Is LumiHealth Dead in 2024?: Massive Coins Reduction + Confusing UI

LumiHealth is an Apple x Health Promotion Board (HPB) initiative launched in October 2020. It is a gamified method to encourage Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent residents to exercise and keep fit.

The way it works is simple: 

1. Complete personalised challenges and surveys to earn points to advance Lu (the mascot) on the map.
2. As Lu advances on the map, you are awarded coins which can be used to redeem HPB vouchers. 300 coins = S$1 HPB voucher
3. HPB vouchers can be used at a wide variety of merchants including supermarkets, retail outlets, and restaurants

From 2020 to 2022, I managed to earn S$340 worth of HPB vouchers, documented in my review here. I had such a pleasant experience that I recommended my dad to sign up for LumiHealth as well, until it wasn’t.

The Email Notification

After months of using LumiHealth, this email popped up in my father’s inbox:

Newly redesigned app, easier management of health, and 3000 bonus coins (S$10). Sounds like a great deal right? 

So he headed to the app store to look for the new LumiHealth app, and he got a rude shock on how bad the reviews were.

The Bad App Store Reviews

In August, the average rating for the new LumiHealth app was at an abysmal 1.5 stars, with most of the comments highlighting how much better the older one was, and the massive reduction in rewards.

As the old LumiHealth app was still fully operational, I told my dad to continue using it as per normal despite the persistent banner promoting the new app.

No one in their right mind will switch to an new, inferior version of LumiHealth knowing that the conversion was irreversible.  

The Forced Switchover

Come early September, the old LumiHealth app no longer worked, forcing every user to convert to the new app.

It wasn’t an option anymore, so my dad installed the new LumiHealth app and transferred his account over.

The New App

The new User Interface (UI) was a massive overhaul from the old app, with the absence of Singapore themed maps and Lu (the mascot). It isn’t as intuitive as it used to be. What is the total amount of points needed to complete the ring? What do the daily targets mean?

Though the mechanism to earn coins remained the same: earn points to advance and collect coins, the reward structure was immensely reduced.

Users are now forced to choose a Quest every 2-3 weeks in order to receive personalised challenges and earn coins. There are many Quests to choose from: from ones that improve your focus, to quests that keep your heart healthier.

One thing common among all these Quests is the maximum number of coins you are awarded per week: 300 coins. Remember, 300 coins = S$1. 

A maximum of S$1 is awarded to complete 3x 30-min cardio workouts, and log your daily sodium intake within 7 days. 

In the old LumiHealth app, these 2 requirements would be categorised as 3 separate challenges: 

• 3 x 30 min cardio workout
• 4 days of logging sodium intake
• 3 days of logging sodium intake

To be fair, 300 coins is what users would have earned in the old app by reaching 4-5 milestones.

The Removal Of End Of Chapter Bonus

But what is sorely missing is the bonus 1000-2000+ coin rewards at the end of every Quest, like it used to at the end of every Chapter in the old app.

Based on my previous analysis on coin rewards, having bonus coins at the end of every chapter brings the earn rate to an average of 240 coins per day.

Compared to a maximum of 42.8 coins a day now (300 coins a week), it represents an insane 82.1% reduction in coin rewards. 

To make up for the reduction, the app offers extra coins by completing weekly activity goals and the occasional surveys.

The Weekly activity challenge which used to give 8000 points in the old app (enough to clear 2-3 milestones), now gives 80 coins, or S$0.27 in HPB vouchers.

You would think that completing surveys would get you lesser coins than completing your activity rings 2-3 times a week right? Nope. 

Completing a 1 minute survey/quiz is worth more than staying active multiple days a week. The reward structure is clearly flawed.

The Possible Controversy

Remembered when I said that the app store rating stood at 1.5 stars in August 2023? It is now 4.6 stars in December 2023.

With my dad’s experience remaining the same and recent reviews pointing out the terrible rewards structure, it is hard to believe that the app turned itself around in the span of 5 months.

I’m not trying to accuse the developers of anything, but having 1.5 stars (332 ratings) in August compared to 4.6 stars (5000 ratings) in December, it raises some eyebrows on the legitimacy of most reviews. 

Conclusion

The old LumiHealth was designed as a 2 year program, with a rewards cap of $380 per person. It was delightful getting paid to stay fit. But the extension of the program meant that funds will have to be stretched to accommodate more users. I totally understand that.

What I don’t understand is the choice to spend development time and funds to create an entire new app, just for users to receive even lower rewards. 

Why fix something that isn’t broken? Why not just be truthful to users about the devaluation of coins while keeping the old app intact? Would we have faced a lesser reduction of rewards if money was not wasted developing a new app?

The current state of LumiHealth is honestly a shadow of its former self. The stale and confusing UI coupled with abysmal coins earn rates, really makes it difficult for people to stay motivated on the program.

The whole point of LumiHealth is to encourage and reward active behaviours among Singaporeans. For existing users, it feels like a major step in the wrong direction.