Forget about streaks; this free iOS app connects your workouts to the survival of a city.

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      LightsOn combines workout tracking with city-building elements, and your virtual city thrives only if you keep active.

      Ever wished your workout experience involved higher stakes than merely closing a ring? A new iOS application named LightsOn connects your daily physical activity to the sustainability of a virtual city that remains illuminated only while you remain active.

      Your activity fuels the city's lights

      Upon setting up the app, you will be assigned a city with a small population, resulting in low initial energy demands. A brief stroll is sufficient to meet the daily energy needs, but as your city expands and more residents arrive, you will need to exert more effort to keep it thriving. If you fail to meet the energy requirements for a prolonged period, the city will go dark, leading to residents relocating.

      In addition to this main gameplay feature, you can modify tax rates for the residents to gather credits, which can be utilized for enhancing infrastructure. Any surplus energy you produce can also be allocated for additional perks, such as a fireworks show, which helps maintain resident satisfaction.

      A personal initiative now available for free

      In a recent post on Reddit, the developer of LightsOn mentioned they designed the app to help themselves stay accountable with their workouts and later decided to offer it to other users. The app is free, includes no advertisements or in-app purchases, allowing you to try it without any obligations. As the developer states, LightsOn has no online feature, ensuring that all activities remain on the device. All processing occurs locally, and there’s no need for a signup to begin creating a city.

      Most health and fitness applications on the market depend on streaks, badges, or straightforward daily goals to keep users engaged. Although LightsOn is not the first app to gamify physical activity in this manner, it offers a unique twist. An older Android fitness app called Walkr employs a similar concept, enabling users to power a virtual spaceship through their steps. However, LightsOn introduces more depth with its city mechanics, including taxes, infrastructure, and a population that can grow or decrease, providing users with a compelling reason to maintain consistency.