WeWard launches Walking Mode to lock apps until step goals are met

WeWard has started locking users out of their most-used social, gaming and streaming apps until they hit a step goal they set themselves. The new Walking Mode launched July 8, 2026, and lets users choose targets such as 3,000, 5,000 or 7,000 steps before selected apps grey out and reopen.

WeWard, founded in 2019 by Yves Benchimol, says its app already increases walking by about 24% to 25% on average and has 20 million users worldwide. Its homepage says it has 30 million walkers across 29 countries, transferred $50 million to users, donated $1.5 million to charities and helped avert 750,000 tons of CO2.

Walking Mode trades access to attention-hungry apps for movement. The company says the lockout is meant to curb mindless phone use by tying app access to walking. Users who can reliably reach a few thousand steps in a day get their apps back; anyone with limited mobility, an injury, a long sedentary shift or a less predictable schedule is more likely to run into a lock they cannot easily open.

WeWard has described the app as one that pays users in cash, gift cards and charity donations. Apple’s App Store says users can track steps, earn rewards and join more than 20 million WeWarders, while Google Play listings point to more than 10 million downloads. The app can be paired with Apple Health on iPhone and Apple Watch and with Google Fit on Android and Wear OS.

In February 2025, Venus Williams joined WeWard as both investor and ambassador, and the company said it would donate $25,000 to CARE, with the total rising to $40,000 if a month-long in-app challenge was met.