Pace changes now reach you reliably with your phone locked or in your pocket. Every switch is scheduled on your iPhone the moment you start walking, so it no longer depends on the app staying awake or on your connection. Coming in January: the January Walking Challenge. Walk on 16 days in January — four a week, the cadence the original research used — and follow your progress on the Home screen.

• Start with an easy interval — a new Settings option warms you up before the first brisk push. Same sets, same length, finishes brisk. • Rate Japanese Walking straight from the post-walk summary.

Your rhythm, interval by interval. Every walk now ends with your real cadence set against the support pace, so you can see which intervals you held and which ones drifted. Everyone gets the rhythm meter. Pro adds the full pace equalizer, measuring each interval against your own target. Walks now open with a short countdown, so you have a moment to put your phone away before the first interval starts. Also in this update: the pause button now responds across the whole control, not just the centre. Pro settings explain what they are instead of sitting there doing nothing. And you can send feedback or reach support straight from Settings.

Small improvements and fixes.

The coach voice is now free for everyone. A real human voice, recorded in your language, guides every switch — no longer a Pro feature. Pro is now the live pace coaching: your steps-per-minute against your target, spoken nudges when you drift, and the cadence metronome. Also in this release: • Every pace change now buzzes on the lock screen, even inside a Focus mode • Notifications stop the moment you pause or end a walk • The set bars fill as you walk, so a glance tells you where you are • Rebuilt voice recordings in every language — no more clipped word endings

Small polish under the hood. Your walk stays the same: three brisk, three easy, five times.