Expanding Life Badger Now Available on Macos and Tvos

Life Badger has officially made its way to MacOS and tvOS! What started as an iOS-only experience has now expanded, allowing users to track their achievements and progress across even more devices. The process of bringing Life Badger to these platforms was surprisingly smooth, though there were a few challenges, mostly revolving around UI adjustments for Apple TV.

The Process of Moving to MacOS

Bringing Life Badger - Achievement Logger to MacOS was relatively simple, thanks to Apple’s Universal Purchase support and the ability to reuse much of the SwiftUI codebase. MacOS supports SwiftUI well especially in Mac Catalyst mode, so much of the app’s core functionality and layout translated seamlessly.

A few key things needed tweaking:

  • Window Resizing & Navigation: Unlike iOS, where navigation is primarily through touch gestures or taps, MacOS users expect a more flexible windowed experience. I had to ensure the app behaved properly in resizable windows and supported keyboard shortcuts for navigation.

  • Mouse & Trackpad Considerations: Some touch-based interactions needed refinement to work well with a cursor. This meant adjusting hover states, click targets, and scrolling behaviors.

  • MacOS-Specific UI Elements: I took advantage of MacOS-specific UI conventions, such as a proper menu bar and support for keyboard commands to enhance the experience for desktop users.

With those adjustments in place, Life Badger - Achievement Logger felt right at home on MacOS.

The Challenges of Bringing Life Badger to tvOS

The real challenge came with tvOS. Apple TV has a unique user interface paradigm that doesn’t support all the elements available on iOS and MacOS. This meant reworking some parts of the app to fit the big-screen experience.

Issues Encountered:

  • No TextFields on tvOS: Apple TV doesn’t natively support text input like iOS or MacOS. Since Life Badger - Achievement Logger allows users to create and name their own achievements, I had to implement a workaround using Apple’s built-in text entry modal, where users can enter text via their remote or a connected keyboard.

  • Touch vs. Remote Navigation: The app originally relied on touch-based interactions, but Apple TV apps use focus-based navigation. I had to rethink how users move between elements, ensuring buttons, badges, and menus responded correctly to remote input. They did not after much trial and error.

  • Scaling and Layout Adjustments: tvOS favors a large, immersive layout. Some UI elements needed resizing, and I adjusted spacing to make things look great on a TV screen.

  • Animations & Performance Tweaks: Life Badger’s badges feature fun animations, like spinning and highlighting when earned. These needed optimization to perform smoothly on Apple TV without excessive power consumption.

How Life Badger Generates Content on Apple TV

To make Life Badger - Achievement Logger’s tvOS experience seamless, I implemented a system where content is primarily created on an iPhone or Mac and then viewed on Apple TV. Since text input on Apple TV is cumbersome, users can generate achievements on their phone or Mac and then scan a QR code from the tvOS app to download the iOS app to first create their achievement lists.

How It Works:

  1. Create Achievements on iPhone or Mac: Users can easily enter achievement names, descriptions, and badge details on their mobile device or desktop.

  2. Generate a QR Code: The app shows a QR code linking to the app, which users can scan on their Apple TV.

  3. Sync and View on the Big Screen: Once scanned, the achievements are instantly available on the tvOS app via iCloud syncing, making it easy to track progress in a visually immersive way.

This approach keeps content creation efficient while ensuring the best possible viewing experience on Apple TV. Users get the full power of Life Badger - Achievement Logger’s customization without the limitations of tvOS input.

The Final Result

Now, with Life Badger - Achievement Logger available on iOS, MacOS, and tvOS, users can track their progress on almost any Apple device! Whether you’re on the go with an iPhone, managing achievements on a Mac, or viewing progress on a big screen with Apple TV, the experience remains consistent and fun.

Expanding to new platforms has been a rewarding challenge, and I’m excited to see how users make the most of the app across their devices. If you’ve been using Life Badger - Achievement Logger on MacOS or tvOS, I’d love to hear your thoughts, feel free to share your feedback!

—Dan