WeWard powered by Venus Williams can now lock your apps until you hit your stride

We are wardan app that offers users rewards for recording their steps, is launching a feature called “Walking Mode” that allows users to restrict their use of selected apps until they reach a certain number of steps. This feature is supposed to motivate people to walk while also helping them Reduce screen timeif that’s something they’re looking to do.

If the user wants it Move less On TikTok or Instagram While also making sure to make time to walk daily, they can restrict access to apps until they have walked 3,000 steps, for example. Step goals and locked apps are customizable.

Until now, WeWard has encouraged users to walk by giving them “Wards,” an in-app currency that can be exchanged for cash, gift cards, or donations. There’s also a leaderboard feature, so you can engage in some fun competition with your friends. But adding screen time-reducing features makes sense for the app, since many users are looking for new ways to limit unnecessary phone and social media use.

Funded by tennis star and angel investor Venus Williams, the France-based app says it has 30 million users in 29 countries, including 4 million users in the United States. The platform also says it has been shown to increase walking time by approximately 25%.

“We believe the next generation of products should be designed to create healthier behaviors in the real world, not just attract more attention,” Yves Benchimol, co-founder of WeWard, told TechCrunch. “Walking Mode is our contribution to this vision, and we hope it will inspire a broader conversation about conscious design and how the industry defines success.”

WeWard says users spend just a few minutes a day on the app, which it considers a positive statistic, since the app isn’t trying to monopolize attention.

While some rewards apps fund their payouts by collecting and Selling user data To third parties, WeWard says it does not engage in these practices. Instead, it makes money from in-app purchases, affiliate marketing, premium subscriptions, and advertising.