Actifit, close but no cigar
As part of my fitness program I need a good way to motivate and record my efforts.
Chances are that if you’re on the HIVE network you’ve already come across Actifit (https://actifit.io).
For those who haven’t, Actifit is a pedometer app. It works well but the more I use it the more limited it seems.
I’ll get into this later but first let’s look at what it does do.
Actifit measures the amount of steps you do. For each step you will earn a certain amount of its AFIT token. You can use this token in the app or you can convert it to HIVE and use it on the HIVE network. The AFIT token can buy real life fitness equipment like jump ropes or in game fitness equipment. The latter will help you game more tokens with each post you create.
You can also win more tokens with the daily prizes at various levels.
Posting creates a post on the HIVE network. These are like blog, Facebook, or X (Twitter) style posts where you can earn HBD. Readers can Upvote or Downvote your posts. This affects the value of your posts and the ranking you achieve with each post. It is a sad fact that there are some who love to downvote Actifit posts. But if you write decent blog style posts then this becomes less of a thing.
There’s two issues I have with Actifit though. The first is that there is no doubt this is an Android app ported to iOS. It is obvious that the interface is a webpage wrapped in an app. The colours are ugly and there’s a hell of a lot of scrolling. This makes the app hard to use. Proper buttons and windows would be much better.
My second issue, and the one I dislike the most, is that Actifit doesn’t read from Apple Health by default. Worst still is that when you choose the data from Apple Health, it will still post Actifit’s version instead. It seems like a waste of time having the option in the first place. I suspect this is a result of working on different platforms and trying not to use proprietary systems. I feel this is a big mistake though because it makes for a Jack of All Trades Master of None type situation.
If this is sounding like Actifit is a bad app you should know that I'm not saying that at all. It's an app that I use regularly and I love how I can enter body shape details and have it displayed as an image in a HIVE post.
However, due to the issues I'm having with the iOS app (which is quite far behind in development compared to the Android app) I think I'll just move to using the built-in apps and post using Ecency (https://ecency.com/) instead. This is because I'm recording more data than Actifit provides and I can create one copy of an original post and copy and paste to other platforms far more easily.
Do I recommend:
The short answer is "Yes" if you are on the HIVE platform already. It's a great app but the iOS version is at least two versions behind so development is slow. If you're not on HIVE but you're interested in exploring the eco-system then this is a great way to get started. Then just use either Ecency (https://ecency.com/) or PeakD (https://peakd.com) to create standard blog posts etc.
If you have no intention of using the HIVE platform then I wouldn't recommend as there are other fitness trackers out there best suited to your needs.
What would I like to see changed:
I'd like to see more development with the iOS app. As I've already said, it's at least 2 versions behind the Android version. I get why. Platforms like HIVE tend to attract Windows, Linux, and Android users more than macOS or iOS users.
I'd like to see a cleaner interface. If you look closer at the first screenshot you can see my point. Also the colours are so Android aren't they? They're goudy and jarring and at times make it confusing to use. Also, there's too much going on, with the "Post and Earn" button getting lost, looking more like a heading than a button.
For me, the lack of proper integration with Apple Health is a pain. Having incorrect information is really a no go for me so this needs to be fixed more than any new feature.
Conclusion:
I love Actifit despite its flaws. It's a quick and simple way for me to post to HIVE about my day without having to do much work.
There is still a lot of work to make this a nicer app to use but it's getting better.
I just wish they would read Apple's UI guidelines. It'll make for a cleaner app both on iOS and Android.
Post previously appeared on HIVE.
As part of a greater distribution plan of my posts, I am reposting existing posts from my HIVE account. My original article can be found here:
https://ecency.com/fitness/@thelowededwookie/actifit-close-but-no-cigar