An Apple Watch competition is a 7-day race against one friend. You score a point for every percent you add to your Activity Rings each day, up to 600 points a day, and whoever has more points after the week wins. That is the whole format. Below: the rules, how the points add up, how to start one, and what to do when you want your whole group in it instead of one friend.
How Apple Watch competitions work
The rules, as Apple's Apple Watch User Guide lays them out:
- You challenge one friend you already share activity with, and they have to accept.
- The competition runs for 7 days.
- You get a point for every percent you add to your Activity Rings each day.
- You can earn up to 600 points a day, so 4,200 is the most anyone can score in a week.
- The person with the most points at the end wins.
- Along the way, alerts tell you whether you are ahead or falling behind, with the score.
How Apple Watch competition points add up
Points are percentages of your own goals, not raw calories or minutes. Close all three rings exactly and you have added 100% to each, which is 300 points for the day. Go past your goals and the extra percent keeps counting, until you hit the 600-point daily cap.
That has one side effect worth knowing: because every point is a percent of your own goal, the size of the goal decides how hard each point is to earn. Two friends burning the same calories can score very differently if one set a bigger Move goal. Everyone is measured against themselves, so it is worth agreeing on goals before the week starts.
How to start an Apple Watch competition
On your Apple Watch:
- Open the Activity app.
- Tap the Sharing button, then tap a friend's name.
- Scroll down and tap Compete.
- Tap Invite with your friend's name, then wait for them to accept.
On iPhone it is the same idea: open the Fitness app, tap Sharing, tap a friend, tap Compete, then tap Invite. You can also start one from an Activity sharing notification, for example when a friend closes their rings.
Why Apple Watch competitions are one-on-one only
Apple's competitions live inside activity sharing, and each one has exactly two people: you and the friend you invited. There is no group mode, no shared leaderboard of five friends, and no way to merge competitions.
| Feature | Apple Watch competition | Group app (e.g. MoveTogether) |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | Exactly 2 (one-on-one) | Your whole group on one leaderboard |
| Length | 7 days | Weekend, week, month, or a custom window |
| Shared ranking | No: separate duels only | Yes: single live ranking |
| Non-Apple wearables | Not supported | Garmin, Fitbit, WHOOP, Oura, iPhone, etc. |
| Daily point cap | 600/day (4,200/week max) | Depends on scoring method chosen |
| Setup | Built into the Activity and Fitness apps | Create competition + share one invite link |
The workaround that doesn't work
The usual first attempt is to start a separate one-on-one competition with each friend. Now you're in four competitions at once, each with its own score, none of which talk to each other. Nobody can see a single ranking, the person in 3rd has no idea they're in 3rd, and there's no group banter because there's no group. It's four private duels, not a competition.
How to run an Apple Watch group competition
Use an app built for groups that reads your Apple Watch data through Apple Health, then puts everyone on one live leaderboard. That's what MoveTogether does: you create one competition, invite as many friends as you want, and everyone's ranked together in real time. Your Apple Watch activity flows in through Apple Health automatically. No extra tracking, no manual entry.
The part Apple structurally can't match: your friends don't need an Apple Watch. Someone on a Garmin, a Fitbit, a WHOOP, an Oura ring, or just their iPhone can be in the same group competition as you. Every MoveTogether scoring method uses the same Move, Exercise, and Steps numbers from every device, so it stays fair whatever each person wears. See Apple Fitness vs MoveTogether for the full side-by-side.
To set one up:
- Install MoveTogether and connect Apple Health (this pulls your Apple Watch activity, steps, and workouts).
- Create a competition, pick a length (weekend, week, month, or a custom window), and a scoring method.
- Invite everyone with one link. They join the same leaderboard regardless of which device they wear.
- Watch it update live, all week, in one ranking.
| Scenario | Recommended scoring method |
|---|---|
| Everyone vs their own goals, like Apple | Percentage of Goals: a percent of each goal, capped at 100% per ring |
| Everyone on Apple Watch, simple rules | Ring Close Count: a point for each ring you close |
| Pure step challenge | Head to Head on steps: most steps over the window wins |
If you also want a recurring rhythm rather than one-off competitions, Move Leagues drops you into a weekly cohort that resets every Monday: a standing group competition you don't have to re-create each time.
Can you do an Apple Watch competition with more than one person?
Not in one competition. Each Apple Watch competition is between you and one friend. You can run separate one-on-one competitions with several friends, but each has its own score and there is no shared leaderboard. For a real group ranking you need a group competition app.
How many points can you get in an Apple Watch competition?
Up to 600 points a day. A competition lasts 7 days, so the maximum is 4,200 points. You earn a point for every percent you add to your Activity Rings each day.
Apple Watch, Apple Fitness, and Apple Health are trademarks of Apple Inc. MoveTogether is an independent app and reads Apple Health data with your permission.
