Hi all,
I'm the solo developer behind Vela, a watchOS-only app that tracks stress using SDNN against your personal HRV baseline instead of population averages.
Version 2.0 is now in public beta on TestFlight, and I'd like more people to try it before release.
What's new in 2.0
- Battery – your energy level through the day, calculated from your own HRV baseline, sleep and activity.
- Recharges only while you sleep – naps and night shifts count too, so it works with irregular schedules.
- What drained you most – a short line telling you which part of your day had the biggest impact.
- Morning snapshot – stays free for everyone. It's a complete feature, not a teaser.
- Vela Pro – the full Battery experience as a one-time purchase. No subscription. Ever.
What hasn't changed
- All processing happens on the watch.
- Data syncs through your own iCloud. There are no Vela servers.
- Vela shows trends against your own history. It's not a medical device and doesn't give diagnoses.
What I'm looking for
The Battery algorithm is a first version, so real-world data matters a lot.
I'm especially interested in:
- Whether the Battery level matches how you actually feel, morning and evening
- How it behaves after naps, night shifts or poor sleep
- Anything confusing in the copy or the UI
- Bugs, crashes or missing data
Already wearing an Apple Watch? Vela reads the HRV that's already in Apple Health, so with 7+ days of history it works from day one. Feedback that helps most: does the battery after your first tracked sleep match how you actually feel?
New watch, or you don't wear it much? You'll need about a week before the baseline is ready, and the app shows the countdown. Feedback that helps most: was it clear what was happening while you waited, and was it worth waiting?
Join the beta (first 10 people for phase 1): https://testflight.apple.com/join/pJ3esgGy
Requires watchOS 26 or later.
You can leave feedback directly in TestFlight, in the comments here, or in [r/VelaHRV](r/VelaHRV).
Thanks for helping shape this release.