A retro 16-bit pixel buddy habit counter for Android and iOS featuring real-time friend synchronization, companion widgets, and procedural retro sound effects.
PoopPal is a retro-styled daily digestive habit tracking application built around a reactive 16-bit virtual pet. It transforms daily routine logging into an engaging experience with custom pixel art animations, real-time cooperative buddy synchronization, native Android home screen widgets, and quick pull-down notification shade actions.
Designed from the ground up for mobile devices, PoopPal delivers a lightweight, responsive interface with strict privacy controls and offline-first capabilities.
- Reactive 16-Bit Pixel Buddy: An animated virtual companion ("Sir Poops-a-Lot") that reflects daily wellness metrics through expressive mood states, status badges, and hydration/fiber levels.
- Native Android Home Screen Widget: An interactive 2x2 companion widget that places your buddy and 1-tap logging directly on your device home screen.
- Quick Settings Pull-Down Tile: System notification shade tile (
PoopPal Log) for instant background logging with system toast confirmation without opening the full app. - Launcher Long-Press Shortcuts: Fast app shortcuts ("Log Flush Now" and "View Paired Pal") accessible directly by long-pressing the app icon.
- Real-Time Pal Pairing: Connect with a partner or friend using anonymous 6-character invite codes. View live daily count updates and celebrate mutual milestones in real time.
- Duo Pal Status & Reaction Cheer: Keep track of your paired buddy's daily habits side-by-side with instant cheering reactions.
- Procedural 8-Bit Audio Engine: Dynamic sound effects generated programmatically via the Web Audio API without requiring bulky external audio file assets.
- Privacy-First Architecture: No phone numbers, contacts, or real names are ever collected or indexed. Users pair exclusively through random cryptographic identifiers.
- Dark & Light Visual Themes: Full theme support with high-contrast retro palettes optimized for mobile OLED screens and daylight readability.
PoopPal is distributed directly as an Android application package (.apk) and as an iOS package (.ipa) for sideloading via AltStore Classic.
- Navigate to the Releases tab of this repository.
- Under the latest release Assets, download
PoopPal.apk. - On your Android device, open the downloaded file.
- When prompted by Android:
- Select Settings and enable Allow from this source (or Install unknown apps).
- Return to the installer and tap Install.
- Launch PoopPal from your app drawer.
PoopPal can be installed on any iPhone running iOS 15.0 or later without an Apple Developer subscription ($99/yr) using AltStore Classic.
- Ensure AltStore Classic is installed on your iPhone (via altstore.io).
- Tap the one-click source link on your iPhone: 👉 Add PoopPal to AltStore
- Or manually in AltStore:
- Open the Sources tab and tap + in the top-right corner.
- Enter source URL:
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/AK-Lmn/PoopPal/main/altstore.json
- Tap FREE or INSTALL next to PoopPal in the My Apps / Browse tab.
- Download
PoopPal.ipafrom the latest GitHub Releases (direct download: PoopPal.ipa (v1.1.0)) on your iPhone. - Open AltStore, navigate to the My Apps tab, and tap the + icon in the top-left corner.
- Select the downloaded
PoopPal.ipa. AltStore will sign and install PoopPal.
Note
Free Apple ID 7-Day Refresh Policy: Free Apple IDs have a 7-day personal provisioning limit. AltStore automatically refreshes PoopPal in the background whenever your iPhone is on the same Wi-Fi network as your computer running AltServer. You can also tap Refresh All inside AltStore at any time.
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| PoopPal Android App |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
| Runtime | Capacitor Native Standalone Android APK |
| UI Layer | React 19, Tailwind CSS v4, Lucide Icons |
| State Management | React Hooks, LocalStorage Cache Fallback |
| Audio Generation | Web Audio API (Synthesized Chiptune) |
| Real-Time Sync | Firebase Firestore Real-Time Listeners |
| Offline Support | 100% Embedded Local Assets (No Web Host) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------+
- Framework: React 19 with strict TypeScript typing.
- Styling: Tailwind CSS v4 utilizing modernized CSS variables and zero-runtime CSS delivery.
- Icons: Lucide React for consistent, scalable vector interface glyphs.
- Audio: Custom Web Audio API synthesizer generating 8-bit square and triangle waveform tones dynamically.
- Backend: Firebase Firestore for low-latency document subscriptions, paired friend synchronization, and granular security rules.
- Build System: Vite 8 for fast sub-second hot module reloading and optimized production bundles.
PoopPal follows strict data minimization principles:
- Anonymous Identifier System: Each installation generates an isolated user ID and an alphanumeric pair code.
- Zero Social Harvesting: The app does not request access to device contacts, phone numbers, location services, or SMS.
- Scoped Security Rules: Firestore security rules restrict write operations strictly to authenticated document owners while allowing paired pals read-only access to aggregate daily counters.
Copyright 2026 PoopPal. All rights reserved.
Unauthorized copying, modification, distribution, or commercial use of this software and associated media assets, via any medium, is strictly prohibited.