As such, you’ll want to make sure you select an app that won’t drain your battery super fast so that you have some juice left for everything else you do on your smartphone.

Battery Usage: Because these apps need to count your steps all day, it means they’ll need to run in the background all the time.

The social aspect of any fitness app is often the key to staying motivated and even finding new friends along the way who share your interests.

As such, the app you choose should make it easy to connect with other users-be it through group challenges and events, forums, or the ability to add and follow friends. Community: One of the best things about walking (or any form of exercise) is that you can enjoy it socially.

Some apps also lock features behind either an upfront fee or a pricy monthly subscription, so be sure to check the fine print before you get started. Cost: There are plenty of free options out there, and we don’t recommend paying for one of these apps unless you also want access to the artillery of other features that tend to get lumped into larger fitness apps.Data History: Tracking your daily steps is one thing, but if you might occasionally want to look back and see your past progress, make sure you choose an app that saves all of your tracked metrics, from daily steps to things like calories burned.We favor apps that don’t have any ads (or at least limit them to small, infrequent, and unintrusive ads) and that offer plenty of basic features for you to enjoy without requiring you to pay a fee or subscription cost to access them. Good step counter apps also allow you to adjust step counter sensitivity based on your individual stride. Easy to Use: These apps are meant to be intuitive and easy to use so that you can keep track of your steps without fuss.Not all step counting apps are created equal, however, so keep these critical factors in mind before you select an app: What to Look for in Step Counter AppsĪt their core, step counter apps all aim to do the same thing: count your steps as you move around each day. However, keep in mind that you’ll need to be carrying your phone– either in your hand, your pocket, or your backpack– for your steps to get logged. With their help, the app can record the number of steps you take. Simply put, these apps rely on your smartphone’s motion-detection sensors and GPS.

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