Pixel Pals 2 Brings an Interactive Friend to Your Home Screen Widgets

Apple in iOS 17 added interactive Home Screen widgets for the first time, and developer Christian Selig is using the new functionality to make his Pixel Pals app better than ever.

pixel pals widget
With Pixel Pals 2.0, you can adopt a digital pet that lives on your ‌Home Screen‌, and you can interact with it in all new ways without the need to open up the app.

You can feed and play with your Pixel Pals, and add your friends so their Pixel Pals can visit your ‌Home Screen‌. Two Pixel Pals together can battle one another, and in StandBy mode, your Pixel Pal can hang out next to you or you can use a new sheep counting feature.


You can also plant seeds on a farm to grow food for your pet, and there are new animals and morphs to unlock. As your friendship with your Pixel Pal grows, you will unlock more morphs. Selig has also added in full games that can be played on the ‌Home Screen‌ in a widget, including PixelQuest, 2048, and Eternal Scroll.

Christian Selig is the developer behind the now-defunct Apollo app for Reddit, which was removed for sale earlier this year. He is now focusing his attention on Pixel Pals.

Pixel Pals is free to download, but unlocking the app's full feature set requires Pixel Pals Premium, priced at $9.99 per year or $1.49 per month.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...
airpods pro 2

AirPods Pro 3 to Help Maintain Apple's Place in Earbud Market Amid Increasing Low-Cost Competition

Thursday July 3, 2025 7:25 am PDT by
Apple's position as the dominant force in the global true wireless stereo (TWS) earbud market is expected to continue through 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. The forecast outlines a 3% year-over-year increase in global TWS unit shipments for 2025, signaling a transition from rapid growth to a more mature phase for the category. While Apple is set to remain the leading brand by...

Top Rated Comments

DinkThifferent Avatar
24 months ago
Why does everything have to be a subscription? I mean, it looks like a fun app but having to subscribe to it rather than to do a one time purchase (for the full thing) is a major downside.
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
24 months ago

Why does everything have to be a subscription? I mean, it looks like a fun app but having to subscribe to it rather than to do a one time purchase (for the full thing) is a major downside.
Proud 0 subscription app user here and will continue to do so forever :)
Score: 19 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rockondevil Avatar
24 months ago

Why does everything have to be a subscription? I mean, it looks like a fun app but having to subscribe to it rather than to do a one time purchase (for the full thing) is a major downside.
Completely agree.
For a one time purchase I probably would’ve considered it for the right price.
Subscription though, you’ve lost me immediately.

The App Store is just plagued with apps that should be one time purchases but now are subscription.
Apps for kids like games or learning are some of the worst I’ve seen.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
erikkfi Avatar
24 months ago
I haven't actively used Reddit since June 13th or so because of the loss of Apollo.

Dear Christian, please make a Kbin/Lemmy app. Sincerely, everyone.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomnavratil Avatar
24 months ago
Great news, Christian is a wonderful developer and one of the developers worth supporting! And yes, I definitely miss Apollo.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zach-coleman Avatar
24 months ago

Because running a server for the app costs lot of money. (Yes, this app requires internet connection meaning it’s connected to a server) Subscription keeps the servers running.

Also Apple really wants developers to move away from one time purchase and then upload a whole new app when they update to major version and charge upgrade. They want to keep App Store clutter free by asking developers to just update their existing app and charge subscription.
Making the game require a server was an unforced error. Nobody made him do it.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)