Meet Step Tomo: a walking friend that grows with every step

Somewhere a small egg is waiting. It doesn't mind how far you go today, only that you go. Take it for a walk and it cracks open; keep walking, and the little friend inside grows up beside you. This is the story of Step Tomo, and of the gentle world it lives in.

A friend, not a scoreboard

Tomo (友) is the Japanese word for friend. The app began life as "Step Pets", but that name was taken, and the new one turned out to be a gift, because it said the thing I cared about most. I have made step counters before. Simply Step sends you on journeys to real cities and StepPup puts a dog on the lead. Both taught me the same quiet lesson: people keep walking for something that feels like a relationship, not a total.

So there is no scoreboard waiting when you open Step Tomo, and no red numbers on a slow day. There is a small creature who is a little peckish when the day has been still, happy when you're on your way, and proudly round-bellied when you reach your goal. On a lazy day it gets hungry, never sick, and nothing you've grown together is ever taken away.

A little corner of Japan

The pedometer was born in Japan. In 1965 a clip-on step counter went on sale there called the manpo-kei, the "10,000-step meter", and that is where today's famous daily goal comes from. (We looked at how well that number holds up in Japanese walking vs 10,000 steps.) Japan also gave the world the pocket virtual pet. Step Tomo lives right where those two ideas meet, so leaning into Japan felt like coming home.

Your friend lives in a small wooden house on a floating island, with a bonsai by the window and a red donut bed up in the loft. Outside, a cherry tree leans over a stone lantern, and a koi pond spills over a waterfall at the island's edge. The sky keeps time with your day: bright morning blue, a rosy dusk, then stars and glowing lanterns.

Walks go further. Set off together and your friend trots beside you along a winding stone path: under a red torii between stone lanterns, down a cherry-blossom avenue beside a stream, over a little wooden bridge, past bamboo and rice terraces, up to a hillside shrine and out to a lake with a snowy mountain beyond. Other walkers' pets pass by on the way, and there are small treasures tucked in the grass: acorns, pinecones, cherry petals and, once in a while, a blue feather.

Five friends, and a surprise

Every friend begins as an egg, and you never know who's inside until the shell cracks. Your first egg hatches on a short walk, right at the start. Later you can choose a new egg and keep it warm with three days of walking. And once in a long while, an egg hatches shiny, in colours all its own.

• Sprig, the grower, a sprout who unfurls a new leaf on every walk and flowers at full size: Seedling, Sapling, Bloom.
• Kindle, the burner, a little flame who loves a brisk pace: Spark, Flicker, Blaze.
• Trundle, the long-hauler, a patient traveller who gathers trail gear until the Wanderer stands tall with a walking stick.
• Puff, the climber, a round blue bird who loves stairs and hills, grows goggles and learns to fly: Fluff, Fledgling, Soarer.
• Scout, a tiny cowlicked pup who grows into Ranger, trail bandana and all.

Each one grows through three forms as your steps add up, so an ordinary Tuesday walk can end with someone new standing in the doorway.

A friend that feels alive

What I wanted most was for your tomo to feel like it has a little life of its own. It looks around when it's idle. It climbs the stairs to bed at night, waits by its bowl when it's hungry, and potters about the house while you're out. Tap it to say hi, or press and hold to give it a gentle pat.

And when it grows, it's a small celebration: a swirl, a sparkle, and a new shape where the old one stood.

Your tomo, on your wrist

I imagined most people would see their friend on their wrist more often than on their phone, so the Apple Watch app came first, not last. Lift your wrist and there it is. Tap it and it hops or cheers. It looks around when it's idle, lets you know when it's peckish, and curls up to sleep at night.

You can set off on a walk straight from the watch, choosing a goal with the Digital Crown. Your friend walks toward you across a little meadow while your steps and heart rate tick along, and the walk is saved to Apple Health when you're done. On the watch face, a complication keeps your tomo close all day.

Small kindnesses

• It walks at your pace. Your friend reacts as you walk, not an hour later, and keeps step with you even when your phone is tucked in a bag.
• Finds worth keeping. Everything your friend picks up on a walk can go in your collection, or be sold for coins toward a new egg or a hat.
• Walks to look back on. Past walks are kept with their finds, a replay of the route and a short highlight to watch again.
• Gentle nudges. A word when your friend is hungry or your streak needs you, a Sunday recap, and quiet hours.
• Your steps stay yours. Health data stays on your iPhone and Apple Watch, and your route only exists if you choose to record it. Your pets and progress are backed up under an anonymous ID, so a new phone brings them along. No ads, no tracking, no sign-in.

What's next

Friends are the big one: a shared park where your friends' pets can visit, with waves and a friendly daily leaderboard. You can peek at a preview in the app today. After that come more hats, more finds tucked along the path, and more of the island to explore. If you'd like to know when Step Tomo arrives on the App Store, the Step Tomo page has everything, and the press kit has the art.

Thanks for reading. Go for a walk; someone small is waiting.

Frequently asked questions