This Is A Life-Changing Application That Every iPhone 6 Owner Should Download

ScreenshotWhen you break through your goal, the app celebrates.

One of the best things about the new iPhone is that it comes with a step tracker built in.

This means, if you buy an iPhone 5S, an iPhone 6, or an iPhone 6 Plus, you'll be able to track how much you walk in a day.

This makes the iPhone a fantastic fitness gadget. It also eliminates the need for wearable devices like the Nike FuelBand, or FitBit Force.

Before I got the iPhone 5S earlier this year, I had been wearing a Nike FuelBand. I liked that it tracked my activity and motivated me to get off my butt and move around. But, I hated how it felt on my wrist. It was bulky and uncomfortable.

With the iPhone, I don't need the FuelBand, or a FitBit, or anything else. It's all right in the phone I keep in my pocket.

You can see your steps in Apple's Health app.

But, even better than Apple's Health app is Pedometer++, a super simple application that tracks steps. It also tracks elevation changes, providing a look at how many flights of stairs you've climbed in the day.

Every single person who owns an iPhone 5S, 6, or 6 Plus should download Pedometer++. It's free. If you like it, and you want to be generous, you can "tip" the developer $0.99, $2.99, or $5.99 through an in-app payment.

Pedometer tracks how many steps you take based on data from the chip in phone that tracks your steps. The app displays your steps for the day as a constantly updating badge on the outside of the app. The inside of the app displays your steps in a bar chart.

It also serves up your steps in a widget in the notification center, if that's more your thing.

The developer who made it, David Smith, said in a blog post last year, "This app has generated more guilt than anything else I've ever created. I am constantly hearing from people who say that they open the app and are shocked at how little they actually move in a day. I know for myself it wasn't until I actually measured it that I realized how sedentary my life was. It is sobering to see that you only took 2,000 steps in a day and realize just how unhealthy that likely is."

It's true! I use a standing desk, and commute to New York City every day. I thought for sure that I was moving around a bunch. It turns out that in an average day, I wasn't hitting 10,00o steps on my own. The Pedometer app is pushing me to move around a little bit more, which should be better for my health in the long run.

Get the app here >