Is there a step counter that needs no account?
Short answer: Yes. PrivateSteps needs no account, no email address and no password. You install it, allow the step sensor, and it starts counting. Because everything is stored only on your phone, the app has nothing to sign you in to and no profile to build.
Why most apps ask you to sign up
An account lets an app keep your data on its own servers, show it on several devices and send you messages. That is useful for some people. It also means your name, email and daily habits sit in a database you do not control.
If all you want is a number of steps, an account is extra weight.
We took the other road. PrivateSteps keeps a single copy of your history, on your phone, and you are the only person who can open it.
That also means there is no password to forget and no reset email to wait for.
What setup looks like without one
- Install PrivateSteps.
- Allow it to use the phone's step sensor.
- Walk. Your count appears.
Optional extras, such as your height for a distance estimate or a daily goal, are typed in on the phone and stay there.
There is no welcome tour to sit through and no offer to upgrade before you start. If you would like to look around, the help page explains each screen.
What you can still do
- See Day, Week, Month and Year reports, with arrows back through your history
- Set daily, weekly or monthly goals, all optional
- Track a walk with GPS distance measured on the phone, nothing uploaded
- Add a home screen widget
- Export your data as CSV whenever you like
The trade-off
With no account there is no automatic sign-in on a new phone. We think that is a fair exchange. To move your history, export it and import it on the new phone. Importing merges the data and never double counts.
For the wider picture, see what makes a step counter private.
Keep your steps on your phone
Free to start. See the store listing for current pricing.
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Questions
Do I need an email address to use PrivateSteps?
No. The app never asks for one, and it has no sign-up screen at all.
What happens if I lose my phone with no account?
Without an account there is no online copy. Exporting a CSV file now and then, to a place you choose, gives you your own backup.
Is it free?
It is free to start. See the store listing for current pricing.
PrivateSteps records and draws your own numbers. It does not diagnose, interpret or give medical advice. Talk to your own doctor or care team about your health.