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Why ulives: the iOS successor to LifeUp

· 5 min read

We turned the idea of “bringing LifeUp to iOS” into a real, continuously evolving app: ulives. If you’re searching for “LifeUp iOS”, “LifeUp iOS version”, or a “LifeUp iOS alternative”, this post walks through why ulives exists, how it improves on LifeUp, and what we’ve shipped in the first three months.

ulives cover

Download on the App Store

Why ulives​

LifeUp’s Android-native stack delivered great performance and deep system integration, but made cross‑platform expansion hard. To offer a truly native iOS experience—without giving up long-term maintainability—we evaluated two routes:

  • Flutter recreation: fast and cross‑platform, but with trade‑offs on native feel and long-term architecture
  • Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) innovation line: share business logic across platforms, keep each platform’s UI truly native

We chose the second route and built ulives—the iOS successor to LifeUp. Think of ulives as “LifeUp for iOS, reimagined”.

Architecture highlights:

  • Native SwiftUI interface for first‑class iOS performance and ergonomics
  • Cross‑platform business logic with Kotlin Multiplatform for future expansion
  • Deep iOS integrations: Dynamic Island focus timer, custom app icons, iCloud backup/sync, early Shortcuts support

design preview 1

design preview 2

What’s improved vs LifeUp​

We didn’t want a 1:1 port. ulives takes the chance to rebuild long‑standing pain points.

1) Currency system: fixed → flexible​

In LifeUp, “coins” are pre‑defined, which limits naming and multi‑currency use. In ulives, we model “currency” as just a type of item:

  • Any item can be used to settle in‑app purchases (coins, points, energy, tokens…)
  • Free to edit name, icon, description—or delete
  • Choose which “currency item” to use at checkout

The result is true multi‑currency freedom with lower system complexity.

multi-currency

2) Unified activity timeline​

LifeUp spreads records across modules (coin logs, pomodoro history, inventory changes…). ulives ships an “Activity Timeline” that centralizes everything:

  • Completed tasks, item usage, rewards, focus sessions—organized on a single timeline
  • Filter by time and type; reviewing progress feels like scrolling a personal game log

activity timeline

3) Fewer hard limits, more customization​

ulives starts from “extreme configurability”:

  • More permissive attribute reward counts and per‑attribute EXP settings
  • Item effects can remove other items; punishment multipliers supported
  • Granular switches and parameters—less workaround complexity

customization

4) From instance clones to cycles + repeats​

The classic clone‑per‑repeat model is flexible but makes history and stats harder to reason about. ulives adopts “Task Cycles + Repeat Rules”:

  • Each task has a clear lifecycle with historical cycles visible
  • Per‑cycle status control (done/overdue/skipped/pending confirmation)
  • Natural repeat settings: every X days/weeks/months/years; end by count or date; custom start/end

task cycles

repeat rules

5) iOS‑native UX​

Dynamic Island for pomodoro, iCloud backup, Shortcuts exploration, smoother gestures, and custom app icons—ulives leans into the iOS ecosystem.

iOS native

dynamic island pomodoro

Three months of updates​

After the v1 launch in April, we received frank feedback—some called it a “bare‑bones room”: the frame was ready, but content needed filling. We moved quickly in our spare time and shipped three versions in three months:

  • 1.1.0 (2025‑05‑13): Focus suite—Pomodoro, countdown, stopwatch, focus tasks
  • 1.2.0 (2025‑06‑03): Loot box effects—more exciting rewards
  • 1.3.0 (2025‑07‑29): Stats dashboard, level model system, counter tasks

Huge thanks to everyone who emailed suggestions and bug reports—especially with repro videos and logs—which helped us quickly improve stability.

updates 1

updates 2

Quick comparison: Habitica / LifeRPG / LifeUp​

  • vs Habitica: Habitica centers on a shared RPG world and guild dynamics with fixed rules. ulives focuses on personal, offline‑first gamification with high customization, iCloud backup, and no social pressure.
  • vs LifeRPG: LifeRPG offers basic RPG elements, but ulives brings a flexible “currency‑as‑item” model, task cycles + repeats, a unified activity timeline, and modern iOS‑native UX.
  • vs LifeUp (Android): ulives is the iOS successor—often searched as “LifeUp iOS” or “LifeUp for iOS”—with reworked multi‑currency, cycles/repeats, timeline/stats, and Dynamic Island pomodoro.

What’s next​

  • Automatic achievements: unlock by behavior/time/attribute changes
  • Online asset library: official attributes/achievements/tasks for one‑click import
  • Multiple purchase channels and usage types for items
  • Deeper Shortcuts integration, iOS widgets
  • Selective AI‑powered features

We keep the plan updated—see our Roadmap.

Notes for LifeUp users​

  • ulives is a new app, currently offline‑first; membership is validated via App Store subscriptions. There’s no membership or data migration from LifeUp yet
  • Because of innovation and online capabilities, ulives’ premium pricing aligns more with modern productivity apps; most features are currently free to try
  • We may support lossy import from LifeUp later, after we complete ulives’ foundational capabilities

Try it now​

Search “ulives” on the App Store. If you loved LifeUp, you’ll likely recognize the same gamified spirit—updated for iOS.

Questions or ideas? Reach us via email inside the app. We read every message.

Download on the App Store