Smoking cessation apps that could show promise in helping people quit smoking

A combined data analysis, published in the journal BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine by Chinese researchers, suggests that smartphone apps could be nearly three times more effective than no or minimal support in promoting sustainable smoking cessation., even though they do not replace medical treatments or support[1]. These results highlight the potential of high-quality smoking cessation apps to complement good practices in the management of tobacco addiction treatment and to strengthen feelings of control and autonomy..

A six-month abstinence rate that could almost triple with apps

The study analyzed data from 31 randomized controlled trials conducted between 2018 and 2025, involving 12,802 participants aged 15 and over from high-income countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, and Japan.

Twelve studies compared the use of mobile applications with no smoking cessation support, fourteen compared applications combined with traditional interventions with traditional interventions alone (such as individual or group behavioral support and pharmacological treatments, including nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, and varenicline), and five examined applications based on psycho-behavioral theory with traditional behavioral applications (focused on directly modifying smoking behavior).

The study thus assessed, on a self-reported basis, the effectiveness of applications used alone or in addition to traditional approaches such as pharmacological treatments or behavioral counseling, on continuous abstinence for at least six months, i.e., the person declared having smoked a maximum of five cigarettes over a period of six months and not having smoked at all the week before their examination.

The level of evidence, of low or high certainty, was assessed according to the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

Levels of evidence deemed low certainty, from four studies (1,402 participants), indicate that apps used alone could almost triple abstinence rates at six months, compared with minimal or no support, although professional healthcare guidance combined with proven treatments remains essential in management.

When combined with traditional interventions, the apps are linked to an almost doubling of abstinence rates at six months compared with traditional interventions alone (4 studies involving 2,163 participants; low-certainty levels of evidence).

When used in conjunction with pharmacological treatment (nicotine patches or tablets), they would increase the chances of long-term cessation by 77 % compared to pharmacological treatment alone (3 studies involving 1,502 participants; levels of evidence of low certainty).

A personalized approach based on behavioral psychology is more effective

High-certainty levels of evidence show that applications based on behavioral psychological approaches, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), significantly improve short-term abstinence rates at three months (69 % based on 2 studies of 2,565 participants) and long-term abstinence rates at six months (36 % based on 4 studies of 3,258 participants) compared to applications based on more traditional behavioral models.

Among the apps included in the meta-study are Tobbstop (a game designed for smokers in Spain), Craving to Quit (a mindfulness training app) and Quit With US (designed for young adult occasional smokers in Thailand).

Researchers emphasize that apps can provide personalized, interactive, intensive, real-time, continuous, scalable, and low-cost behavioral support, going beyond the effect of brief advice and capable of accompanying cravings, valuing progress, and strengthening long-term commitment, while circumventing some limitations of traditional services, such as the limited capacity and time of clinics and the decline in use of smoking cessation helplines.

Encouraging results, but need to be confirmed.

The authors note, however, that the overall level of evidence is low, due in particular to the small size of some samples and methodological differences between the applications and their usage patterns. They believe that these results should be considered as a basis for future research rather than a definitive conclusion.

It remains to be seen whether these studies, based on statements from interviewees, will lead to actual smoking cessation.

According to the authors, if new data confirmed lasting benefits and made it possible to identify the key characteristics of the most effective applications, these could become a central element of global tobacco control policies.

The role of new technologies and communication methods in smoking cessation should not be underestimated. Since 2019, the American text-message app This Is Quitting, which helps people quit vaping and includes cognitive and behavioral coping strategies, social support, and information on cessation medications, could also prove promising. a declarative study conducted on this application developed by Truth Initiative revealed that participants who received the interactive SMS program were 35% more likely to report not using nicotine at the end of the seven months of the study, and 51% of participants who received the SMS program reported no longer vaping or smoking after seven months.

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[1]Chu S, Feng L, Jing H, et al., Efficacy of smartphone apps used alone or with traditional interventions for smoking cessation: a systematic review and meta-analysis, BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine, published January 13, 2026, accessed January 14, 2026

[2]Abhimanyu Ghoshal, ''Quit smoking' apps are 3x more likely to help ditch cigarettes than will power alone, New Atlas, published January 13, 2026, accessed January 14, 2026

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