Venus Williams isn't content with just dominating the tennis court. According to TechCrunch, the tennis legend's angel-backed app WeWard is launching a feature that locks your favorite apps until you hit your step goal.
Here's how it works: want to scroll TikTok? Walk 3,000 steps first. Instagram can wait until you've hit your daily quota. The feature, called Walking Mode, lets users customize which apps get locked and what step count unlocks them.
WeWard has already demonstrated it can get people to move. According to TechCrunch, the platform reports a 25% increase in walking time for its users and boasts 30 million downloads across 29 countries, including 4 million in the U.S.
The timing matters. Silicon Valley faces mounting criticism for designing apps as attention traps. Brands like Apple and Samsung have rolled out screen-time trackers, but those are passive. WeWard's approach is different: it makes your phone unusable for scrolling until you've earned leisure time. WeWard co-founder Yves Benchimol told TechCrunch the next generation of apps should "create healthier behaviors in the real world, not simply capture more attention."
The business model also differs from competitors. Unlike sketchy rewards apps that monetize by selling user data, WeWard makes money through in-app purchases, affiliate marketing, and subscriptions. Users are customers, not product being harvested.
Expect copycats and legal pushback from Meta and TikTok. For people drowning in screen time guilt, WeWard has given them a concrete tool. Venus backed a fitness app. She backed a different approach to how apps engage users.
