upmoat Get StepIsland

Small software for better days.

The Upmoat doorway in soft clay: an arch opening onto a winding path, green hills and a rising sun
New StepIsland 2.1 is out

Upmoat makes calm, native apps for everyday habits. Our first, StepIsland, turns your daily walk into a little world that grows.

Meet StepIsland Walk through

01 The studio

Upmoat is a small, independent studio making apps for iPhone. We build one thing at a time, finish it properly, and keep it calm, private and beautifully made. Every app is a door to a slightly better day. The first one opens onto StepIsland.

Upmoat in brief

Upmoat is an independent iPhone app studio based in Dubai Marina, United Arab Emirates, founded in 2026. It designs and builds calm, native apps for everyday habits in Swift and SwiftUI. Its first app is StepIsland, a walking app and step counter for iPhone and Apple Watch where your Apple Health steps grow an illustrated world with a companion character. StepIsland is free on the App Store, with an optional StepIsland Plus subscription that starts with a 7-day free trial. Upmoat apps are private by default: StepIsland reads only your step count, keeps your Health records on your iPhone and never sells data or uses it for ads.

Last updated

02 The apps

One door at a time.

Two apps so far, on purpose. One gets you walking for fun, the other makes you walk before you scroll.

Sprout standing on a floating 3D island in Sprout Valley 2.1 · Out now

Room 01 iPhone & Apple Watch

StepIsland

The walking app where every step grows a little world. Pick a companion, set a goal and watch your island bloom, live on your Lock Screen, Dynamic Island, widgets and Apple Watch.

Platform
iOS 18+ · watchOS 11+
Built with
SwiftUI · ActivityKit · WidgetKit · HealthKit
Worlds
6 worlds · 6 companions
Price
Free · Plus with a 7-day trial
Explore StepIsland Download StepIsland on the App Store

Inside StepIsland

Six worlds, one walk at a time.

Every world has its own companion, weather and sounds. Your Apple Health steps make it grow.

REV 0.3 · not for release

Room 03 In the workshop

The next door.

Something new is on the bench. Same rules as always: native, private, calm and finished before it ships. Join the studio letters and you’ll hear first.

SketchDesignBuildShip
Get the letter

03 How we build

Four rules we don’t bend.

01 / 04

Native, always

Built in Swift for iPhone and Apple Watch, using the platform the way Apple intended: Live Activities, widgets, haptics and all.

02 / 04

Private by default

We collect the least we can. Health data stays on your phone, never sold, never used for ads. No ad SDKs, ever.

03 / 04

Calm, not compulsive

No dark patterns, no endless feeds. Our apps should leave your day better than they found it, then get out of the way.

04 / 04

Small and finished

One thing at a time, made properly. We would rather ship one complete, beautiful app than ten half-ideas.

04 Under the hood

Made the native way.

Swift and SwiftUI from the first line, with the iPhone’s best surfaces: Live Activities, the Dynamic Island, widgets and Apple Watch. A tiny, private backend. No ad SDKs or tracking inside our apps.

  • Swift 6
  • SwiftUI
  • ActivityKit
  • WidgetKit
  • HealthKit
  • StoreKit 2
  • watchOS
  • Supabase
  • Cloudflare
upmoat — status
→ upmoat status
studio ........ Upmoat · Dubai Marina, UAE
shipping ...... StepIsland 2.1 · iOS 18+ · watchOS 11+
language ...... Swift 6 · SwiftUI
surfaces ...... Live Activities · Widgets · watchOS
health ........ HealthKit, read-only step count
payments ...... StoreKit 2, handled by Apple
backend ....... Supabase · Cloudflare Workers
ad trackers ... 0
next door ..... designing▍

05 Journal

Notes from the workshop.

All entries

01WALKING / DAILY STEPS

How many steps a day do you actually need?

Large studies find most of the benefit by about 7,000–8,000 steps a day, with gains levelling off earlier for older adults. Here is what the research says.

Read

02IPHONE / HOW-TO

How do you show your steps on the iPhone Lock Screen and Dynamic Island?

Step-by-step: use a step app’s Live Activity for the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island, or a widget for an always-there snapshot. Settings, limits and fixes.

Read

03WALKING / HABITS

What are the best ways to hit 10,000 steps a day?

A realistic plan for 10,000 steps a day: how long it takes, where the steps hide in a normal day, and how to build up without burning out.

Read

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is Upmoat?

Upmoat is an independent iPhone app studio based in Dubai Marina, UAE. It designs and builds calm, native apps for everyday habits. Its first app is StepIsland. Its second, Slate, is a walk-to-unlock app blocker.

Who makes StepIsland?

StepIsland is made by Upmoat. It is a walking app and step counter for iPhone and Apple Watch where your Apple Health steps grow an illustrated world with a companion character. It is free on the App Store, with an optional StepIsland Plus subscription.

Where is Upmoat based?

Upmoat is based in Dubai Marina, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and makes apps for people everywhere.

Does Upmoat collect my health data?

StepIsland reads only your step count from Apple Health, with your permission. Your Health records stay on your iPhone, and Upmoat never sells data or uses it for advertising. If you create an optional account, only your daily step total syncs so friends you add can see it.

How do I contact Upmoat?

Email enquiries@upmoat.com or use the form on upmoat.com/support. For app help, start with the StepIsland support page.