Competition in Activity app: this is how you challenge your Apple Watch friends

With a contest in the Activity app on the Apple Watch you challenge your friends to a sporting challenge. Who collects the most points in seven days? In this tip we explain how to start such a competition.

The Activity app keeps track of how many calories you burn and how many minutes you have trained. By sharing your Apple Watch Activities with friends , you can compare each other's progress. From watchOS 5 it is also possible to challenge your friends directly in a one-on-one competition.

What is an Apple Watch Activity contest?

In a contest in the Activity app, you take it directly into a seven-day competition against one of your Apple Watch friends. In such a competition it is about who scored the most points after seven days by staying active, training and getting your goal. If you have defeated your friend in a competition, you will receive a reward in the form of a medal. This medal can be found with your other medals that you get for your individual performance in the Activity app on your iPhone.

Competitions can only be started one-on-one and not with a group of several people. So you can not challenge all of your Apple Watch friends at the same time. You can handle several challenges at the same time.

What do I need for an Activity contest?

To start a match, you need two things:

• An Apple Watch (Series 1 or newer).
• watchOS 5 or newer.
• At least one friend with an Apple Watch (Series 1 or newer) with watchOS 5 or later with whom you share Activity data.

You can only start a match if someone has an Apple Watch Series 1 or newer. watchOS 5 or newer can not be installed on an original Apple Watch Series 0, which means that someone must have one of the newer Apple Watch models .

How can I start an Activity contest?

To challenge an Apple Watch friend, do the following:

1. First make sure you share the Activity data with a friend you want to enter a game with. If you have not already done so, do so first. The steps for this can be found in our tip about Activity Sharing .
2. On the Apple Watch, go to the Activity app and swipe left to go to the Sharing screen.

3. Select a friend and tap the Join competition button . The recipient then has 48 hours to accept the invitation. The contest starts the day after the recipient accepts the invitation.
4. You can also challenge someone via the Activity app on the iPhone . Then tap Share , choose the person and tap Match with XXX .

In addition to the above method, you can also start a contest from a notification you get when a friend has achieved a performance, for example if he or she has all three rings full.

How can I score points in an Activity match?

The match lasts seven full days and within that time you have to score as many points as possible. You collect points by moving, training and by getting your goals. For each percentage that you add to your rings every day, you get a point. In total you can earn a maximum of 600 points per day, so a total score of 4,200 points per week. The only way to finish extra high is to move a lot. Doing workouts with the Workout app can help, because the measurements are extra accurate.


To view the progress of the contest, go to the Sharing screen in the Activity app, both on the iPhone and Apple Watch . The medal you get for a winning match can be found under the heading Medals in the Activity app on your iPhone .