# Turnstep: Earn Screen Time — Walk, Climb, Swim. Unlock Apps

> Walk, Climb, Swim. Unlock Apps (iPhone/iPad app by Anandkumar Patil.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turnstep-earn-screen-time/id6797861173 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Anandkumar Patil](https://appshunter.io/developer/1882427446)
- Category: Health & Fitness, Productivity
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 17 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2026-08-23
- Data updated: 2026-09-14
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/turnstep-earn-screen-time/id6797861173/reviews.md

## What is Turnstep?

200 steps = 1 minute on the apps that eat your evening. When those minutes run out, the apps go quiet until you move again. That's the whole app.

Turnstep reads the steps, stairs, workouts and swims you already do, straight from Apple Health. No camera, no reps to film, nothing to log.

The algorithm on the other end is a professional. You needed a teammate.

HOW IT WORKS
1. Pick the apps that deserve a speed bump.
2. Walk, climb, work out, swim. Apple Health does the counting.
3. Spend what you earned. At zero, those apps are shielded until you move.

A 12-minute walk ≈ 15 more minutes. The fastest refill is right outside.

FOUR WAYS TO EARN — ALL AUTOMATIC
• Steps — 200 steps = 1 minute (adjustable: 100, 150, 200, 300, 400, 500)
• Flights climbed — 1 flight = 25 steps, read by the iPhone barometer
• Exercise minutes — 1 minute = 1 minute (requires Apple Watch)
• Swim distance — 25 m = 1 minute (requires Apple Watch)

Steps and stairs need only your iPhone. All four sources are free.

EARNED MEANS EARNED
• Hand-typed Health entries are rejected. Sensors only.
• Steps are capped at 210 per minute — shaking the phone gets you nowhere.
• Steps and exercise minutes are de-duplicated hourly: one run, one payout.
• Multiple Health sources are merged by Apple, never counted twice.

ALSO INSIDE
• Daily step goal, 4,000–15,000 (default 8,000). Hit it and bank a +15 min Emergency Reserve — one at a time, spendable from the shield screen when you're stuck.
• Your first 7 days include 15 free minutes a day while you find your rhythm.
• Streaks for any day you earn 10+ minutes, plus streak freezes for when life wins.
• 4 themes — one to start, three unlocked by streaks — reskin ring and widgets.
• Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets: balance, today's steps, streak.
• Turning the shield off takes a breathing screen and a 30-second press-and-hold. Never one tap.
• Health off → Preview Mode. Screen Time off → Bank Mode. Never a dead end.
• Local notifications only, including a warning 5 minutes before you run out.

PRIVACY, PRECISELY
No account. No sign-up. No email.
Your movement, Health data and app choices never leave your iPhone.
No analytics SDK, no crash reporter, no ad SDK, no tracking, no data brokers.
Apple's Screen Time framework hands apps nothing but opaque tokens, so Turnstep cannot see which apps you picked, what you do in them, or your usage history. It shows a number: "6 apps." That is the entire picture we get.
One honest exception: subscriptions are validated through Apple's StoreKit and RevenueCat (anonymous mode), which sees purchase and entitlement data only — never movement, Health or app choices.

SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED
Turnstep Pro — $4.99/month or $24.99/year, with a 3-day free trial on the annual plan for first-time subscribers. The subscription is what runs the shield, so blocking apps needs an active plan. It includes everything:
• All four earning sources — steps, stairs, workouts, swims
• Unlimited blocked apps, at a rate you set
• Every widget, every theme, the Emergency Reserve, streaks and share cards
• Live Activity + Dynamic Island, and the Apple Watch app
Cancel any time in Settings. You can walk the whole app and see your own numbers before you decide.


SUBSCRIPTION TERMS
Turnstep Pro is an auto-renewing subscription: $4.99 per month, or $24.99 per year. The annual plan includes a 3-day free trial for Apple Accounts that have not used the offer before. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at purchase confirmation. It renews at the same price and duration unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the current period ends; renewal is charged within 24 hours before that point. Manage or cancel in Settings > [your name] > Subscriptions. Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited when a subscription is purchased. Prices in USD; may vary by region.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://turnstep.apphive.tech/privacy

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**Subscriptions**

| Subscription | Price | Period |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Turnstep Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Turnstep Pro Yearly | $24.99 | per year |



## Version history (last 2 releases)

### 1.0.1 — 2026-08-28

Version 1.0.1 — a fix on top of the first release.

Your blocked list now stays put while the shield is armed. Adding apps is still one tap; taking one off asks for the same 30-second press-and-hold as turning the shield off — so a moment of temptation can't quietly undo a decision you already made.

Everything 1.0.0 launched with is still here:
• Four earning sources, read automatically from Apple Health — no logging, no camera
• Adjustable rate, unlimited blocked apps, daily step goal with a +15 min Emergency Reserve
• Streaks, streak freezes, 4 themes, Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets, share cards
• Live Activity, Dynamic Island and the Apple Watch app for Pro
• No account, no analytics, no tracking. Your movement and app choices stay on your iPhone

Found something odd, or a number that felt unfair? Tell us — we read everything.

### 1.0.0 — 2026-08-24

No release notes.

## Apps similar to Turnstep

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [1MBHealthy](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1mbhealthy/id6754979861) | — | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Walk to Unlock: App Blocker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/walk-to-unlock-app-blocker/id6743841470) | — | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Fightie WOD - Workouts & Timer](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fightie-wod-workouts-and-timer/id6746439026) | — | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Walk To Scroll: App Blocker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/walk-to-scroll-app-blocker/id6757981144) | — | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Stepsy - Walk to Unlock](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stepsy-walk-to-unlock/id6760950247) | 4.6 (14) | Free | Health & Fitness |
| [Women Workout at Home: FitFem](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/women-workout-at-home-fitfem/id6746369462) | 4.9 (39) | Free | Health & Fitness |

## More apps by Anandkumar Patil

- [Lampstand: Christian AI Bible](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lampstand-christian-ai-bible/id6760036886)
- [Coif: 1 Free AI Hairstyle](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/coif-1-free-ai-hairstyle/id6762355772)

All apps by Anandkumar Patil: https://appshunter.io/developer/1882427446

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*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 2026-09-14.*