I’ve spent most of my working life slumped in an office chair. Don’t get me wrong: I move around quite a lot. I start upright, and by the end of the day, I’m almost horizontal.
We all know this is very bad, but luckily help is at hand … from my AirPods!
Posture Pal uses AirPods to correct slouching
Posture Pal is a simple Mac app that uses the motion detectors in your AirPods to determine your posture. When slumping is detected, a cartoon giraffe pops up on your screen to alert you to your bad posture.
It’s very simple and quite effective. I use it with my AirPods Max. The app helps me stay upright in my chair, and be more mindful of the awkward, unergonomic positions I oftentimes find myself in.
Posture Pal runs in the background and can be tweaked for sensitivity. At first, I found the cartoon graffe (named Rafi), was constantly popping up whenever I moved my head. A quick tweak of the settings fixed that, and now it alerts me only when I shift into a serious slouch.
The app offers a choice of cartoon characters (giraffe, monkey or alpaca), screen locations (left, right and middle) and three different sensitivity levels. You also can turn off alert sounds, which can become very annoying very quickly.
Available on Mac for the first time in macOS Sonoma
Screenshot: Posture Pal
The app was first released on iOS in April 2022 and quickly became a big hit in China. From the beginning, the No. 1 feature request was for a macOS version, said developer Jordi Bruin.
Apple just made the necessary motion-tracking APIs available in macOS Sonoma, released Tuesday. The Posture Pal app uses the same motion data used for Spatial Audio.
“A lot of people have their AirPods in their ears the entire day, so they won’t have to adjust their lifestyle as much,” Bruin said in a statement.
Posture Pal AirPods compatibility
Posture Pal is compatible with the following AirPods and Beats earbuds:
- AirPods (third generation)
- AirPods Pro
- AirPods Max
- Beats Fit Pro
All you have to do is connect your AirPods to your Mac before launching Posture Pal for the first time. Make sure that your Mac is the active device for your AirPods.
Posture Pal pricing and availability
Posture Pal is a free download from the Mac App Store. The free version can be used for 10 minutes at a time. A one-time App Store payment of $4.99 removes the time restriction, and adds better posture-tracking sensitivity and extra app customization.
Posture Pal can improve your back, neck and shoulder posture without buying a separate tracking device — just use the AirPods you already own.
