Choose your step source
Races count steps from one source only. Pick the phone or app that records your steps. You can change this in You once every 24 hours. Each race has its own one-time switch.
Pick a source on iPhone
- In Stride League, tap Connect Health and allow Steps.
- On Choose your step source, pick one:
- iPhone + Apple Watch counts both together, without double counting.
- Apple Watch counts only your watch.
- iPhone counts only your phone.
- Tap Continue.
If you use Apple Watch, make sure it’s syncing steps to Apple Health. Opening the Activity or Fitness app on your watch helps it sync.
Pick a source on Android
- In Stride League, tap Connect Health and allow Steps in Health Connect.
- On Choose your step source, pick one:
- This phone counts the steps your phone records.
- Samsung Health counts the steps Samsung Health records, including from a Samsung Galaxy Watch.
- Tap Continue.
To use Samsung Health, install it, pair your Galaxy Watch, and turn on Health Connect sharing for Steps in Samsung Health.
If Health Connect isn’t installed, install it from the Play Store to sync steps. You can still join races.
If “This phone” isn’t available
This phone needs Android 14 or later with Health Connect’s on-device step counting. On older phones it doesn’t appear in the list. If you use a Samsung Galaxy Watch, set up Samsung Health and pick it instead.
If no source is available, Stride League shows “No step source on this phone yet. Set up Samsung Health or another supported app, then come back.” Until a source is available, you can’t continue or use the default, and you need a step source before you create or join a race. In a race you’re already in, standings show “No step data” for you, not a zero.
Change your source
Go to You, then Step source. You can change it once every 24 hours.
A new source counts right away for your own totals and for races you join from now on. Races you’re already in keep the source you had when you joined.
Switch sources during a race
If your watch breaks or you lose it, you can switch once for each race. Go to You, then Change source for this race.
- The new source starts tomorrow.
- Days already synced stay as they are.
- Standings show a “Source changed day X” tag.
- You can’t switch again in that race, or after the race locks.
If your steps aren’t syncing
If your source has no steps for 48 hours but another app or device does, Home shows a banner, such as “Your Apple Watch steps haven’t synced in 48 hours.”
- Tap Open App to open your source app.
- Make sure that app is sharing steps with Apple Health or Health Connect.
- Return to Stride League and pull to refresh.
If you meant to use a different source, tap Change Source, or go to You, then Step source.
When a race ends, standings stay open for 24 hours so late syncs can still count.
If you turned off Health access
Stride League still opens, but your totals stay empty until you turn Steps back on.
- On iPhone, open the Health app, tap your picture, tap Apps, tap Stride League, and turn on Steps.
- On Android, open Health Connect, tap App permissions, tap Stride League, and turn on Steps. On Android 14 and later, Health Connect is in Settings.
You can also tap Connect Health in Stride League to try again.
What counts
- Only steps recorded by the source you choose count. Steps from other apps aren’t added.
- A single sync of more than 200,000 steps for one day is rejected.
- A day over 60,000 steps may be flagged for the race creator only. It isn’t an automatic ban.
- Apps that copy steps into Health from another service show as “Other app — not eligible for races.”
- Stride League is for friendly races. It can’t catch every shaker or modified phone.
Still need help?
Email us and say which phone and step source you use.