85
Eyes
The Duchenne marker. Genuine crinkle from the orbicularis oculi, the one thing you can't fake.
Now on the App Store
Train your genuine smile on your iPhone
Real-time AI coaching that measures your eye crinkle, mouth lift, and symmetry. Five-second sessions, daily challenges, and a coach that never lets you fake it.
Free to start. Requires iOS 18 or later. Your camera never leaves your phone.
Smile Score
92
Streak
7 days
What is a Duchenne smile?
/d(j)uːˈʃɛn/ · noun
A genuine smile that engages the muscles around the eyes, the only smile that truly reaches them. Named after Guillaume Duchenne, the 19th-century French neurologist who discovered the difference.
Most people can't produce one on command. The orbicularis oculi, the eye-crinkle muscle, is nearly impossible to control voluntarily. That's why fake smiles look fake, and why people spot them in about 50 milliseconds.
Polite smile
4
muscles
Duchenne smile
12
muscles
Three signals. One honest score.
The coach watches the same cues people read instinctively, and scores each one live.
78
Mouth
Natural lift and openness. The app tracks how your smile shapes your whole expression.
92
Symmetry
Left-right balance for an even, authentic smile. Small asymmetries signal a forced expression.
Everything you need to smile better
From daily training to event prep, on a phone that already knows your face.
Daily challenges
A new challenge every day with different mechanics to keep training fresh. Hold your smile, nail a snapshot on a countdown, or prove consistency in rapid-fire bursts.
Quick Train
Five-second smile sessions for daily practice. Hold a genuine Duchenne smile to build muscle memory, so your natural smile becomes more authentic over time.
Event Prep
Training for life's big moments: weddings, interviews, graduations, photos. Create an event, set the date, and get a 7-day window of escalating training leading up to your day.
Your smile gallery
Your best snapshots, captured automatically during training. Browse by month, see your scores, share your favourites, and watch your smile evolve.
30+ achievements to unlock
Playful milestones that celebrate your smile journey.
First Grin
Smile Warrior
Three-Peat
Duchenne Legend
Diamond Standard
Party Starter
Speed Demon
Grin Machine
Nailed It!
Century Club
Early Bird Gets the Grin
Night Owl Smile
Photo BombSimple, friendly pricing
Start free. Upgrade when you're ready to unlock everything.
Monthly
$3.99
per month
Start monthlySave 48%
Yearly
$24.99
per year
Start yearlyLifetime
$49.99
one-time
Buy lifetimeFree vs Premium
| Feature | Free | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| Daily sessions | 2/day | Unlimited |
| Challenges | 3 rotating | 20+ unique |
| Gallery | Last 30 days | Forever |
| Events | 1 | Up to 5 |
| Share & export | × | ✓ |
| iCloud backup | × | ✓ |
| Ads | Banner ads | None |
| Stats & analytics | × | ✓ |
Smile science
What researchers know about the world's most powerful expression.
A Duchenne smile uses 12 muscles, while a polite smile only uses 4.
Humans can spot a fake smile in as little as 50 milliseconds, faster than a blink.
People who smile more tend to live an average of 7 years longer.
Smiling releases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, your brain's natural feel-good chemicals.
Babies start smiling genuinely at around 6 to 8 weeks old, one of the first social signals.
A smile is the most universally recognised facial expression across all cultures.
Smiling can lower your heart rate during stressful situations.
People trust others with genuine smiles 50% more than those with polite smiles.
Your privacy, always
All smile analysis happens on your device. Your face never leaves your phone.
On-device processing
All smile analysis uses Apple's Vision framework locally on your iPhone.
No uploads
Photos and camera data never leave your phone. Period.
Encrypted backup
Optional iCloud backup uses Apple's encrypted CloudKit infrastructure.
No identity tracking
Anonymous usage analytics only. No names, no emails, no cross-app tracking.
Quick facts about Duchenne for iOS
The short version — in case you're skimming.
- What is Duchenne for iOS?
- Duchenne is a smile-training iPhone app that uses Apple's Vision framework on-device to coach the genuine Duchenne smile in real time. Now available on the App Store.
- What does it run on?
- Requires iOS 18 or later. Install directly from the App Store.
- How does it analyse my smile?
- Apple's Vision framework runs locally on your iPhone, measuring eye crinkle (orbicularis oculi), mouth lift (zygomatic major), and left-right symmetry. Authenticity is scored 0–100 in real time. No images leave the device.
- Is it private?
- Yes. All smile processing is on-device. Optional backup uses Apple's encrypted CloudKit. Usage analytics are anonymous, with no personal details collected.
- What does it cost?
- Free tier with 2 sessions/day, or Premium at $3.99/month, $24.99/year, or $49.99 lifetime.
From the blog
Science, technique, and prep guides for genuine smiles.
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about Duchenne for iPhone.
What is a Duchenne Smile?
A genuine smile that engages the muscles around the eyes — the only smile that truly reaches your eyes. Named after Guillaume Duchenne, a 19th-century French neurologist. It uses 12 muscles compared to 4 for a polite smile, and the orbicularis oculi (eye-crinkle muscle) is nearly impossible to fake voluntarily.
How does Duchenne for iOS analyse my smile?
Duchenne uses Apple's Vision framework entirely on-device to measure three components of your smile: eye crinkle, mouth lift, and left/right symmetry. You get live feedback as you smile — no uploads, no waiting, no manual scoring.
Is my data private?
Yes. All smile analysis runs locally on your iPhone using Apple's on-device Vision framework. Photos and camera data never leave your phone. Optional backup uses Apple's encrypted CloudKit infrastructure. We use anonymous usage analytics (PostHog) to see which features get used, with no names, emails, or photos collected and no cross-app tracking.
How do I get Duchenne on iPhone?
Duchenne for iOS is now available on the App Store. Tap the download button, install on your iPhone, and start training. Requires iOS 18 or later.
How much does Duchenne cost?
Free tier with 2 sessions per day and 3 rotating challenges. Premium plans: Monthly at $3.99; Yearly at $24.99 (save 48%); Lifetime at $49.99. Premium unlocks unlimited sessions, 20+ unique challenges, unlimited gallery history, up to 5 events, share and export, and iCloud backup.
Train your genuine smile
Duchenne is live on the App Store. Download for iPhone and run your first five-second session tonight.
Requires iPhone running iOS 18 or later.