Developer Christian Selig has released an updated version of his fun game Pixel Pals app It makes smart use of new iOS features like Live Activities, Dynamic Island, and Interactive Widgets on iOS 17. The app, which originally spun off a feature in the previous Reddit client Apollo, puts cute little virtual pets running on your device Dynamic Island for iPhone – the black bar on at the top of your iPhone’s screen.
Unfortunately, Selig had to shut down Apollo earlier this year after changes to Reddit’s API policies made it unsustainable as a business. But since then, he’s been working on a new version of Pixel Pals, version 2.0, which brings not only the full virtual pet experience, but a number of additions, including interactive widgets that let you play mini-games on your home screen, including Fully interactive PixelQuest, 2048, and eternal scrolling.
Other tools offer a fidget tool that you can rotate, a mechanical keyboard, and more.
These tools are basically little time wasters β something you can click on when you’re bored instead of mindlessly scrolling on Instagram or Facebook, for example. It’s unnecessary and doesn’t serve much purpose but that’s also what makes it fun. The developer was clearly having fun exploring the possibilities of what iOS 17’s interactive widgets can now do and wanted to see how far he could push their limits. As the end user, you can do the same by interacting with the tools.
In the original version of the Pixel Pals app, you can feed and play with your virtual pets, created in a nostalgic pixel art style, or even rename them. A dog and cat are included in the app for free, but to unlock other pets and new features, you’ll have to pay for a Pixel Pals Premium subscription ($1.99 per month or $14.99 per year).
And with the Pixel Pals 2.0 update, virtual pets are also turning into a social network of sorts, where users will be able to add friends to see Pixel Pals on the home screen of their iPhone or iPad and even participate in battles. Additionally, Pixel Pals can roam your lock screen as live activities β active widgets that appear when your phone is locked β or appear as widgets when the phone is on its side in the new iOS 17 standby mode.
As you interact with your friends and their love for you increases, they will be able to transform into βMorphsβ or new forms. There’s more you can do with your pets too, like taking them camping, hiking, or growing their own food on the farm.
In addition to the game tools, the app includes a standard image tool and a transparent tool as well.
The app continues to be a free download with in-app purchases to upgrade to the full experience on iPhone and iPad.