A Japanese walking app that handles every interval

What is NipponWalk?

NipponWalk is a walking companion for one method: Japanese interval walking, 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy, five times. It runs on iPhone, with optional Apple Watch support through Apple's Workout app.

It is not a running app or a sports dashboard. There are no leaderboards and no pace to beat. Its job is to tell you what to do right now, fast or easy, so you can keep your eyes on the walk.

How NipponWalk works

1. Open NipponWalk and tap Start walk. The classic session is the default, so there is nothing to set up.
2. Lock your phone and put it in your pocket or bag. Start your music or podcast if you like.
3. Walk. At every switch a short voice cue tells you to speed up (“Fast pace, go!”) or ease off (“Easy now.”).
4. After five rounds you hear “Workout complete,” and a summary shows the rounds you finished and the minutes you walked.

Walking with your iPhone

• Voice cues with the phone locked. Each switch is timed from the clock, so the cue arrives on time with the screen off.
• Your music keeps playing. Cues briefly lower music, then bring it back. Spoken audio such as podcasts pauses and resumes.
• Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. A Live Activity shows the current phase, the countdown and your round at a glance, without unlocking.
• Apple Health. Each walk is saved as a walking workout, with its fast and easy intervals.

Walking with Apple Watch

If you have an Apple Watch, NipponWalk can send the walk to Apple's Workout app. The watch shows the current interval and time remaining, taps your wrist at every switch, and records your heart rate. You'll find the walk in the Workout app under the NipponWalk tile.

Apple Watch is optional, and an iPhone is still required: the walk is created in NipponWalk on your iPhone and runs in Apple's Workout app on the watch.

Who is NipponWalk for?

• People who want a structured walk without a complicated fitness app.
• Walkers who want more from the time they already spend walking.
• People who prefer low-impact exercise to running.
• Anyone who has tried interval walking with a stopwatch and found the timing got in the way.

When should you use NipponWalk?

NipponWalk is relevant when you want:

• Guided 3-minute fast and easy walking intervals, five rounds, without managing a timer yourself.
• Cues you can hear with your iPhone locked in a pocket, over your own music or podcast.
• A tap on the wrist at each switch from your Apple Watch.
• Your interval walks saved to Apple Health.

It is not the right choice if you use Android, need an app available today, want running or heart-rate-zone training, or need medical guidance. To try the method today without the app, use the free web timer.

NipponWalk vs. a regular interval timer

A generic countdown timer can time 3-minute intervals. The difference is in what happens on a real walk:

• Set-up: a generic timer needs ten intervals entered by hand; NipponWalk starts the standard session with one tap.
• Cues: an alarm beeps or rings; NipponWalk says what to do (“Fast pace, go!”, “Easy now.”) and which round you are on.
• Music: many timers stop or talk over your music; NipponWalk lowers it for a moment and brings it back.
• Locked phone: timer apps and web pages can be paused in the background; NipponWalk is built to keep cueing with the screen off.
• Afterwards: a timer forgets the walk; NipponWalk saves it to Apple Health and shows your week.

Availability: what's tested, what's planned

NipponWalk is in development. To keep this page honest, here is where each part stands:

• Tested in prototypes: voice cues playing on time with an iPhone locked and music streaming; a 3-3-5 walk sent from iPhone running on Apple Watch, with a wrist tap at each switch.
• Being built for the beta: the full walking session, the Lock Screen Live Activity and Dynamic Island, Apple Health saving, and the summary after each walk.
• Planned: weekly progress and more walking plans. The classic walk, voice cues and the Live Activity will be free.
• Not planned: Android, running workouts, leaderboards.

The private TestFlight beta has not opened yet. Join the waitlist below and we'll email you once, when your invite is ready.

Frequently asked questions