to change behavior sustainably and in a healthy way is through awareness and making conscious positive choices.

Do I need two Keen smart bracelets?

  • Some people do certain behaviors with a dominant hand, and if you are one of them a single band will work fine. If you use both your left and right hand to engage in the behavior you want to stop, we still recommend that you start with the one. You might find that by strengthening your awareness for one hand, you become aware of the other! This will help you retrain each hand away from the subconscious behavior. Though, if you feel that won’t work for you, we offer a $30 discount off a set of two (Use code SETOF2) and multiple styles to ensure Keen blends in.

Can Sporty Keen and Keen2 learn multiple positions? Can I retrain either Keen for different behaviors after I've already trained it once?

Yes, both Keen bracelets can store up to 4 behaviors, and you can modify or delete and retrain these trained behaviors at any time. We highly recommend starting with training ONE behavior to get used to the Keen bracelet and yourself - this is a journey to awareness, after all!

How do I train Sporty Keen and Keen2? Do I need a smart phone? What smart phones do you support?

For a complete guide to setting up Sporty Keen or Keen2, please visit our Setup Keen page.

For Keen2, you will need to download our free Keen2 app which you can find by searching “Keen2 HabitAware” in your app store. You can then set up and sync Keen2 with select mobile devices that support Bluetooth 4.2 or higher technology. Here are the compatibility requirements:

* Apple / iOS devices require running a minimum of iOS version 13.0.

* Android devices require models running a minimum of Android version 6.0 (Marshmallow).

For Sporty Keen, please download our Original Keen app from either the Apple App Store for iOS or the Google Play Store for Android. For the Sporty Keen bracelet, you will need to download our free Original Keen app and access it on one of the following smart devices:

  • iPhone 5 or later running iOS 9.3 or later
  • iPod Touch 5th gen or later running iOS 9.3 or later
  • iPad 4 or later running iOS 9.3 or later
  • Android models (2014 or later) supporting Bluetooth 4.0 and running KitKat (4.4) or later.

After training Sporty Keen or Keen2, the bracelet will work without being near a phone. For example, a parent can help a child calibrate their Keen bracelet with the parent's smartphone, but the child does not need to keep the smartphone nearby. When the Keen bracelet and the smartphone come back in range of each other, you will be able to sync data from the bracelet to the Sporty Keen or Keen2 app to access the insights from the app.

How accurate are Keen bracelets?

While false positives are impossible to eliminate completely, we have been working to reduce them! We have a sophisticated motion capture algorithm and will continue to refine it based on our user's feedback. In general, you may get some errant vibrations, but with most behaviors, the bracelet should not be disruptive. 

There are settings to adjust for the preference of the user. For instance, you can select fewer reminders if you do the behavior in a specific way, or more if you want to be notified whenever the hand is in the danger area. Psychologists tell us that even unnecessary reminders for benign behavior help increase awareness of hand position, which is helpful for long-term behavior change.

For the original Sporty Keen bracelet, one feature to reduce false alarms is snooze. You can use this feature to pause detection for up to 30 minutes. To set the amount of time to snooze, use the Sporty Keen app. To initiate snooze, simply hold Sporty Keen's button for 2 vibrations (~3 seconds). You will feel a long vibration that confirms Sporty Keen's gesture detection is snoozed. To bring Sporty Keen out of snooze, simply hold the button for another 2 vibrations (~ 3 seconds). You will again feel a long vibration. More information is available here.

For Keen2, instead of snoozing the bracelet, in the app you have the option to disable a certain danger zone. It can be reactivated at any time.

Can Keen bracelets help me while I drive?

The acceleration in a vehicle might throw the gesture detection off slightly. For most, it should work fine, and you can adjust the band settings to help fine-tune the detections.

Can Keen bracelets help me while I sleep?

We have not tested Sporty Keen or Keen2 during sleep, and do not believe it will be helpful for most people in their sleep. If you lie in the same position and do the behavior the same way, Keen will reliably give you vibration reminders. If you change your sleeping position quite a bit, as many people do, the bracelet will not be able to reliably give you accurate vibration reminders.

What are my color options for the Keen bracelets?

We offer Keen2 in two colors: charcoal and lilac, when in stock. Sporty Keen only comes in black. Extra Sporty Keen straps are available in teal and white.

What materials are Keen bracelets made out of?

The Keen2 bracelet is made of TESIV (rubber) with a polycarbonate lens and ABS bottom case (both plastic). The ring accent around the screen, the watch buckle, and the screws that hold Keen2 together are metallic and do not contain any nickel. Keen2 comes with a unique USB charging dock that connects to the bracelet. It is mostly made of ABS plastic and a silicone rubber pad. Keen2 connects to the charger using small, gold spring-pin contacts. These gold contacts contain a small amount of nickel, so please take care if you have a nickel allergy.

The Sporty Keen bracelet is made of silicone and its pegs are made of aluminum. The screws that hold the main gray plastic Keen unit together are coated in nickel. The screws are sunk in and the silicone strap covers up the screw holes, so there would not be any skin contact.

What sizes are available for the Keen bracelets?

Both Keen bracelets are available in two sizes: S/M and M/L. Please visit habitaware.com/sizing for detailed measurements.

How do I charge my Keen bracelet? How long does the battery last?

Keen2 is shipped with one charging base, and fully charges in two to three hours. Keen2 chargers are not currently available unless shown on the site.

The Sporty Keen bracelet comes with a standard micro-USB charging cable and it takes 2 hours to charge. If you need another charging cable for the Sporty Keen bracelet, you may purchase one from our website.

The battery on both Sporty Keen and Keen2 lasts a full day, so make charging Keen a daily habit!

Are Keen bracelets waterproof?

Both Keen2 and the Sporty Keen bracelet are water resistant. They are not waterproof. This means hand washing is OK, but you shouldn't shower, swim with it or submerge it in water in any way.

Buying FAQ

Where can I purchase Keen bracelets?

Keen2 may be purchased online at the HabitAware website when in stock.

The Sporty Keen bracelet can be purchased at Amazon.

When will you ship? Where do you ship?

Orders for the Keen bracelet will normally ship in 1-3 business days. Business days are M-F and do not include weekends or holidays. Delivery time depends on the carrier and routes, but most packages in the U.S. take from 3-10 days for delivery. These timings are subject to change on occasion, without notice. Delivery for international orders may be longer than shown at checkout due to Service Delays or customs holds. We are not responsible for delivery routes or timings.

** For international orders, keep in mind Customs, VAT and Duties are assessed by your country and are included in your total order at check out.**

🇯🇵 If you live in Japan, you can order from Japan Trichotillomania Improvement Association, our Japanese distribution partner.

What if my shipping address changes?

Please open a support ticket if you need to update your contact information.

Can I use my FSA, HSA or health insurance to cover the cost of a Sporty Keen or Keen2 device?

Many insurance, FSA, and HSA programs will allow funds to be used to purchase Sporty Keen or Keen2, but you need to check with your program administrator and you may need a doctor's note.

We have a blog post explaining the steps of this process to help you along!

What is your return/refund policy for Keen2?

SPORTY KEEN or KEEN2 BRACELET: Unless otherwise noted, we offer a 3-month (90-day) money back guarantee which begins on the date of delivery as identified in our shipping tracking system, and a 1-year (365-day) warranty against defects and malfunction for our HabitAware Keen or Keen2 bracelet.If a particular promotional sale indicates a different money back guarantee, that will prevail over the policy noted above.To receive a refund, all returns must occur within 30 days of the documented refund request or before the 90-day trial period ends, whichever occurs first. Once a return and refund has been issued, any future purchases would not be eligible for return or refund. Please  to initiate all returns/refunds.

ACCESSORIES: Accessories for Keen and Keen2 (individual straps, extra charging cables, extra charging bases) are non-refundable.

What is your return/refund policy for your Virtual Products?

All e-delivered/digital/virtual products (in-app purchases, virtual peer coaching, online community, e-courses) are non-refundable.

What are the terms & conditions for the virtual 1-1 peer BFRB coaching calls or package?

If you purchase Virtual Peer Coaching agree to our coaching disclaimer as well as these terms and conditions:

  • This product is nonrefundable.

  • This product is not a substitute for qualified medical expertise, legal or professional advice, nor are they intended to be. We cannot diagnose, treat, or provide therapy. If you or your child need additional services that we cannot offer, we are happy to make connections.

  • Recommendations are offered in good faith and any decisions you make, and the consequences thereof, are your own. Under no circumstances can you hold HabitAware Inc. liable for any actions you take.

Do I have to pay duties/customs/tax/vat?

We will assess sales tax for Minnesota, Illinois and Maryland residents.

International Shipping charges include International Economy and all Duties & Taxes.

What is your Certified Refurbished promise?

Every HabitAware Certified Refurbished original Sporty Keen module completes a rigorous refurbishment process that includes full testing that meets the same functional standards as new HabitAware products. Your refurbished module is truly “like new.” All other original Keen parts (sporty strap, pegs, USB cable & packaging) are brand new. Certified Refurbished products also enjoy special cost savings and the same one year warranty.

Do you offer a military discount?

We offer a 15% discount to military personnel with valid identification.Pleaseopen a support ticketto send a copy of your ID and receive your discount.

If I order a Sporty Keen or Keen2 from your website and it is later available at a lower price, will I receive a refund?

If your purchase is made from our website up to (7) days prior to it being publicly available on our website at a lower price, and you notify us in writing while it is available at this lower price, we will refund the difference between your purchase price and the discounted price.

Note that we do not allow coupon or offer "stacking." In these situations where you may have access to more than one promotional offer, the offer with the most price reduction to you, our Keen family, will prevail.