# Needs Bars — Has it been too long? > Visual cue app for regular habit reminders, like a video game hunger bar. (iPhone/iPad app by Fergal Armstrong.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needs-bars/id1615760627 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Fergal Armstrong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1615760629) - Category: Health & Fitness, Lifestyle - Price: Free - Rating: 4.00/5 from 1 App Store ratings · 1 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.4 · 1 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2022-03-25 - Data updated: 2026-06-04 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needs-bars/id1615760627/reviews.md ## What is Needs Bars? Are there things you need to remember to do regularly, that don’t make sense in a to-do list or as calendar events? Needs Bars can give you a visual cue for when you have gone too long without doing something. Needs Bars is useful for things which you know are important, but don’t have a way of feeling it until it’s too late. It’s like the hunger bar in video games, but for anything you like. I know for this developer, todos and reminders don’t work because you miss the notification or they pile up. Some things don’t need to be done at an exact time, you just need to do them fairly regularly. Needs Bars can be helpful for different people in different ways. Some things that others take for granted and can just feel, are things that you would benefit having an external reminder for. For example, maybe you become very focused and would like something that reminds you to eat. The same concept can apply to short and long periods of time. Other examples include: • Staying in touch with family and friends • Self-care like reading, face masks, playing games • Musical instrument practice • Taking a vacation from work • Trying a new recipe At the moment, Needs Bars is a free and basic proof of concept. It already includes: • Syncing between devices • Dark mode • Home screen and lock screen widgets so you can always see your bars If Needs Bars is popular enough I will add paid subscription features to support development: • Custom bar colors • Color changing as the bar gets low • More than 6 bars • Apple Watch app • Slider for editing bar fullness • IFTTT integration for depleting and filling bars • Quick actions from bars like contacts or opening Books app • Completely customizable theming with any art you like, think early Tumblr and MySpace ## Key features - Visual cue for regular tasks - Syncing between devices - Dark mode - Home and lock screen widgets - Customizable reminders for self-care ## Recent user reviews (1 of 1) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/needs-bars/id1615760627/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Seems promising *2023-10-02* This is a great idea and almost exactly what I was looking for. There are a couple features I wish were added. One, I wish the widget bars were labeled. That would make them much more helpful at a glance. Two, I wish I could set the bars to start from a given time. For instance, if I need to eat every four hours I may not need to eat every four hours *starting right now*. So it would be helpful to adjust the start time or time remaining on a given countdown. Even so, I really like the idea behind this app. I hope the dev keeps working on it. :) ## Frequently asked questions about Needs Bars ### What is Needs Bars? Needs Bars is a free app that provides a visual cue for activities you need to do regularly. It functions like a 'hunger bar' from video games, reminding you when too much time has passed without completing a task. ### What kind of habits can Needs Bars track? Needs Bars is useful for a wide range of habits that don't fit into traditional calendars or to-do lists. Examples include staying in touch with loved ones, practicing a musical instrument, taking breaks, or engaging in self-care activities like reading or playing games. ### Does Needs Bars have ads? No, Needs Bars does not contain advertisements. It is a free app with no ads, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience. ### What devices does Needs Bars support? Needs Bars is available on iPhone and iPad devices. It is designed to work seamlessly across these Apple platforms. ### How often is Needs Bars updated? The latest version of Needs Bars is 1.2.1, which was last updated on June 2, 2025. This indicates regular maintenance and potential feature additions. ### What are the potential future paid features for Needs Bars? Future paid features may include custom bar colors, color changes as bars deplete, more than six bars, an Apple Watch app, a slider for editing bar fullness, IFTTT integration, quick actions from bars, and customizable theming. ### What is the age rating for Needs Bars? Needs Bars has an age rating of 4+. This means it is suitable for children and adults, with no mature content. ### What is the user sentiment for Needs Bars? Needs Bars has a rating of 4.0 stars from 1 rating. This suggests a positive initial reception from its users. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.2.1 — 2025-06-02 More reliable syncing, fixed widget appearance on newer iOS versions, clearer bar editing, and other little improvements. The background for the home screen widget now fills in properly on iOS 18. The widget can now take on your home screen tint color too. When a bar is very low, it now fits into its container neatly. It looked a bit squished before. You can now see the bar itself on the bar details screen, so when you press the fill button you can see it filling back up. When you edit a bar duration, it no longer fills it at the same time. It was like this to keep the calculations simple, but now when you edit a bar the progress will be based on the last time you filled it still. If you make a bar shorter than the last time you filled it, it will adjust the last fill time so the progress won't go over 100%. You could use this to adjust the progress of a bar exactly. Set the duration to how full you want it to be, fill the bar, then set duration longer again and the progress will be part way. It's not the same as a proper slider, but it could be helpful for those who really need it. The notes text box is now adjusted to the right size based on the amount of text when you first look at the bar details. Tapping outside of the notes text dismisses the keyboard and saves the changes now, before you had to edit something else or go back to the list. There is a secret screen with information about syncing so I can ask people for debugging information when there are sync problems that don't affect me. Maybe you can find it! With these changes, everything has been tested with iOS 16 and above only, and no longer iOS 15. ### 1.2.0 — 2022-12-28 Now includes a lock screen widget. ### 1.1.4 — 2022-12-27 More helper text for new users. ### 1.1.3 — 2022-12-24 Bars are now sorted in the same order in the app and widget, no matter when they were last filled. ### 1.1.2 — 2022-12-19 Cross device syncing and widget updates are now faster and more reliable. ## Apps similar to Needs Bars | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Pace of Mind](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pace-of-mind/id6742357077) | — | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Forma Max](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forma-max/id6474017098) | 5.0 (3) | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Journal with Clairity](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/journal-with-clairity/id6477759937) | — | Free | Health & Fitness | | [SuperDuckling - Workout Game](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/superduckling-workout-game/id6444522186) | — | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Anchor – Panic Attack Relief](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/anchor-panic-attack-relief/id6743875098) | — | Free | Health & Fitness | | [Beam Class Creator](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/beam-class-creator/id6743327194) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Health & Fitness | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-04.*