Uchinoko Live: Virtual Pet

Uchinoko Live is a virtual pet that hangs out on your iPhone. Meet Hani, a sample Yorkshire Terrier who naps, stretches, and reacts when you pet her.

("Uchi no ko" is how people in Japan often refer to their pet: "the kid at our house.")

■ SHE GOES ABOUT HER DAY Hani looks around, sits, lies down, sighs, dozes off, and dreams. What she does next changes each time, so no two stretches of her day look alike. At night, she mostly sleeps.

■ MORNING TO NIGHT (NEW) The light in the room and Hani's mood follow your iPhone's clock: soft mornings, bright afternoons, warm evenings, and dim, sleepy nights. Your widgets change with the time of day, too.

■ CARE FOR HER Tap pet, treat, or water, and she responds. Petting usually makes her melt, but now and then she ducks away.

■ SHE HAS MOODS Leave her alone for a while and she starts asking for attention or gets a little hungry. The badge and hearts at the top left show how she feels. She never gets sick, and skipping a day is fine. No notifications.

■ WIDGETS Put Hani on your Home Screen and Lock Screen. Her pose and mood update every 15 minutes, and when you open the app, she picks up right where the widget left off.

■ PIXEL WIDGET (NEW) A pixel-art Hani for your Home Screen, with buttons right on the widget: Feed, Pet, Water, and Play, a little "which hand?" guessing game. No need to open the app. Turn on Potty mode (off by default) to add a potty pad you tidy up with a tap.

■ SEASONS AND HOLIDAYS (NEW) Cherry petals in spring, fireflies on summer nights, falling leaves in fall, and snow in winter, plus special touches for New Year's, Valentine's Day, Tanabata, Halloween, and Christmas.

■ TODAY'S PHOTO (NEW) Turn what's on screen into an instant-photo-style snapshot with her name and the date, then share it or save it to Photos.

■ COLLECTION (NEW) Fill in the moves you've spotted, the little gifts she sometimes brings after you care for her, and a stamp for each season and holiday.

■ BACKGROUNDS Pick one of six rooms (living room, garden, bedroom, tatami room, veranda, winter window) or one of your own photos, and drag and pinch to adjust her position and size. Your photos stay on your device.

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