InnerPulse is a privacy-first iOS app for self-reflection based on the clinically validated screening instruments GAD-7 and PHQ-9. Fully on-device, no tracking, no cloud, no account. Developed by German indie developer Marvin Blome. Available on the App Store for iPhone in seven languages.
Press release
InnerPulse 3.0: clinical mental-health screening that never leaves your iPhone
掲載実績
クイックファクト
- App name
- InnerPulse - GAD-7 & PHQ-9
- Platform
- iOS (iPhone)
- Category
- Health & Fitness
- Current ranking
- #13, Paid Health & Fitness, Germany (as of April 28, 2026)
- Version
- 3.0
- Languages
- German, English, French, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, Simplified Chinese
- Pricing
- One-time purchase, paid up-front - no subscriptions, no IAPs
- Data collection
- None. Zero tracking. Fully on-device.
- Developer
- Marvin Blome (Indie, Hamburg)
- Homepage
- mblome.com/en/innerpulse
- Press coverage
- 9to5Mac (feature, April 25, 2026)
ボイラープレート
InnerPulse brings two of the world's most widely used clinical screening instruments - GAD-7 for anxiety and PHQ-9 for depression - to the iPhone as a personal self-reflection tool. Unlike most mental-health apps, InnerPulse forgoes tracking, cloud storage, and advertising SDKs entirely. All data stays exclusively on the device; the privacy promise can be verified in minutes with standard tools such as Little Snitch. InnerPulse is a one-time purchase with no subscription, localized into seven languages, and built by German indie developer Marvin Blome in Hamburg.
InnerPulse is an iOS app for structured self-reflection based on the clinically validated screening instruments GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) and PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire). Both instruments have been used worldwide in psychotherapeutic practice and research for more than two decades and are considered the gold standard for measuring anxiety and depression symptoms. InnerPulse makes these instruments accessible in a form that respects the quality and integrity of the originals: no gamification, no advertising, no manipulation of user behavior.
Unlike typical mental-health apps, InnerPulse forgoes tracking, analytics SDKs, and cloud storage entirely. All data stays exclusively on the device; the app needs no proprietary server to function. This privacy promise is not just a marketing claim, but technically verifiable - for instance with Little Snitch or an HTTP proxy.
InnerPulse is available on the App Store as a one-time purchase, with no subscription, no in-app purchases, and is localized into seven languages (German, English, French, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese, Simplified Chinese). The app was built by indie developer Marvin Blome in Hamburg and released in April 2026.
引用
Founder quotes
- Marvin Blome, Founder of InnerPulse
"Mental-health apps have repeatedly broken their users' trust in recent years - through data sharing with ad networks, opaque cloud storage, untraceable data flows. InnerPulse is my answer to that: an app whose privacy promise isn't built on a privacy policy, but on the architecture itself. Verifiable in two minutes with Little Snitch."
"GAD-7 and PHQ-9 aren't my invention - they're clinically validated standard instruments that have been used by hundreds of thousands of therapists worldwide for decades. My contribution is making them accessible in an app that respects the integrity of these instruments: no gamification, no push manipulation, no advertising. People who use InnerPulse should feel that this is a serious tool, not a lifestyle product."
"I wanted to build an app I'd actually enjoy using - and that I could recommend to friends without hesitation. As a solo developer, you have the luxury of not having to serve any VC growth metric. That allowed InnerPulse to become the opposite of what most mental-health apps have turned into today: quiet, focused, no back doors."
"InnerPulse follows Apple's design philosophy consistently: SwiftUI-native, minimal, calm. The app should feel like a well-made pen that invites reflection - not like an engagement tool that monetizes attention. Every screen is a deliberate decision about what we choose not to show."
External quotes
"InnerPulse aims to solve that, while keeping privacy at the center. A native-feeling UI, embracing the Liquid Glass design language of iOS 26."
"Structured reflection without surveillance — exactly what a lot of people quietly want but don't trust most apps to do."
"I have been using a spreadsheet for the exact same purpose. This replaces that entirely. Tracking factors in my life like that has been an absolute game changer and this app makes it even easier."
背景
GAD-7 Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale
Seven-item questionnaire for measuring symptoms of generalized anxiety. Developed in 2006 by Robert L. Spitzer, Kurt Kroenke, Janet B.W. Williams, and Bernd Löwe; published in the Archives of Internal Medicine. Used worldwide today in primary care and psychotherapy; considered a brief, valid, and reliable screening tool.
Why InnerPulse includes it: GAD-7 is short enough for weekly use without becoming a chore, and its results map directly to severity bands therapists already work with - useful as a conversation starter for therapy sessions.
PHQ-9 Patient Health Questionnaire
Nine-item questionnaire for measuring depressive symptoms based on the DSM-IV criteria for Major Depression. Developed in 1999 by Spitzer, Kroenke, and Williams as part of the PRIME-MD project (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders). The international de facto standard for depression screening in research and practice.
Why InnerPulse includes it: PHQ-9 is the instrument most therapists in German-speaking and English-speaking countries already use. Bringing the exact same questionnaire to a personal app means continuity - no translation or interpretation gap when sharing results with a clinician.
PHQ-4 Patient Health Questionnaire-4
Ultra-short four-item questionnaire for combined screening of anxiety and depression. Combines the two core items from GAD-7 (GAD-2) with the two core items from PHQ-9 (PHQ-2). Developed in 2009 by Kroenke, Spitzer, Williams, and Löwe; published in Psychosomatics. Designed as a highly economical first-pass or progress screening, e.g., in primary care or for regular check-ins where a longer questionnaire isn't practical. Elevated scores indicate the need for deeper assessment with GAD-7 or PHQ-9.
Why InnerPulse includes it: PHQ-4 takes about 30 seconds. It is the right instrument for "I'm not sure if this is anything" days - a low-friction pulse check that helps users decide whether a longer questionnaire is worth doing.
K-10 Kessler Psychological Distress Scale
Ten-item questionnaire measuring general psychological distress over the past four weeks. Developed in the late 1990s by Ronald C. Kessler at Harvard Medical School as part of the US National Comorbidity Survey; published in Psychological Medicine in 2002. Unlike GAD-7 and PHQ-9, K-10 doesn't ask specifically about anxiety or depression, but about non-specific symptoms of psychological distress (nervousness, hopelessness, exhaustion, tension). Used in national health surveys in Australia and the United States, and one of the most broadly validated distress scales available.
Why InnerPulse includes it: K-10 is less label-loaded than GAD-7 or PHQ-9. For users who don't yet have a diagnosis, or aren't sure their experience "counts", it offers a way to track distress without category pressure.
プライバシー
The following statements are not marketing promises, but technically verifiable. Apple makes this information available centrally on the App Store under "App Privacy"; network activity can be verified with standard tools such as Little Snitch (macOS), Charles Proxy, or mitmproxy.
- Apple Privacy Nutrition Label: "Data Not Collected" across all categories.
- Network activity: No proprietary server backend, no analytics endpoints. Two optional Apple-platform features (WeatherKit for weather factors, on-device Speech for voice notes) are off by default; when explicitly enabled, they reach Apple-side services only.
- Data persistence: Local SwiftData storage on the device. No iCloud sync, no proprietary server backend.
- Account: No user account required. No sign-in, no email collection.
- SDKs: No analytics, advertising, or tracking SDKs included.
- Feedback: Sent via an explicit user-initiated mailto link - no hidden telemetry.
FAQ
Why iPhone only?
InnerPulse is built natively in SwiftUI and SwiftData, with deep integration into Apple-platform features that make the privacy promise architecturally enforceable: on-device storage, opt-in HealthKit, opt-in WeatherKit. Porting the same guarantees to Android or web would mean rebuilding the security model from scratch. As a solo developer, focus matters.
Why no iPad version?
Mood tracking is a pocket habit, not a desk activity. The interaction model - quick check-ins between sessions, on a walk, before bed - assumes a phone in hand. iPad support would expand the surface area without a clear use case.
Why a one-time purchase instead of a subscription?
Most subscription apps need to maximize engagement to justify their monthly fee. Mental-health apps are particularly prone to this trap: streaks, notifications, gamification - all designed to keep users opening the app, not to help them feel better. A one-time purchase removes that conflict of interest. The app earns money once and then has no commercial reason to manipulate user behavior.
Is this a medical device or a diagnostic tool?
No. InnerPulse is a self-reflection tool. The included questionnaires (GAD-7, PHQ-9, PHQ-4, K-10) are screening instruments - they help users notice patterns, not diagnose conditions. The app states this explicitly in several places and refers users to professional support resources when scores are elevated.
How is the privacy promise verifiable?
Three checks any technical reviewer can run in under 10 minutes: - Apple Privacy Nutrition Label on the App Store listing. - Network monitor (Little Snitch on macOS, Charles Proxy, mitmproxy) while using the app: with default settings, no outbound traffic. - Look at PrivacyInfo.xcprivacy bundled with the app: tracking flag is false, collected data is marked as not linked to user identity.
What is new in version 3.0?
A redesigned Insights tab with a Year-in-Pixels view, four design themes, opt-in Apple Health and WeatherKit factors that feed the mood model entirely on-device, PDF export, CSV import, and a transparent Privacy Center that lists every permission and what it is used for.
バイオ・連絡先
Marvin Blome is an indie developer and Marketing Manager based in Hamburg, Germany. InnerPulse is his first independent product. In his day job, he runs marketing and international expansion at ProjectWizards GmbH (Merlin Project, adoc Studio).
Marvin Blome is Marketing Manager at ProjectWizards GmbH, a family-run German Apple software company based in Melle. There, he is responsible for marketing, strategy, and international expansion for the products Merlin Project (hybrid project management for macOS, iPadOS, and iOS) and adoc Studio (an AsciiDoc-based technical writing editor). Marvin holds an MSc in General Management from HHL Leipzig and worked at Hewlett Packard Enterprise before joining ProjectWizards. InnerPulse is his first independent product - built alongside his main role, fully in SwiftUI and SwiftData, with the ambition of creating a mental-health app he could use and recommend with a clear conscience. Marvin lives in Hamburg.
- marvin.blome@gmail.com
- Homepage
- https://www.mblome.com/en/innerpulse
- Documentation
- https://www.mblome.com/en/innerpulse/help
- Privacy Policy
- https://www.mblome.com/en/innerpulse/privacy
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