Step-by-step: Your Guide to Sweatcoin and Step Counter Apps

It is said that at least 2 million deaths per year can be attributed to physical inactivity, and the World Health Organisation have warned that a sedentary lifestyle may be one of the top ten leading causes of death and disability worldwide. These facts are pretty sobering to hear, but what can we do to counteract our sedentary habits and obligations? Take the average office worker for example, how can they ensure they are moving as much as they should be? It is recommended that we take at least 10,000 steps per day as a general rule, but how do we make sure we are hitting this level of activity? Selectra investigates the occurrence of mobile step counter apps as well as delving into everything about the latest craze taking the mobile app world by storm - Sweatcoin. Read on to find out what you need to know.

Step Counter Apps

Counting steps. It seems almost ridiculous to count something that comes so naturally to most of us, but ever since humans transitioned from nomadic and hunter gatherer type lifestyles into farming and surplus societies, we have become more and more sedentary. This less active lifestyle among large portions of the population has lead to health concerns in most if not all parts of the globe.

The health benefits of walking are certainly not new to us. Hippocrates once said that “walking is man’s best medicine” and it’s no secret that walking has long been associated with preventing heart disease, strokes, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.

There are a multitude of different ways to check your step count on your mobile phone, in fact, many phones have this feature built into them.

Sweatcoin: What is it?

So what is the reasoning behind the app? Well, the app wants to help foster the kind of behaviour change that, over time, influences the lives of individuals and public health in general. It works by exchanging your steps for points or Sweatcoins.

When you amass steps in your Sweatcoin app you earn Sweatcoins. Sweatcoin isn’t a traditional currency but rather a form of digital currency that you can use in an online marketplace. To earn one sweatcoin, you need to take around 1000 steps (which you should already be doing on your daily commute and coffee run for example) although this can vary.

It’s worth noting that your inside steps will not be counted by Sweatcoin, only the steps you take outside count. So, yes you do need to leave the house, sorry. The good news is that when you leave the house to head to work or to walk the dog, those steps count. Sweatcoin claims to help users become more than 20% more active each day, even after a period of 6 months.

The cryptocurrency that you earn as you increase your activity levels derives its value from a large array of different partnerships. There are actually insurers wishing to encourage healthier lifestyle choices and governments looking to reduce healthcare costs involved with the app as well as brands. Most of the brands involved were once health orientated fitness type brands only, but now there is a bit more variation available. If walking is enough fitness orientated activity for you then don’t worry, there are now also now holiday vouchers, restaurants discounts, or tech like an iPhone XS if you earn over 20,000 sweatcoins! Premium subscription will allow you to earn more Sweatcoins but you can only upgrade using Sweatcoins.

You won’t only have the option of treating yourself to something nice with your points, you’ll also be able to give back. There are many different charity or crowdfunding options available to choose from with Sweatcoin, including supporting the education of disadvantaged children in Colombia, or providing strollers for refugee children in Greece, or you can donate feminine hygiene kits to refugee women and girls. It’s worth noting that these organisations get Sweatcoins rather than cold hard cash, so be careful to read the fine print if you have reservations about that. Being able to back important causes as well as taking care of your health by getting more active seems like a pretty great deal.

Sweatcoin vs LifecoinThere is another app on the market called Lifecoin, which, essentially, has the same premise as Sweatcoin. Lifecoin tracks your steps outside and you get paid in Lifecoins a form of cyber currency. One main difference between the two apps is that premium subscriptions can be purchased with your own money on Lifecoin (Sweatcoin only allows upgrades using Sweatcoin itself). The main point of difference between Lifecoin and Sweatcoin is that the deals of offer will differ depending on which app you’re using and perhaps even which country you are in.

Does Sweatcoin give you real money?

The monetary value of one Sweatcoin varies, depending on which offer your are using it for. One offer may give you the equivalent of $0.50, but another offer could give you only $0.05 per Sweatcoin for instance. Because of the variation in value we recommend shopping around for the best deal to get the most out of your Sweatcoins.

Does running earn you more than walking?So if you jog through the park every morning rather than walk, do you earn more Sweatcoins? Despite their name, Sweatcoin doesn’t require you to actually sweat to earn coin. Your steps are your steps, regardless of at what pace you do them. That being said, integrating more workouts into your weekly routine will most likely be of benefit to you, despite not earning you extra Sweatcoins.

Is Sweatcoin safe to use?

The short answer is yes. Sweatcoin collects anonymous data from you as it operates. It’s a pretty simple exchange of information for points and you will need to allow access to your phone’s step counter and GPS as the app needs these to track your steps outdoors.

You will need to provide the app with some information during the signup process, like your phone number and email address. If you don’t want to share these then you will be coming up against some difficulty as you must have a registered Sweatcoin account. You don’t really need to provide anything else of value however, as thanks to the Sweatcoins themselves there is no credit or debit card registration needed to shop, rather you just cash in what you’ve earned.

Sweatcoin: Selectra Review

So let’s discuss the cons of Sweatcoin. If you’re spending time at the gym, with your phone in your pocket, it kind of sucks that indoor steps don’t count. Especially given that certain climates don’t always allow for extended periods of time outdoors. Other than that potentially temporary downside, we can’t really fault the app other than to say that location services do tend to eat up your phones battery a fair bit.

On the plus side, Sweatcoin can be considered a healthy app, as opposed to say Social Media apps that eat up a lot of our time and can contribute to negative mental health outcomes. And although you are being marketed products (or discounts on them) there are ethical or health focused options to choose from. Most of us could stand to be a little more active in our daily lives, and Sweatcoin can help with that.

Sweatcoin stated that they are the fastest growing health app in the world and they have ranked number 1 in the apps store in several countries across the globe. Through the strength of their overall concept, positive intent, partnerships and maybe even word of mouth reviews, Sweatcoin have managed to fill a particular niche effectively.

Sweatcoin customer reviews

Now that you’ve heard all about the app, let’s take a look at what users have to say about their experience with Sweatcoin. Over 100,000 people have rated Sweatcoin on Google Play and the app received a 4 out of 5 star rating. On the App store over 100,000 reviews average out to a 4.5 out of 5 star rating. On popular review site Trustpilot, Sweatcoin even received a whopping 5 out of 5 star rating, which is pretty darn impressive. These star ratings offer an insight into what app users truly think of the app and they make Sweatcoin look like a pretty great download.

How do you get Sweatcoin

If you’re sold on the virtues of this healthy app, then all you need to do is follow the easy steps below. Happy walking!

1. Head to the App Store or Google Play to securely download the app.
2. Once the app has downloaded, you can sign up for an account using your phone number and email address. ( Ask your friends if they have a referral sign up code for you as you could earn them points).
3. Verify your information.
4. Get walking (and earning)!
5. If at some stage you want to upgrade your Membership Tier, you can only do so using Sweatcoins.