App Showcase: HeartBeet

What it does

HeartBeet is a mobile health app designed to help users monitor key cardiovascular metrics. Its primary function is measuring heart rate using the phone's camera and flashlight. The app also serves as a manual logger for other important data points, including blood pressure, blood oxygen, and medication intake, presenting the information in historical charts and dashboards.

Where it shines

HeartBeet excels at turning a smartphone into a seemingly powerful health device. The heart rate measurement process (00:23 - 00:49) is the app's signature moment, providing clear instructions and engaging visual feedback as it measures. The app also does a good job of contextualizing data. For instance, it provides interactive tutorials (03:19) to help users understand complex graphs like the PPG signal, empowering them to make sense of their own health data.

UX highlights

• Gamified Scores: The dashboard prominently features a "Heart Score" (00:57), turning health tracking into a simple, motivating number that users can aim to improve.
• Clear Upgrade Paths: Premium features like "Heart Age" are shown on the main screen but are visually locked (01:02). This makes the value of upgrading constantly visible without being overly intrusive.
• Contextual Education: The app provides small, informative blurbs during the measurement process (00:32) and detailed articles on conditions like Atrial Fibrillation (03:30), adding educational value.
• Comprehensive Medication Tracking: The medication logger (03:51) is quite detailed, allowing users to specify type, strength, and custom schedules, moving beyond a simple reminder function.

Monetization & growth

The app employs a freemium model with several paywall triggers. A soft paywall appears early in the onboarding (00:18), but the more powerful triggers appear after a user gets a result. After measuring a heart rate of 85 BPM, the app shows the result and then immediately presents a paywall (00:58) to unlock a detailed analysis. Additional paywalls are triggered when tapping on locked features throughout the app (01:24). The app offers yearly, monthly, and weekly subscription plans with no free trial mentioned.

Who it’s for

This app appears to be for individuals who want a convenient, low-barrier way to track key heart health indicators without dedicated medical devices. It likely targets users who are proactive about their health, those with known conditions like hypertension, or family members caring for elderly relatives. The medication tracking feature also makes it useful for anyone managing a daily pill regimen.

Notes & opportunities

The app requests sensitive permissions like App Tracking and Notifications immediately upon first open (00:01), which can be jarring for new users. A pre-permission warm-up screen could explain the benefits and potentially increase opt-in rates. Additionally, while the core measurement feature is strong, the reliance on manual entry for blood pressure and oxygen could be a point of friction. Integrating with Apple Health or other data sources could streamline the experience for users who already own other health devices.