Habit tracking applications are a dime a dozen on the Apple App Store. The iPhone is home to countless wellness apps and services of varying quality, with a new product arriving on the digital storefront seemingly on a daily basis.
Over the years, I’ve tested a variety of these health apps, but none have stuck with me for the long haul. The reason for this is simple: most habit trackers are too complex in their execution, resulting in information overload.
Then, I stumbled across Awesome Habits.
Awesome Habits isn’t just another run-of-the-mill habit tracker. Sure, its functionality overlaps with that of other trackers on the market, but it also does things differently. I was initially skeptical when I downloaded the app, but, after using it for some time now, I can safely say that it’s the ideal habit builder for my purposes.
A streamlined user interface
No visual clutter to speak of
What makes Awesome Habits stand out to me is how streamlined its user interface is. Right from the get-go, the app presents information in a clean and minimalistic way that resonates with me. The main Home tab is perfect for viewing your existing habits in a birds-eye view, with a central progress circle in addition to secondary per-habit circles.
Adding new habits to the app is straightforward and inviting, with a wide range of preset templates to pull from for inspiration. These include such things as drinking water, reducing social media usage, taking a walk, smiling, and spending time with family. This curated list covers all the basics, but you can create a custom habit all the same, as well.
The dedicated History tab is excellent, too, with trends broken down in graph form, habit streaks and averages presented on screen, dedicated heat maps, and plenty of other data to parse through. It’s comprehensive, it’s simple to navigate, and it’s visually appealing to boot.
The attention to detail across all tabs is what draws me in the most here.
Lastly, the Settings tab acts as a one-stop-shop location for adjusting the appearance of the app (dark mode is present and accounted for), the sounds, backup and sync, and more. There’s a clever Vacation mode on deck that skips habits when enabled, there’s an option to export data to a CSV file (which is very much appreciated), and there’s a variety of sorting and stacking options as well.
The attention to detail across all tabs is what draws me in the most here. In particular, there are custom icons, emojis, and sound effects sprinkled throughout the experience, which adds to the feeling that the app has been built with love and care.
My home screen is a habit-building dashboard
In addition to integration with iCloud backup and sync, Siri Shortcuts, Apple Intelligence (for habit ideas and Genmoji creation), and Dynamic Island (Live Activities), Awesome Habits also taps right into your home screen, your lock screen, and your StandBy interface with a set of bespoke widgets.
My personal favorite is the full-sized interactive home screen widget, which effectively transforms your iPhone into a habit-building dashboard of sorts. The widget interface closely resembles the app’s Home tab interface, but shrunken down to fit the context of the iOS springboard. It’s minimalistic but powerful all the same, and it helps me keep up to date with all my habits.
There’s also native support for the Apple Watch here, with complications and a Smart Stack widget. The app can also pull data from your Watch to help you achieve your goals, including options like time in daylight, exercise minutes, active energy, cycling, swimming, and more.
Awesome Habits helps me be my best self
The app genuinely works as advertised
After using Awesome Habits for the better part of a couple of weeks, I can confirm that it does its job competently and then some. I find that, when using the app, I’m able to hold myself accountable thanks to its brilliantly simple design and its small visual flourishes. I feel motivated to, say, drink my eight glasses of water a day, as it’s satisfying to see my progress ring fill up.
The availability of pre-set habits is a huge plus in my books, as I always struggle to initially set up habits on competing tracker applications. The default options encompass everything I’m looking for from a health and wellness perspective, which is a testament to the thoughtfulness of the app’s design.
…I haven’t fallen off the bandwagon yet, which is a good sign.
If there’s one thing I wish the app offered, it would be additional theming options. I’d love to have the ability to adjust the accent and background colors across the main app interface and the home screen widgets, which would add a dash of personality to the experience. Even still, the basic design of the app is pleasant, and icon designs and colors can be controlled granularly.
Overall, I’m a big fan of Awesome Habits. It’s been a couple of weeks since I began using the app, and I haven’t fallen off the bandwagon yet, which is a good sign. I’m drinking more water than before, I’m stepping out into sunlight more frequently, and I’m using social media less often on the whole. In a world where apps are designed to hijack your dopamine receptors, Awesome Habits is exactly the software solution that I’ve been in need of.
