Spectrum-based tracking
Track your position between two user-defined poles instead of reducing yourself to binary labels or rigid scores.
Personal insight, designed around nuance
Track how you shift over time, without fixed labels.
Spectra helps you reflect on where you are between two poles, like grounded and restless, cautious and bold, or focused and distracted. Check in over time and uncover patterns in how you think, feel and respond.
Designed for iPhone and iPad but also runs on Apple silicon Macs.
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Create custom spectra
Define your own two-pole sliders for moods, values, habits and tendencies.
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Check in over time
Use a chosen cadence so each spectrum becomes a living record.
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Notice patterns
Review trends, averages, swings and settled areas across your data.
Spectra
A more nuanced way to understand yourself over time
Why Spectra works
Less labelling, more noticing.
Instead of forcing a mood, habit or tendency into a fixed box, Spectra lets you place yourself somewhere between two poles and record how that position changes.
It is designed for people who want a lightweight reflection tool that respects ambiguity, movement and the way real inner states rarely sit at one extreme.
Main features
Everything you need to build a meaningful reflection practice.
Repeated check-ins
Set a cadence for each spectrum, get prompts when check-ins are due, and add optional notes for context.
Trends and history
Open each spectrum to review current position, charted movement, average markers and previous entries.
Insights and export
Surface notable patterns across your spectra, then export CSV data when you want to analyse or back it up elsewhere.
What sets Spectra apart
Built for ranges, tensions and movement over time.
Spectra is especially strong when a simple yes, no or one-word label feels too flat. It gives you a structured way to notice where you are right now, then see how that changes.
Custom poles and categories
Create spectrums such as Grounded to Restless or Structured to Flexible, then group them into categories that match your own reflection style.
Guided setup that stays personal
Start with suggested spectra across tendencies, lifestyle, values and social patterns, then skip, hide or customise anything that does not fit.
Optional narrative insight
On supported devices, Apple Intelligence can generate tentative, non-diagnostic interpretations and reflection prompts from your data.
See Spectra in action
Move from a quick check-in to a clearer pattern.
This walkthrough follows the main flow of the app: choosing or creating spectra, recording positions, reviewing detail views, then using insights to understand what stands out.
Click or tap the titles below to switch the screenshot and view a short explanation over the image.
Key use cases
A reflection tool for moods, tendencies and values.
Spectra is lightweight enough for everyday check-ins and flexible enough for deeper self-observation. Here are a few of the clearest ways to use it.
Personal reflection
Track how your moods, mindset and internal states shift without needing to write a long journal entry.
Change and transitions
Notice how stress, burnout, new routines or evolving priorities affect where you sit between different poles.
Coaching and therapy-adjacent work
Use structured check-ins as a gentle self-observation layer alongside conversations, sessions or personal development work.
Values and tradeoffs
Track tensions like Security to Freedom, Reserved to Outgoing or Structured to Flexible as your context changes.
Built to adapt
Self-tracking is rarely one-dimensional. Spectra is ready for that.
Spectra is designed to flex around the way people actually reflect. You can shape the app around your own categories, hide what is not relevant, and choose whether each check-in starts from neutral or from your latest recorded value.
Custom organisation
Create, edit and manage categories so your spectra reflect the areas of life you actually want to understand.
Prompt preferences
Start each check-in from a neutral midpoint or the latest value, depending on how you prefer to reflect.
Notes for context
Attach optional notes to check-ins so the story behind a shift is still there when you review it later.
Private by design
Optional Apple Intelligence insights are generated on supported devices and framed as reflective prompts, not diagnosis.
From the blog
Release notes, tutorials and practical Spectra tips.
Visit Shaking the Habitual for Spectra updates, walkthroughs, and useful ideas for getting more from the app.
Support and guidance
Need help getting started?
The Spectra help collection includes guidance on spectra, check-ins, categories, insights, export and privacy so users can go deeper when they are ready.
Create and manage spectra
Learn how to define poles, categories and cadence.
Record check-ins
Track your position and add context over time.
Understand insights
Review movement, lean, variability and patterns.
Export your data
Reuse CSV data for backup or external analysis.