When you sit in front of a computer like I do for the better part of a typical 8 hour day, you need an activity to clear your head at the end of all of it.

Some people go to the gym, some play video games, some journal about their day - whatever it is that helps you hit that reset button - you do it. It gets the cobwebs out, making you feel refreshed and ready for another day.

What do I do? I have a walking practice. Part physical activity, part meditation, communing with the open air has become such a critical part of my physical and mental health. So much so, that I wanted to start tracking it.

Luckily, iOS offers a TON options. I started off by using the Nike+ Run Club app. It was free, it offered maps of the routes I took, and it kept track of my “runs” (even though I was walking). But it was also overkill, with too many taps for me to get to information I merely wanted to glance at.

I just needed an app I could open, glance quickly, and see how far I’d walked in a day.

Enter Pedometer++

When I started researching pedometer apps for iOS, Pedometer++ immediately bubbled to the top as it’s really well thought of in the app dev community. I was fortunate for that too. Researching apps can be a lot of fun, but it can often turn into a rabbit hole scenario and I didn’t particularly want that kind of situation whilst looking at step tracking apps. So, having seen it, I downloaded it and took it for a spin.

Perfect choice for me.

After a week of use, I knew I had a winner. When I open Pedometer++ it immediately presents each day's steps as a bar in a graph. If the bar is red, you haven't walked much at all. If it's orange you've done ok, but you haven't reached your daily goal (which you can set in Pedometer++'s settings). When it hits green? You get treated to a celebratory burst of green confetti!! It may seem silly, but I have to confess to smiling each time I see that confetti fly. That light gamification is a fun touch.

It’s those little flourishes that make Pedometer++ an app I use daily. I appreciate the attention to detail that went into this app’s admittedly spartan layout. Everything pops and is easy to read at a glance. Colors are crisp, type faces stand out yet stay out of the way, and the spacing of everything is just all-around pleasant to look at and interact with.

As far as accuracy is concerned, Pedometer++ syncs with iOS’s baked-in Health app, surfacing the data from your phone (and/or Apple Watch, if you have one, I don’t) within the app. I found it to always be accurate on the distance I walk while, albeit rarely, off on the number of steps I’ve taken. Otherwise, it seems  entirely in lock-step with my stride and gait. It also displays elevation gain, which it offers as “floors” of stairs you’ve hiked up.

An outstanding iOS widget.

One last thing that I’d be remiss to not point out is Pedometer++’s Today Widget.

It offers the perfect amount of UI from the app itself, right on your lock screen. It loads quickly and works like a charm when I take my phone out mid-stride and tap the lock button to wake my iPhone.

A++ for my needs.

I wouldn't write about Pedometer++ if I wasn't smitten with it. It truly is that perfect blend of clear and concise data delivery that doesn't look boring or bland. I truly look at it several times a day and it's a perfect companion for my daily walking practice.

I think you’d like too!

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