Where to put the phone

ShakeFit has one piece of equipment, and it is the phone you already have. Setting up takes less time than reading this page, but a good spot makes the screen easier to read and gives the camera a clear view of you.

Stand it up, facing you

Lean the phone upright against something stable, such as a wall, a shelf or a stack of books, with the screen facing you. The app uses the front camera, so the screen you watch and the camera that watches you point the same way.

Floor level works. So does a low table. What matters is that the phone does not slide and that it can see all of you.

Step back until your feet show

The camera needs to see your whole body, feet included. During the countdown the app asks you to step back so your whole body is in frame. While you play, a small line on screen tells you how the framing is going. It says when your full body is in view, and otherwise asks you to step into frame, come a bit closer or move to the center. It is a hint. It does not stop the track.

You will end up further from the phone than you expect, usually a few steps. That is fine. With Auto zoom at distance turned on in Settings, the feedback on screen gets larger when you stand far away, so the grade is still readable from across the room.

Give it some light and some floor

Face the light instead of standing in front of it. A bright window behind you makes you harder to see.

Clear enough floor to step sideways and to reach both arms out. You do not need a mat, a console, a TV or any equipment.

Two settings for small rooms and shared homes

• Low-impact mode shows only tracks without jumps, which helps when someone lives below you
• Silent mode mutes the sound and strengthens the visual cues. It is there for nighttime, shared housing and hearing accessibility

Both are in Settings and you can switch them at any time.

Then press start

The app opens on today's track. Press start and move with the beat. Tracks run from 1.5 to 4.5 minutes, so there is no need to clear an evening.

Two things are worth reading once you have played a round. How ShakeFit grades a rep explains the words that appear on screen, and the camera does not keep the video explains what happens to the picture.