StepSmash Apple Health Integration
StepSmash supports syncing your activity data directly from Apple Health on your iPhone. Once linked, your steps, distance, and Active Zone Minutes can be used in StepSmash games.
Active Zone Minutes Support: StepSmash now supports Active Zone Minutes for all Apple Health users! Apple Watch users get Exercise Time synced automatically. iPhone-only users can earn AZM through heart rate data or step-based activity detection.
For the best experience, we recommend using an Apple Watch, since it provides the most accurate and consistent activity tracking. However, an Apple Watch is not required. StepSmash can calculate Active Zone Minutes from heart rate data (if you use a 3rd party fitness tracker that syncs heart rate into Apple Health, a chest strap or other HR monitor) or from your step patterns when you carry your iPhone.
Supported Devices
Apple Health acts as a hub that collects data from many different fitness devices and apps. This means you can use StepSmash with devices we don’t directly integrate with, as long as they sync to Apple Health.
Popular devices that work with StepSmash through Apple Health:
We’ve added links to official sources of documentation where available, but not every platform has public documentation describing how to link to Apple Health even if they support the feature.
If you sync a 3rd party device into Apple Health and StepSmash isn’t working correctly please reach out in Support - StepSmash Community as we would love to understand the problem and improve StepSmash’s compatibility for everyone!
If your device or app syncs steps, distance, heart rate, or exercise time to Apple Health, it will work with StepSmash.
Tip: Make sure your device’s companion app is set to sync data to Apple Health. Check the app’s settings for “Apple Health” or “HealthKit” integration options.
Linking to Apple Health
To set up StepSmash with Apple Health:
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Open StepSmash and go to Settings → Fitness Accounts.
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Select Apple Health.
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You’ll be prompted to open the Apple Health permissions screen. Grant StepSmash access to the required data categories.
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If you don’t have an Apple Watch, you’ll be asked to enter your age (used for heart rate-based Active Zone Minutes).
Permissions Requested
When you link Apple Health, StepSmash requests only the minimum permissions needed to power the games:
Core Permissions (all users):
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Steps - to track your daily step count and detect activity periods.
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Walking + Running Distance - to calculate distance-based Smash Bingo tiles.
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Exercise Time - to calculate intensity-based Smash Bingo tiles (Apple Watch users).
Additional Permissions (non-Apple Watch users):
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Heart Rate - to calculate Active Zone Minutes from your heart rate data.
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Resting Heart Rate - for more accurate heart rate zone calculations.
We do not request sensitive permissions such as sleep, nutrition, or location history.
Once your account is linked, StepSmash will automatically handle data syncing. No manual exports or file uploads are required.
Active Zone Minutes (AZM) Support
If the device you’re using, such as an Apple Watch, syncs data into Exercise Time in Apple Health, StepSmash will map that data to your Active Time. Otherwise StepSmash calculates Active Zone Minutes from your heart rate or step data synced through Apple Health. Please see How Active Minutes Work in StepSmash for a deep dive into the algorithms we use here.
Legacy Users
If you connected Apple Health before we added heart rate support, you may need to reconnect to enable AZM features. Go to Settings → Fitness Accounts, disconnect Apple Health, and reconnect it to get the new permissions.
Data Sync Frequency
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Apple Health pushes new activity data to StepSmash every time your Apple Watch (or another connected app) syncs data to Apple Health.
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In the background, StepSmash requests periodic updates, but syncing frequency depends on iOS background refresh settings.
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To keep your data current, make sure:
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StepSmash has Background App Refresh enabled in iOS settings.
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Your Apple Watch (or another app) is syncing regularly to your iPhone’s Health app.
You can always check the last sync time in StepSmash under your Apple Health account status.
Apple support: Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch
Smash Bingo Activity Mapping
Smash Bingo boards use different activity types, all of which are mapped from Apple Health metrics:
| Smash Bingo Tile Type | Apple Health Data Source | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Steps | Step Count | Pulled directly from Apple Health “Steps.” |
| Active Minutes | Exercise Time, Heart Rate, or Steps | Apple Watch: Exercise Time. Non-Watch: calculated from heart rate or step patterns. |
| Distance | Walking + Running Distance | Pulled from Apple Health, displayed in miles or kilometers depending on your system settings. |
Each player’s tiles are personalized to their activity history, ensuring fairness no matter how active you are.
Troubleshooting
General Issues
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Confirm that StepSmash has permission to read your Apple Health data under iPhone Settings → Health → Data Access & Devices → StepSmash.
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Ensure Background App Refresh is enabled for StepSmash.
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If your Apple Watch isn’t showing the latest data, first confirm it’s syncing to the Health app on your iPhone.
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If you’re using a different app, make sure it’s writing steps, distance, and exercise time into Apple Health.
Third-Party Device Not Syncing
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Open your device’s companion app (Amazfit/Zepp, Whoop, Oura, etc.)
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Go to the app’s settings and look for “Apple Health” or “HealthKit” integration
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Enable syncing for Steps, Distance, Heart Rate, and Workouts
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Force a sync in the companion app, then check Apple Health to confirm data appears
AZM Showing Zero (Apple Watch Users)
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Ensure your Apple Watch is recording exercise throughout the day
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Check that Exercise Time data appears in the Health app
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Verify StepSmash has permission to read Exercise Time
AZM Showing Zero (Non-Apple Watch Users)
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Ensure you’ve entered your age in StepSmash
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If using heart rate: verify your HR monitor is syncing to Apple Health and check that heart rate data appears under Browse → Heart → Heart Rate
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If using step-based detection: make sure you’re carrying your iPhone during activities and walking for at least 6 consecutive minutes
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AZM from heart rate only counts when you reach the moderate zone (40%+ of HR reserve)
AZM Not updating after switching from Apple Watch to something else
- StepSmash can take up to 24 hours since the last Exercise Time entry in Apple Health before it will flip to our heart rate-based Active Minutes algorithm. We’re looking to improve this behavior in the future.
“Permission Not Requested” or Missing Heart Rate
This means you connected before heart rate support was added. Disconnect and reconnect Apple Health in Settings → Fitness Accounts to get the new permissions.
If problems persist, please post in the Tracker Integrations Support so we can help investigate.