A tech neck app that tells you when your head drops

What is a tech neck app?

A tech neck app tells you when your head has stayed tipped down to a screen for too long. Phones pull your head down the same way, which is why some people call it text neck. On a Mac, the camera above the screen can do the checking, so there's nothing to wear.

Why does your head drop at a laptop?

The screen sits low. A laptop flat on a desk puts the screen well below your eyes, so your head comes down to it. OSHA suggests a screen straight in front of you, with its top line at or below eye level.¹

You stay there. OSHA notes that holding one posture, like looking at the monitor, for a long time without a break can tire the neck and shoulder muscles that support your head.²

It adds load. A 2026 review says a head held forward or bent down can raise the load on your neck and the work its muscles do. The same review says the link between holding one posture and long-term neck pain isn't consistent.³

Poxture App reminds you of a habit. It can't tell you why your neck hurts. If something hurts, see a doctor or physio.

Where you feel it, and how to fix it: Looking down, the tech-neck habit ›

What should a tech neck app check?

1. It compares your head with your own good posture.
2. It waits before it nudges, so a glance at the keyboard never counts.
3. It names the habit and shows the fix. "Looking down" with a picture of the fix tells you more than a buzz.
4. It tells you when you've fixed it, so you know you did it right.
5. It notices the screen behind the habit. If your head drops at the same screen every day, that screen sits too low, and reminders alone won't change it.
6. It keeps camera pictures on your Mac. Apple's Vision framework runs on the device, so reading your posture doesn't need to send a picture anywhere.⁴

Using a timer now? Why timer reminders get ignored ›

Is a forward head posture app the same thing?

Forward head posture means your head sits out in front of your shoulders. Poxture App has no separate check for it. It checks two moves that bring your head forward at a desk: your head tipping down to the screen, and your face creeping closer to it.

Looking down › · Too close to the screen ›

How does Poxture App catch your head dropping?

1. Poxture App knows your head angle when you sit well at each screen.
2. About once a minute, it checks how you sit, using the built-in camera or an external webcam.
3. When your head stays tipped down about 12° past that for about half a minute, by default, a soft glow shows at the top of your screen. A card names the habit and shows the fix: "Lift your eyes; raise the screen if you keep looking down."
4. Lift your head, and when a check finds it fixed, the glow turns green. If you stay down, one soft chime plays after 30 seconds. You can turn the chime off.
5. At an external monitor, if most of a day's head-down nudges come from it, Poxture App shows a tip: "Your monitor sits low", with how to raise it for free. A sturdy box under the stand works.

Every card ends with "Think this is wrong? Tell Poxture App". Pick what it got wrong. The pick reaches us as numbers, never a picture, so we can fix that check. You can also switch to Calm for fewer nudges, snooze one habit from its card, or pause it.

What happens to the camera pictures?

Poxture App reads each frame in memory and drops it. It keeps numbers, not video, like how far your head tips down. No camera image or video is ever sent anywhere. No pictures, ever.

Poxture App sends usage counts with a random install number and, once a day, rounded posture scores with no install number, and supporters can turn both off in Settings. The full list is on the privacy page.

You can check this yourself. By default, the green light next to your camera comes on for a moment at each check. How to check the camera light ›