Why I built Heartio

An Afib diagnosis, a habit of guessing, and a question that wouldn’t leave.

A few years ago, I was diagnosed with Afib. One of the first things that changed after that was my relationship with my heart rate.

Before then, my heart rate was just a number I saw after a workout. Afterward, it became something I checked constantly.

My Apple Watch helped me recognize what was happening early the first time, and from that point on I found myself opening the heart rate app over and over throughout the day.

But eventually, something strange happened.

Before I checked the number, I started guessing it.

I would pause for a second and ask myself: what do I think my BPM is right now? Then I would wait for the watch to update. When I was right, especially exactly right, it felt weirdly satisfying.

Over time I got better at it. I started noticing the patterns: how sleep changed it, how exercise changed it, how a night out, stress, caffeine, or just the shape of a day showed up in my body.

What began as anxiety slowly turned into curiosity.

I realized I was not just checking a number anymore. I was learning to understand a signal I had mostly ignored my entire life.

That question stuck with me:

How well do you actually know your own heart?

Heartio came from that question.

It is a simple Apple Watch game: guess your heart rate before it is revealed, score points based on how close you are, build streaks, complete your Daily Heartio, and get better at sensing what your body is doing.

I built Heartio because I wanted to turn something that had become personal and sometimes stressful into something more playful, repeatable, and rewarding. Not a medical device. Not a diagnosis tool. Just a small daily practice for heart-rate awareness.

My hope is that Heartio helps people pay a little more attention to their bodies in a way that feels fun instead of clinical. Maybe you will notice how sleep affects you. Maybe you will see how your heart responds after a workout, before a workout, or during a stressful day. Maybe you will just get the tiny thrill of guessing your BPM exactly right.

That feeling is what started all of this.

Heartio is launching soon, and I am excited to finally share the game I have been thinking about for almost two years.

Heartio is a 30-second daily practice that helps you get better at sensing your own heart rate, then turns it into a game you will want to come back to.

or search Heartio on the App Store