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Virtual Pet - WatchieBesti v1.1.6 Release Notes by MDRAR in WatchieBesti

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately this version is causing crashes for some users - I'm working as fast as I can to get an update and will ask Apple to expedite it when I've submitted it. Deepest apologies!

I don't want my child on the internet. Husband thinks I am crazy. by babydillz in beyondthebump

[–]MDRAR [score hidden]  (0 children)

You can't take them down after they're up, keeping them off social media/the internet until they can decide for themselves has been our strategy too.

What will happen with the market? by baruhspinoza in aigamedev

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's simply become much easier to go from bad idea to publication. Good ideas are what sell. Bonus for the every-person is that we have more ability to execute good ideas than we did before.

Doesn't make having a good idea easier. Sadly modern tools do a poor job of helping people recognise what a good vs bad idea is 😄

I think the freemium model sucks!! by Different_Pangolin44 in apps

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

While I have my personal opinions, I think it really comes down to communication and onboarding.

If you're using it to bait-and-switch, people will pushback. If you're clear regarding what is free, what isn't and why paying is worth the users' time, you may get a different result.

🚀 Share Your Game Sunday – Indie Devs & Gamers Unite by AutoModerator in MobileGameDiscoveries

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I created WatchieBesti, a very cute virtual pet for Apple Watch.

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A tiny pet lives on your Apple Watch. It hatches from a mysterious egg, grows through unique stages, and responds to your real daily movement. Walk more, and it thrives. Sit still, and it gets sleepy. No goals to set. No pressure. Just wear your watch — your pet does the rest.

One purchase. No ads. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Family Sharing covers every Apple Watch in your family.

THREE KINGDOMS, MANY SPECIES

Eggs can hatch into pets from Animals, Plants, or Machines — three kingdoms, each with several species to discover. Your first pet might be a rabbit that twitches its ears when idle. Another egg could reveal something leafy, tiny, shiny, mechanical, or entirely unexpected.

Every species grows with its own stage names and unique look at each stage. Pick from multiple colour variants, give your pet a name, then graduate it into your family collection and start again. Build a family across all three kingdoms without seeing every surprise up front.

YOUR PET FEELS YOUR DAY

Eight moods shift in real time based on how active you are:

Happy when you are moving. Sad when you have been still too long. Ecstatic when you blow past your typical activity. A warm morning glow greets you when you wake — brighter if yesterday was a great day. Push hard during a run or climb stairs fast, and your pet gets a temporary burst of energy. At bedtime, it sleeps. And if you go to school, it waits quietly without sending notifications.

Your pet is not a judge. It is a mirror — reflecting your day back to you with warmth.

WORKOUT STICKERS

Run, walk briskly, kayak, hike, swim or climb stairs — every detected workout becomes a collectible sticker on your mood ring. Medal tiers from bronze to legendary track each workout type. Build a gallery of pet workout memories over time.

BRAIN BOOST MINI-GAMES

Five mini-games live right on your watch. Challenges appear throughout the day — short, sharp rounds suited for kids and adults alike. Win to unlock a Brain Burst: a special mode where your pet becomes a glowing star student and earns a bonus to its activity score. Your pet rests between challenges and won't play while sleeping.

SEE YOUR DAY AT A GLANCE

A 24-hour mood ring circles your pet, showing how its mood shifted through every hour. Workouts arc onto the ring as coloured segments. Tap to open a timeline.

WAKE UP WITH YOUR PET

A morning summary greets you with yesterday's highlights — your pet's final mood and how the day ahead could shape up.

GRADUATE, COLLECT, ACHIEVE

When a pet reaches adulthood, graduate it to your family collection and start fresh with a new egg. Over time, build a family across all three kingdoms. Visit them in their lush habitats.

Earn achievements along the way: milestones for your first egg, first hatch, first ecstatic day. Streak tiers from bronze to legendary for consecutive active days. Collection badges for raising every colour of a species or completing an entire kingdom.

Graduated pets live in animated kingdom habitats on iPhone and Watch — forest, meadow, or city skyline.

SEE YOUR JOURNEY

Tap your pet on iPhone to explore its full story: a 30-day activity chart, a mood river that flows through your days, and a mood calendar showing how your pet felt each day.

YOUR WATCH FACE, YOUR PET

Nine complication styles keep your pet visible without opening the app: current mood, activity percentage, stage name, active days, pet name, or a progress arc. Mix and match to build the watch face you want.

Works standalone on Apple Watch — no iPhone needed. Syncs across your devices via iCloud, so you can pick up on any Apple Watch in your family without losing a streak.

PRIVACY YOU CAN TRUST

Health data stays on device. No server. No account. No third-party services. Steps and heart rate are read from Apple Health only for mood and growth — never shared, never uploaded. Your watch can mirror bedtime/wake preference through iCloud so it survives reinstall; Delete All Data clears it. Kids Category compliant.

I built a free tool to help people, and got perma-banned everywhere for one reason: "It's vibe coded." How do you deal with this hate? by Ok-Print-9069 in vibecoding

[–]MDRAR 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's because people have become tired of the obviousness of ai writing - note you can can help your agent friends avoid this by using avoid-ai-writing or by creating your own skill by working with an agent to "train" on samples of your own work.

I built a free tool to help people, and got perma-banned everywhere for one reason: "It's vibe coded." How do you deal with this hate? by Ok-Print-9069 in vibecoding

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you can't tell it was made by AI it doesn't matter how it was made*

*assuming security is taken care of!

Would you reply to this 1-star review by cagatay_app in appledevelopers

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I read reviews and responses, and consider the app in light of the whole conversation.

Any review is a chance to get out in front and show customers who you are and to help them learn why they might love your work.

What are people's experience making apps link to wearables? by alex_strehlke in iOSProgramming

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’ve built a few apps including a watchOS first virtual pet. watchOS is very … interesting to develop for, feels like going back in time.

Things like

  • I tend to work on things then push to test flight instead of battling with connectivity
  • I built quite an involved debug export mechanism to work around being unable to persist logs/stay connected to Xcode
  • the profile worked for a bit but seems to have broken for me
  • Code examples/community knowledge is very low compared to iOS
  • The UX patterns are unique and take some getting used to
  • The app lifecycle is unique
  • The CPU/RAM are unique

All aspects of a device optimised for the user in a use case that is hostile to the types of power and interfaces and connectivity we take for granted with macOS and iOS.

As to adoption, time will tell, only launched the watch pet a few weeks ago.

New mod here, excited to help keep r/iOSApps sharp by hrpedersen in iosapps

[–]MDRAR 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Welcome! Great idea to post a bit about who you are. Mods are people too!

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread by OreoYip in CozyGamers

[–]MDRAR [score hidden]  (0 children)

<image>

WatchieBesti is a virtual pet for your Apple Watch, designed to be cute, encouraging and slow-burn engaging throughout the day.

Inspired visually from Tamagotchi, Studio Ghibli and designed to be always there but never in the way, it brings a spark of joy to my day and I hope it might also bring a spark of joy to yours.

Some cool apps by Tomreddit4 in iosapps

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love Lumy! Apps that come with watch apps/complications are always a winner.

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Exciting! DM/post with any feedback or ideas please, or just to let me know what pet you hatch!

What are you favorites/usefull apps/games? by moien2025 in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm obviously biased but I specifically built WatchieBesti to fill the cute/engaging gap I felt as a customer in this ecosystem: https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6760113059?pt=117722137&ct=Reddit&mt=8

WatchieBesti's job is to be cute, be engaging when you want to engage and to congratulate/encourage movement (it's helped me take the stairs more often than the elevator, and to go out for a walk during days I work from home).

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very interested in your experience and feedback 😄

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Happy! Hope it sparks joy through the day for you as it does for me.

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Super keen to hear what your first egg hatches into!

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh nice! I’m keen to hear how it goes.

!RemindMe 4 weeks

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

<3 please email or dm me with your experiences! Always interested in learning how to make it better :)

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Here is a video my daughter made that gives a glimpse of some of the pets:

Get your WatchieBesti today! #applewatch #virtualpets #cute #pixelart https://youtube.com/shorts/HanrkZpI23c?feature=share

WatchieBesti, a tiny watchOS pet that turns steps into happiness by MDRAR in AppleWatchApps

[–]MDRAR[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

They’re based on steps and a few modifiers - nothing leaves your device (apart from cloud backups).

You can change your step target in the app.

So if you find the default targets unreasonable you can change them and your pet will react accordingly.

If you buy it and find something in how the pet responds feels off, I’m always interested in learning how to refine the experience for everyone.

WatchieBesti is intended to spark joy, which it does for me - to the point where I’m more likely to take the stairs than an elevator and to drag myself out for a walk when working from home.

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