Quick answer: Yes. A group with iPhones, Android phones and different watches can share one step challenge. Agree that each person’s daily total comes from Apple Health on iPhone or Health Connect on Android, check that their steps show up there, and post totals at one fixed time. Nobody needs a watch, because a phone counts steps on its own.
One rule that works for every device
The devices don’t need to match. What matters is where each person reads their number. On iPhone, the Health app counts steps automatically and also collects data from Apple Watch and compatible apps (Apple Support: Use the Health app). On Android, Health Connect stores steps from the phone and from connected apps or wearables, and gives apps one combined total (Google Support: Track your steps with Health Connect).
So the rule for the group is short: your score is the daily step total in Apple Health or Health Connect. A phone in your pocket, a watch on your wrist or both all end up in the same place.
Check each setup before day one
Ask everyone to look at yesterday’s steps in their health app before the challenge starts. If a number is there, they’re ready. Use this table to see where to look.
| Setup | Where the steps should show | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone only | Health app, Steps | Carry the phone. Health counts steps without a watch. |
| iPhone and Apple Watch | Health app, Steps | Nothing to add. Health combines phone and watch steps using its data source order. |
| Android phone only | Health Connect, Steps | Google says phone step collection in Health Connect works on Android 14 and later. On older versions, check which step app writes to Health Connect. |
| Android phone and a Fitbit, Garmin, Samsung Galaxy Watch or other watch | Health Connect, Steps | Open the watch’s own app and look for a Health Connect connection. Then confirm the steps appear in Health Connect. |
| iPhone and a Fitbit, Garmin or other non-Apple watch | Health app, Steps | Open the watch’s own app and look for an Apple Health connection. Then confirm the steps appear in Health. |
Each watch maker sets up that connection in its own app, and the menus change between versions. Search your watch maker’s current help pages for “Health Connect” or “Apple Health” rather than relying on an old screenshot. If the steps show up in the health app, the watch is in.
Paste this rule in the group chat
Mixed groups argue less when the rule is written down before Monday. Copy this and change the times if you like:
Our step challenge runs Monday to Sunday. Your score is the daily step total in Apple Health (iPhone) or Health Connect (Android), whatever phone or watch you have. If you wear a watch, let it save to that app, and don’t add your phone and watch numbers together. Post your week by Sunday 20:00. Late syncs are fine until Monday 12:00.
If someone’s number looks wrong, ask them to check the health app first. The step sync guide walks through permissions and data sources on both platforms.
When someone has no watch
A phone-only player is fully in, but a phone only counts the steps it’s carried for. A watch is worn all day, so a watch owner may log more steps for the same day. If that gap bothers the group, pick a scoring rule where it matters less:
- Most consistent days: whoever walks on the most days wins, so a phone left on the kitchen table costs little.
- Best balance: each day counts up to 5,000 steps, so a few hundred missed steps rarely change the order.
The challenge generator builds a one-week brief with either rule that you can paste into the chat.
Where MovePeeps fits
The MovePeeps app is planned for 1 December 2026 on iPhone and Android, free at launch. It is being built for exactly this kind of group: it will read each member’s daily step total from Apple Health or Health Connect after they give permission, so iPhones and Android phones can share one private leaderboard. A phone on its own will be enough, and a watch counts when its app saves steps to Apple Health or Health Connect. There will be no direct connections to watch brands, so the health app stays the one place to check.
Until launch, the group chat rule above works with any device.
Plan your first round
Planned for 1 December, iPhone and Android, free at launch. The MovePeeps app will run private step challenges for two to eight people. Rounds run Monday to Sunday, for one week or a few in a row, and the group picks the scoring: most steps, most consistent days, or best balance with a daily cap. Steps come from Apple Health on iPhone or Health Connect on Android, so a phone is enough, and a watch counts if it saves its steps there.
Want to start sooner? Use the challenge generator to copy a plan into your group chat, or join the waitlist for the launch email and a beta invite if there’s a spot. We don’t send newsletters.
If a step total looks delayed or an invite does not work, visit MovePeeps support. See the privacy policy for what the app reads and shares.