Pedometer++ app revamped with iPhone workout tracking, rich maps on Apple Watch, more

Pedometer++ from developer David Smith is one of the most iconic iPhone and Apple Watch apps of all time, and a new update today takes things to a whole new level. Pedometer++ 5 is available now with Live Activities support, workout tracking for non-Apple Watch users, and much more.

First and foremost, Pedometer++ now supports workout tracking for users without an Apple Watch. As David explains in his blog post announcing the update, the Apple Watch version of Pedometer++ has supported workout tracking for years, but this update expands the functionality to users without a watch as well.

“This lets you see your workout’s duration, distance, speed and other metrics while you walk,” David says.

iPhone workout tracking via Pedometer++ is also fully integrated with Live Activities in iOS 16 and the Dynamic Island on iPhone 14 Pro.

I’ve built out a wide array of user selectable live activity styles. These can show you a basic time and distance while you walk…or if you’re feel adventurous you can even see a live updating map with your current route and location overlaid (even in the Dynamic Island!).

Pedometer++ also now offers in-depth route management features with support for GPX routes for navigation. Here’s what this means, according to David:

One of the key things about the way that I hike is a heavy reliance of GPX files for navigation. What I’ll typically do is find or generate a GPX route file of the walk I intend to do and then seek to follow it as I go. While perhaps slightly counterintuitive I find this process highly freeing while I explore. Rather than constantly needing to have my head down to navigate I’m instead just doing occasional checks along the way and can keep my eyes up and on the terrain rather than my nose stuck in a map.

I have highly optimized the workout features in this update for this style of walking. You can either import GPX routes from external sources or promote previously completed walks to saved/favorite routes.

The associated mapping tiles for a particular route can be saved for offline access, so that when I get properly back in the wilderness I can still use the feature.

These routes also sync to Pedometer++ on the Apple Watch, and offline map tiles are shared between iPhone and Apple Watch as long as the two are connected.

Speaking of Apple Watch, Pedometer++ adds a powerful new map-based workout mode. This feature displays a live map right on your Apple Watch while you walk. This feature also integrates with the Apple Watch’s Always-On Display so you can see directions at a glance.

Additionally, the new Apple Watch workout mode supports the Action Button on the Apple Watch Ultra. “This integrates with the Action Button on the Apple Watch Ultra for quickly starting workouts as well as swapping between the map and metrics views while you are working out,” Smith explains.

The latest version of Pedometer++ is available on the App Store now. Learn more about the update in David’s blog post here.