My QuitBuddy: A Free Digital Lifeline for Quitting Smoking and Vaping

Smoking remains Australia’s leading cause of preventable death, while vaping has introduced a fast-growing new dependency pathway, especially among younger adults. In 2022–23, 11.1% of Australian adults smoked and 6.8% used vapes, with vaping highest among 18 to 24 year olds at 20.6%. Quitting is rarely linear; people cycle through motivation, cravings, relapse and recommitment, often without immediate access to support. The challenge was to design a free, trusted, government-backed service that could meet people in those real-life moments, not just inform them, while evolving from a smoking-focused tool into one that also supports adult vapers.

My QuitBuddy is designed as a quit companion rather than a static information app. The service has translated public health strategy into a practical mobile experience that helps users set goals, manage cravings, prepare for danger times, recover from slip-ups, and stay motivated over time. The recent redesign simplified the interface, improved accessibility, refreshed the visual language, and introduced support for both smoking and vaping cessation. The result is a calmer, more contemporary and more inclusive service that meets users where they are while preserving the behavioural foundations that made the product valuable in the first place.

My QuitBuddy extends cessation support beyond clinics, helplines and campaigns by placing free, practical help directly into people’s hands. Since launch, it has achieved more than 1.7 million downloads, demonstrating sustained national reach. User outcomes are also established, with 26% of vapers and 24% of smokers using the app recording quit success. As a featured tool within the Australian Government’s Give Up For Good campaign and quit-support ecosystem, My QuitBuddy reduces barriers of cost, stigma, timing and geography while helping more Australians attempt, sustain and normalise quitting.

My QuitBuddy’s key design strength is that it treats quitting as a lived journey, not a single decision. The app features gamified tools, each one intentionally designed using evidence-based behaviour change principles (e.g. Transtheoretical Model, Dual Systems Theory, Nudge theory, EAST framework). Each feature exists for a reason: to reduce friction, increase motivation, and make support timely. Personalised Quit Plans for Smoking and/or Vaping: Tailored journeys help users set a quit date, define goals and choose support pathways that reflect their stage of readiness and quitting context.Danger Times: Users can identify high-risk moments, places or triggers and receive timely prompts and coping support when cravings are most likely to occur.Craving and Distraction Support: In-the-moment tools redirect attention, reduce friction and make healthier action easier when motivation dips.Slip-Up Logic: The service recognises that relapse is common and designs for recovery, helping users re-engage without shame rather than abandon the journey.Savings and Health Tracking: Visible progress reinforces motivation by showing users the personal gains from quitting, including health improvements and money saved.Milestones and Rewards: Gamified reinforcement celebrates effort and progress, helping transform quitting from a private struggle into a series of achievable wins.