VirtuPet is a step counter with a heart. Instead of a ring or a progress bar, your daily steps look after a small plush pet: a dog, cat, bunny, hamster or horse that you pick on day one. Walk, and they’re bouncing off the walls. Skip your walk, and they let you know.
How a virtual pet step counter works
VirtuPet reads your steps from Apple Health, the same steps your iPhone or Apple Watch already records, so there’s nothing to log and no need to keep the app open while you walk. Your pet’s health is simply your progress towards your daily goal, which is 10,000 steps unless you change it.
| Steps today | Pet health | Mood |
|---|---|---|
| Under 2,100 | 0 to 20% | Sick |
| 2,100 to 4,099 | 21 to 40% | Sad |
| 4,100 to 6,099 | 41 to 60% | Content |
| 6,100 to 8,099 | 61 to 80% | Happy |
| 8,100 and up | 81 to 100% | Full health |
More than a pedometer
- Eggs on the map. Eggs land at real parks, cafés and landmarks near you. Walk over to one to collect it.
- Hatched by your steps. Pop an egg in the incubator and your steps warm it until it cracks open into one of 101 animals across nine biomes.
- Streaks and quests. Every goal day grows your streak, new daily quests arrive each morning, and XP levels your pet up.
- Paw Coins. One for every 100 steps, to spend in the Paw Shop on looks, scenes and themes.
- Friends. Add friends with a code, climb the weekly leaderboard and team up on Duo Challenges.
- On your Home Screen. A widget keeps your pet, and your steps, one glance away.
Why a pet works better than a number
A step count is easy to ignore. Nobody feels guilty about a grey ring at 6pm. A pet changes the feeling of the same number in three ways:
- Someone is counting on you. A small, friendly reason to get up that isn’t about you.
- The payoff is today. Health benefits arrive over years; a happier pet arrives this evening.
- Every walk has a small surprise. An egg to find, a hatch to watch, a quest to tick off.
We dig into the psychology in how virtual pets make walking fun.
Is it like a Tamagotchi?
A little. It’s a pet that needs looking after, but you look after it by walking, and it’s forgiving. VirtuPet pets never die. Miss a day and your pet gets sad or a bit sick; one good walk brings them right back, and a streak repair can save your streak.
Free, with an optional Premium
Everything you need to walk with your pet is free: your starter, every mood, eggs, hatching, friends, streaks and quests. VirtuPet Premium is an optional subscription that adds a second incubator and a bigger egg bag, all three daily quests, biome eggs on the map and a Grand egg every Sunday, better hatch odds, two pets in your Walking Crew, full Insights and a free streak repair every month.
Get started in a minute
- Download VirtuPet free from the App Store.
- Pick your starter: dog, cat, bunny, hamster or horse.
- Allow Apple Health access so your steps count.
- Go for a walk. Your pet will notice.
