One step challenge for iPhone and Android friends

Short answer

Yes, iPhone and Android friends can be on the same step challenge team. In the APEX: Walk & Water app, steps come from Apple Health on iPhone and Health Connect on Android, so most phones and many watches count. Teams of two to four share a live leaderboard, and winners go up Friday.

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

By Coach Josh · Get Your BMR

4 sources · Reviewed October 20, 2026

The short version

  • iPhone + Android on one team
  • Steps via Apple Health or Health Connect
  • Teams rank on their average, so size doesn’t win
Illustration: four hands holding different phones showing a shared leaderboard.

Free interactive tool

Can our phones and watches be on one team?

Pick each walker’s phone or watch. See exactly how their steps get onto the board.

Why mixed-phone challenges are hard

Apple’s activity sharing runs through the Fitness app on iPhone. And Fitbit retired its Challenges and Adventures in March 2023, which left a lot of friend groups without their weekly competition.

Walk & Water reads from each phone’s own health hub instead: Apple Health on iPhone, Health Connect on Android. That is what lets one team mix both.

Which watches work?

If your watch sends steps to Apple Health or Health Connect, they count. The tool above shows each walker’s route. In short:

  • Apple Watch: steps reach Apple Health automatically.
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch: turn on Health Connect syncing in Samsung Health.
  • Garmin: turn on Apple Health or Health Connect sync in Garmin Connect.
  • Fitbit: share steps from your Fitbit app to Health Connect (Android) or Apple Health (iPhone, where your app supports it).
  • No watch: an iPhone counts steps on its own. On Android, a fitness app such as Google Fit or Samsung Health sends phone steps to Health Connect.

Fair for friends at different fitness levels

Teams rank on their average per woman, not their total. So a team of two can beat a team of four, and your friend who walks 4,000 steps counts the same as the one who walks 14,000. Everyone has a goal sized to where she is today.

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.

Set it up in four steps

About five minutes, start to finish.

  1. One of you makes a team

    Download the app, create a team & copy the invite link.

  2. Everyone joins from the link

    iPhone or Android, the link opens the same team.

  3. Each person connects steps

    Apple Health on iPhone, Health Connect on Android. Watch users switch on their watch app’s sharing once.

  4. Walk & watch the board

    Tuesday to Thursday. The board closes Thursday at midnight, Arizona time. Winners go up Friday.

Questions

Does everyone need a smartwatch?

No. An iPhone counts steps itself; an Android phone needs a fitness app sending steps to Health Connect. A watch just catches the steps you take without your phone.

How many people can be on a team?

Two to four. Want a bigger group? Make several teams & compare them on the board.

Is the challenge free?

Your first two 3-day Walk & Water rounds are free.

Is this affiliated with Apple, Google, Samsung, Garmin or Fitbit?

No. The app reads steps those devices already share with Apple Health or Health Connect.

Sources

Written by Coach Josh and checked against these sources on October 20, 2026. General information, not medical advice.

Show all 4 sources
  1. Apple Support — Share your activity in Fitness on iPhone
  2. 9to5Google (March 27, 2023) — Fitbit Challenges and open groups are no longer available
  3. Samsung Developer — Health Connect FAQ
  4. Google — What is Health Connect? (Fitbit Help)
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

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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.