Glossary · Apple Activity
Active Calories
Definition
Calories burned through movement, as distinct from your basal (resting) metabolic rate. Apple Health labels these 'Active Energy.' Walking, climbing stairs, working out, and standing for long stretches all contribute. Active Calories is what fills your Move ring.
How MoveTogether uses it.
Active Calories is MoveTogether's most platform-agnostic activity signal — every supported wearable reports it, and the iPhone's motion coprocessor estimates it even without a wearable. It powers the Move ring, feeds Raw Numbers and Percentage of Goals scoring, and is the single best metric for 'how hard did you move today?'
MoveTogether does not use total calories (basal + active) for scoring, because basal burn varies by body composition in ways that aren't earned through activity. Active Calories is the fair comparison metric.
See active calories in action.
MoveTogether is free on the App Store. Connect a wearable (or just your iPhone) and start your first competition this week.