With no subscription fees and a stylish design, the upcoming Luna Band is shaping up to be a serious contender against the Fitbit Air and other screenless fitness trackers like the Whoop Strap 5.0. Now the brand has shown off a key feature that could separate it from the competition – user-generated micro apps – while providing an update on pre-order and release dates.
This announcement is part of the overall reveal for LifeOS, the platform that Luna Band will be centred around. While the company explains that it will develop its own micro apps that will serve as the bedrock for the LifeOS ecosystem, users will have the ability to make their own apps that will then feed into the overall dashboard of data collected via the Luna Band.
At present, the Fitbit Air uses a fairly closed ecosystem within the new Google Health app, with the emphasis being on conversing with the AI-powered Health Coach to develop a tailor-made workout plan. It’s a great system, but it lacks the community aspect that user-developed apps could bring to the table.
With 100,000 people on the waitlist, the Luna Band is set to be a key Fitbit Air alternative. The firm has also announced the official pre-order date will be 4 July, ahead of the 31 July release date for the first drop of stock.
Thomas Deehan / Foundry
What are micro apps?
On the surface, it’s a similar concept to what already exists with the Garmin Connect IQ Store, wherein a plethora of user-generated apps and watch faces can be downloaded to build a more custom-made watch experience.
Circling back to the Luna Band, all of this sits alongside an effort to centralise health tracking data into a single app, saving users from having to jump between multiple bits of software just to build an overall understanding of their bill of health.
Detailing the announcement, Luna founder Amit Khratri explained: “For decades, real health intelligence has been locked behind two doors: expensive specialists and gated software. LifeOS opens both.”
“A full library of health micro-apps on the wrist today, and the tools for anyone to build their own on the same foundation that powers ours. The same body signals, the same context, the same blood markers. We are not handing people another dashboard to interpret. We are handing them the platform underneath it, and the keys to extend it.”
Luna
We don’t yet know exactly what kind of tools or guidance might be offered to those who would like to create micro apps for LifeOS, but there’s plenty of potential here for building a following of users who are committed to expanding the ecosystem to suit their needs.
While not a strategy on software, Google did recently publish the official blueprints for the Fitbit Air to encourage consumers and third parties to build their own custom bands for the device. As more fitness trackers (like the upcoming Garmin Cirqa) come to market, this push towards customisation could be the new battleground to stand out from the competition.