A free step counter app different from the others. Yes, I know, there are thousands of apps that act as pedometers. Often finding the differences between the offers on the Play Store is a difficult task. The one I propose tries to differentiate itself in some way, you can download it immediately by clicking on the link below or learn more by continuing reading.

The phone’s sensors

Nowadays, all smartphones are equipped with an increasingly large number of sensors, among which we find:

• Accelerometer – Measures acceleration (including gravitational) along the three axes. It is used to detect the inclination of the phone.
• Gyroscope – Detects movements of the smartphone along the three axes.
• Magnetometer – Measures the intensity of the magnetic field, including the Earth’s magnetic field, and can be used as a compass.
• Proximity sensor – Through an infrared emitter and receiver, it detects the presence of objects near the smartphone’s display, such as your ear during a call. Useful for disabling the touch screen while the phone is close to your ear.
• Light sensor – Measures the light intensity of the surroundings. This information can be used to adjust the display brightness accordingly.
• Thermometer – Useful for monitoring the internal temperature of the phone and preventing dangerous overheating.
• Pedometer – Measures steps.
• Fingerprint sensor – Useful for logging in or unlocking the phone with a fingerprint.

You can see that the pedometer sensor is now included as standard on almost all phones. Counting steps simply means reading the value of this counter, that’s all… or almost.

How the step counter works

For those who want to delve deeper, there are several interesting articles that explain the basic algorithms of pedometers; I’ll link a couple for you. :

Step Detection Algorithm For Accurate Distance Estimation

Algorithm Design for Accurate Steps Counting

For almost everyone, the basic concept is to measure acceleration peaks along the three axes, with each peak corresponding to a step. Appropriate filtering will then allow the elimination of “‘”noise”.

The added value for a free pedometer app

The added value for a free pedometer app

I tried to add value to the pedometer, aiming for more than simply displaying the counter value. The landscape of apps on this topic is extremely vast, with some providing an impressive amount of data. I thought that consolidating all the data into a single screen, without too many details and with essential information, could be a good thing. I also tried to include information that other apps typically do not display, such as altitude, speed, and address, while omitting what I personally consider less useful. Of course, the choice is subjective, as shown in the next paragraph on the display.

The data provided by the pedometer app

The data provided by the pedometer app are :

STEP COUNT: The top box displays the partial step count, which can be reset using the Reset button (you need to hold it down for at least one second). The 7 circles below the counter represent the number of steps for each day of the week and cannot be reset, thus reflecting the actual number of steps per day. The circle completes when reaching 10,000 steps.

DISTANCE: The red box measures the distance traveled. This is also a partial counter and can be reset using the Reset button. GPS signal is used for measurement, so a good signal (outdoors) is necessary; otherwise, the measurement will not be executed.

SPEED: Measured in Km/h.

ALTITUDE: Altitude of your location relative to sea level. The value is obtained from georeferenced global maps that provide altitude for any terrestrial coordinate. The data is extremely accurate.

ADDRESS: The address of your current location. It utilizes specific Google functions available from Android 10 onwards. Therefore, if your phone is particularly dated, the address may not be available.

Walks, hikes, running, or biking, including Nordic walking, are the most typical situations where this app can be useful.

That’s it. The free step counter app is called NDEMO10K, and you can find it on the Play Store.

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