A FITNESS app developed by a small team in the North East has beaten nearly two million others to be chosen by tech giant Apple as its prestigious App of the Day.

Gym training startup, Fit Gurus, was launched in 2014 by co-founders Paul Slater and Dave Stidolph who were later joined in the venture by Mark Hemmings.

The team has since worked with Newcastle-based Nebula Labs to develop the Gym Plan app, which acts as the user’s digital personal trainer, providing exercise plans and instructional videos.

Following a radical overhaul of Gym Plan in 2018, the app has gained more than 320,000 downloads.

Users can modify their personal workout plans, so the app can adapt to the user’s changing health context. There is also a one-to-one messenger facility with a personal trainer who can give advice on exercise plans and nutrition. It was also among the first apps to support the new Siri Shortcuts module of iOS 12 so a user can record voice commands and without even opening the app ask Siri for their workout for that day.

Apple chooses two apps a day to feature on its app store, judging criteria such as functionality, user experience and reviews. The Gym Plan team said while many bigger companies’ apps are often featured it was a huge boost for a small business or developer to be chosen.

Mr Slater said: “We were absolutely delighted to have the app featured, we’re only a tiny company based in the North East but with Nebula Labs support we’ve been able to create a mobile health and fitness app that is comparable in virtually all metrics to large scale fitness apps. It’s a huge boost and recognition of the hard work and dedication of everyone involved.”

Dylan McKee, co-founder of Nebula Labs, said: “Having Gym Plan chosen by Apple is super exciting. We’re delighted to have been working with Paul and the team since the beginning, and know the massive amount work they’ve put in. Being able to develop a product from its inception as a vision, to an overwhelmingly successful app used by thousands of clients in hundreds of countries, of all ages from 18 to 80 is hugely satisfying. It shows that if there is the ambition amongst tech start-ups to skew towards innovation in digital products and services, then it is possible to take advantage of the latest technologies and produce cutting edge, high quality software such as the Gym Plan app.”