Pedometer++ 8: Glimmers of an Apple Wrist Renaissance

Today, when you mention David Smith’s name, most people probably think of Widgetsmith, his runaway success that caught fire on TikTok and is still going strong today. But for me, Pedometer++ is what comes to mind first. Still a couple of years away from releasing my own apps or writing at MacStories, I was fascinated by the dynamics that made the app a success when it debuted in 2013. Part of that success was how quickly David got it onto the App Store in the wake of the iPhone 5s and its M7 coprocessor that made step counting possible.

It didn’t hurt that Pedometer++’s initial release was also free (and the core features still are), but the app’s elegant, simple design played a big part, too. Pedometer++ appealed to a wide audience who appreciated its focus and frequent updates that systematically took it from basic step counting to badges, confetti, workouts, maps, and more. It’s a great example of a developer who jumped on a new hardware feature quickly with a focused initial release and then relentlessly iterated year after year without sacrificing what made that first version a favorite of so many people.

Today’s 8.0 release is focused first and foremost on the Apple Watch, which is the other aspect of so many of David’s apps that I appreciate. Few people know the ins and outs – and frustrations – of watchOS (née WatchKit) development like David does. But despite the platform’s rudimentary beginnings, David has stuck with it, making the best watch version of Pedometer++ that was possible with each turn of the SDK and, later, OS. That’s as true with version 8.0 of the app as it has ever been.

Source: David Smith.

I’ve been playing around with the update since last week, and Pedometer++ 8.0’s watch app is a real treat. The main view focuses on the app’s core metric: your step count, which is displayed as a big, bold number that is easy to parse at a glance as you work out. Below your step count is an arc that fills throughout the day from red to green as you inch towards your step goal. The design is reminiscent of closing your Activity rings, which makes it familiar, but it’s also unique – a mashup that honors the idea of your rings while retaining its own identity. To complete the app’s main view, Pedometer++ also reports the distance and elevation you’ve covered just above your step count.

Source: David Smith.

From the main view, you can rotate the Digital Crown to start a workout. The standard workouts include outdoor and indoor walks and runs, plus outdoor hikes. New to this version are Expedition runs, walks, and hikes, a special type of workout that extends the battery of your Apple Watch up to 40%. The app does this by switching from constant heart rate tracking to the device’s basic tracking. Expedition Mode isn’t the sort of feature most people will use; however, I love it for its innovation and the fact that it was implemented by David, an indie developer, before Apple. The athlete market is a natural, lucrative market for the Apple Watch that Apple tiptoed into with the Ultra, and Expedition Mode is a feature that the device should have had from day one but still doesn’t.

The latest version of Pedometer++ also adds a nicely designed workout view that shows your position on a map alongside workout metrics, keeping your core stats within easy reach. Like the rest of the update, the design of the workout view is top tier.

Apple is due for an Apple Watch renaissance. It’s a great device, but my use of it hasn’t changed a lot over the years. I track workouts, check notifications and the weather, and, well, check the time.

What Pedometer++ shows is that there’s untapped potential there. Even before WWDC, there’s more room to experiment and delight Apple Watch users than most developers are taking advantage of. I wouldn’t be surprised if David senses an opportunity on the horizon, too.

Wearables of all kinds are a natural fit for AI-driven voice assistants, and whether or not a developer’s watch app is part of the AI hype cycle, the focus and attention shift to wearables is going to raise all boats. Pedometer++ 8.0 is ready for the attention. It will be interesting to see if other apps follow suit.

Pedometer++ 8.0 is available on the App Store as a free download for the iPhone and Apple Watch. Some features require a subscription or In-App Purchase.