A step challenge app your whole team can actually use

Short answer

The best step challenge app for work runs on everyone’s phone, keeps health data private and stays fair to people who sit all day. Walk & Water for Teams puts coworkers in teams of two to four, ranked on their average, for a three-day round. iPhone and Android walk together, and the first two rounds are free.

Download for iPhone Get it on Android

First two rounds free · teams of 2–4 · a new round every Tuesday

By Coach Josh · Get Your BMR

2 sources · Reviewed October 29, 2026

The short version

  • iPhone and Android on the same team
  • Teams of 2–4, ranked on their average
  • The first two 3-day rounds are free
Illustration: four hands holding different phones showing a shared leaderboard.

What matters in a step challenge app for work

When comparing work step challenges, check phone compatibility, scoring and round length.

  • Phones: iPhone and Android on one team, with compatible watches that share steps through Apple Health or Health Connect.
  • Privacy: no employee list to upload and no organizer dashboard of employee data.
  • Fairness: personal step goals and team averages, so a team of two can beat a team of four.
  • Length: a short round with a finish line people can see.
  • Effort: something HR can launch in a day, without a contract or an IT project.

How Walk & Water for Teams works

Coworkers download the free app, form teams of two to four and walk Tuesday to Thursday. Each person has a step goal and a water goal sized to them. The leaderboard is live, each team has its own chat, and winners go up Friday morning. A new round starts every Tuesday.

On weekends there is also the Weekend Summit: a shared virtual climb of Mount Everest for women who walked that week’s round.

Which phones and watches work

Steps come from each phone’s own health hub: Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android. In short:

  • iPhone on its own counts steps; Apple Watch steps arrive through Apple Health.
  • On Android, a fitness app such as Google Fit or Samsung Health sends phone steps to Health Connect. For Samsung Galaxy Watch, turn on Health Connect syncing in Samsung Health.
  • Garmin and Fitbit can share steps through Apple Health or Health Connect, where their apps support it.

What it doesn’t do

Walk & Water for Teams is a walking and water challenge, not a full wellness platform. There is no admin dashboard of employee data, no health risk assessment, no biometric screening and no HR system integration. If you need those, a corporate wellness suite is a better fit.

Walk it with a team this week

Join a team of 2–4, walk & drink your water Tuesday to Thursday, and see the winners Friday.

Download for iPhone Get it on Android

First two rounds free · teams of 2–4 · a new round every Tuesday

The 3-Day Walk & Water Challenge

How a round works

  1. 1. Join a team

    Two to four of you on one team: a friend’s, your own, or one you join in the app. Your team gets a name, a crest & a spot on the live leaderboard.

  2. 2. Walk + water, 3 days

    Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday. A step goal & a water goal sized to where you are today. The board updates as you walk & closes Thursday at midnight, Arizona time.

  3. 3. Friday winners

    Friday morning the results go up. The winning team’s card glows gold, badges land beside names on the board, and a new round starts Tuesday.

Bigger isn’t better. Teams rank on their AVERAGE.

A team’s score is its average per woman, not its total. So two friends can beat a team of four, and every walker’s day counts the same. When one of you goes quiet, the others notice & send a nudge in team chat.

The Walk & Water team card: team name and crest, team level, the average steps per woman, and each teammate’s steps and glasses of water.
Your team card. The big number is the average per woman.
The Walk & Water leaderboard: your rank this week, steps, glasses of water, day streak, and the 3-day challenge rankings.
The live leaderboard. Solo, team & global ranks for this round.

Three things to check in any work step app

Use this list on any app you’re comparing, ours included.

  1. Every phone, one team

    Can iPhone and Android coworkers be on the same team? Some apps are iPhone-only.

  2. Private by default

    Does the company see anyone’s steps or health data? It shouldn’t have to.

  3. Fair to team size

    Are teams ranked on a total or an average? Totals reward the biggest team.

Questions

What is the best step challenge app for work?

One that runs on every phone, keeps health data private and ranks teams fairly. Walk & Water for Teams puts iPhone and Android on one team, ranks teams on their average and runs three-day rounds. The first two rounds are free.

Is there a free step challenge app for work?

Yes. With Walk & Water for Teams, each coworker’s first two 3-day rounds are free.

Can iPhone and Android users compete together?

Yes. Steps come from Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android, so both are on the same team and the same leaderboard.

Does the company see employees’ steps?

There is no organizer dashboard or employee-data feed. Organizers who join the app see the same leaderboard, walker profiles and chats available to other participants.

For your company

Tell us about your team

Running this for coworkers? Coach Josh replies personally and helps you set up your first round.

We only use this to reply to you.

Sources

Written by Coach Josh and checked against these sources on October 29, 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Show all 2 sources
  1. CDC — Adult Activity: An Overview
  2. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services — Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd edition
Coach Josh

Who writes these guides

Coach Josh

Professional trainer since 2018 · ISSA & NCCPT certified · Creator of Get Your BMR & the Walk & Water Challenge (BodyByReason)

I’m Josh. I built Get Your BMR so you could see what your body burns at rest, & I built Walk & Water so you’d have somewhere to use it with people who notice when you show up.

I walk every round too: same board, same three days, on my own team. I don’t always win. Tap Chat with Coach in the app & it’s me who answers.

About 7 in 10 women who finish a round come back & play the next one.

Walk & Water app data, 73 finishers, snapshot October 19, 2026.

Start this week’s round

Download for iPhone Get it on Android

First two rounds free · teams of 2–4 · a new round every Tuesday

Not sure where to start? Get your number first

Related guides

Get Your BMR is Coach Josh’s free calculator. The 3-Day Walk & Water Challenge is where you put the number to work, and it runs inside the APEX: Walk & Water app on iPhone and Android.