Gentler Streak adds support for non-recorded steps and effort ratings sync

Gentler Streak, my favorite health and fitness app ever, is rolling out version 5.5 this week with two long-standing requests: support for non-recorded steps, and the ability to sync Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE) from Apple’s Workouts app. Here’s what that means.

One of the app’s most requested features is finally here. Gentler Streak now pulls your everyday step data from Apple Health, and uses that to inform your Activity Path. This is especially helpful for people with chronic conditions or jobs/lifestyles that involve a lot of untracked walking.

In line with the app’s concept of meeting you where you are the new feature doesn’t present step count as a goal to chase, but it’s trademark soft visualization that helps you better understand how walking fits into your overall fitness instead.

Here’s Katarina Lotrič, CEO and co-founder on the new feature:

“Step count can easily turn into just another metric to chase – and that’s exactly the kind of pressure we’re working to avoid. To integrate steps in a way that truly fits Gentler Streak, we had to rethink both how they influence guidance and how they’re visualized. A ring might’ve seemed like a natural UI choice, but rings tend to create a subconscious need to complete them, which clashes with our core principle: adapting to where the user is, not the other way around. This solution is meant to reflect what is – not to drive behaviour, but to support better understanding of it.”

Here’s what’s included:

If you use Apple’s built-in Workouts app and rate your effort after an activity, Gentler Streak can now import that RPE data and apply it to your Activity Path. Previously, only RPE logged inside Gentler Streak itself would count.

The result is more accurate guidance, assuming you’re familiar with how to use RPE effectively. If you’re new to it, Gentler recommends starting with the Gentler Streak 101 guide inside the app.

Gentler Streak version 5.5 is available now on the App Store, and I can’t recommend it enough.

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Marcus Mendes is a Brazilian tech podcaster and journalist who has been closely following Apple since the mid-2000s.

He began covering Apple news in Brazilian media in 2012 and later broadened his focus to the wider tech industry, hosting a daily podcast for seven years.