How to share steps between iPhone and Android

Why iPhone and Android don’t swap steps on their own

Each phone keeps steps in its own health store: iPhone in the Health app (Apple Health), Android in Health Connect, which apps on the phone use to pass data to each other. Apple has sharing with other people built right into the Health and Fitness apps, but only between its own devices.

So the bridge between the two worlds is an app you both install. On iPhone it reads steps from Apple Health, on Android from Health Connect, and it swaps the results through its own server. It’s worth knowing exactly what goes to that server and what the other person gets to see.

What Apple offers: iPhone to iPhone only

Sharing in the Health app

In the Health app, you open the Sharing tab, pick someone from your contacts and choose which topics to show them. They can then follow things like your activity, mobility, heart rate and health trends.

The requirements, though, are pure Apple. The person sharing needs an iPhone with iOS 15.6 or later (or an iPad with iPadOS 17 or later), you both need two-factor authentication turned on, and the data is end-to-end encrypted. Android isn’t part of the equation.

Activity sharing in the Fitness app

The Fitness app shares your Activity rings. Friends see your rings for the last 7 days and recently completed workouts, and they can get notifications when you hit your goal. You can have up to 40 friends and start a seven-day points competition with any of them.

The catch is the watch. If you can’t add a friend, Apple’s help suggests checking that they have an Apple Watch. And Apple Watch only pairs with iPhone. For an Android phone, that route is closed.

Apps that run on both iPhone and Android

StepUp and Pacer: when you want to compare numbers

Both apps are built around step challenges with friends and run on iPhone and Android. They can read steps from Apple Health or Health Connect, so steps from watches that write data there count too. Friends and group members see your steps on leaderboards.

• StepUp — you add friends with a link, and a group can be a handful of people or thousands. Leaderboards are daily, weekly and monthly. The app is free with ads; you only pay to turn them off. You sign in with Apple, Google, Facebook or email.
• Pacer — groups and challenges that can be scored by total steps or by the number of days you hit your goal. The basics are free, there’s a subscription on top, and the app contains ads. Friends and challenges are tied to an account.

Google Health (formerly the Fitbit app)

The Fitbit app has been renamed Google Health. It runs on Android 11 and later and on iPhone with iOS 16.4 and later, and it needs a Google Account. According to Google’s help, the phone alone can count steps; a Fitbit device isn’t required.

Friends are ranked on a weekly leaderboard by total steps or by what Google calls cardio load. They also see your name, photo and the email address from your Google Account. A heads-up if you’re moving over from Fitbit: as of May 12, 2026, Google has paused the social features in the old Fitbit app and replaced them with new leaderboards in Google Health. If you’re switching from an old Fitbit account, you have to add your friends again in Google Health.

Garmin Connect: when you both have a Garmin

Garmin Connect is available for iPhone and Android and offers step and distance challenges with friends. But the app is built around Garmin devices and assumes you’ll pair one with your phone. It mostly makes sense when you both wear a Garmin watch.

Strava: workouts, not daily steps

Strava runs on both systems, but it shares workouts. It shows steps only for recorded walks and hikes; for runs, steps only appear on challenge leaderboards. Great for comparing weekend hikes, not so great as a daily step counter for two.

What about Samsung Health?

You’ll find Samsung Health in the App Store, but according to its description it only supports a specific list of Samsung watches and bands, the newest of which are the Galaxy Watch3 and Galaxy Fit2. Samsung’s help also contradicts itself: one article promises competing with friends (the Together feature) on iPhone too, while another says Together is only available on Android phones. For an iPhone + Android pair, don’t count on it.

Side-by-side comparison

If you’d rather not share numbers: a shared streak in Tada!

Not everyone wants a partner, mom or friend to see every number. Tada! takes the opposite approach: it doesn’t share steps at all. Your buddy only sees your nickname, your color and whether you’re done for today. Done means 6,000 steps or 20 minutes of workout — one of the two is enough.

The phone brand doesn’t matter. iPhone reads from Apple Health, Android from Health Connect, and what goes to the server is the state of your streak, not your steps. The shared streak only grows on days when you both make it. No sign-up, no email.

To be fair: if you want to battle over exact numbers and first place, go for StepUp or Pacer. Tada! fits when it’s enough to know the other person moved today. The details are in the help article How a shared streak works.

iPhone and Android, one streak In Tada!, you and your buddy share one streak even if you carry different phones. You only see who’s done for today — the steps stay on your phone. Download for iPhone

How to choose

1. You both have an iPhone and an Apple Watch? Activity sharing in Fitness is all you need.
2. You both wear a Garmin? Challenges in Garmin Connect.
3. Different phones, and you want a leaderboard with numbers? StepUp or Pacer, or Google Health if you already use it.
4. Different phones, and you just want to keep each other consistent, no numbers? A shared streak (see above).

What else to weigh when choosing (competition vs. teamwork, privacy, price) is covered in Step counter app for couples and friends. Planning a challenge for a whole group of friends or the family? Then you’ll want a step challenge that lasts longer than a week.

Frequently asked questions

Will I see my Android-using partner’s steps in my Apple Health?

No. Sharing in the Health app only works between iPhones and iPads, so steps from Android can’t get into Apple Health on your iPhone this way. You need an app on both phones.

Do we need a watch for this?

Not necessarily. StepUp, Pacer and Google Health all say they count steps with just the phone in your pocket. If steps are missing from Health Connect on Android, the Health Connect guide will help. Feel free to keep your watch; the help article Watches, Strava and Garmin explains how to connect it.

Sources

1. Apple (2026). Share your data in Health on iPhone. iPhone User Guide. link
2. Apple (2026). View data shared by others in Health on iPhone. iPhone User Guide. link
3. Apple (2026). Protecting access to user’s health data — Health sharing. Apple Platform Security. link
4. Apple (2026). Share your activity in Fitness on iPhone. iPhone User Guide. link
5. Apple (2026). If you can’t share your Activity rings. Apple Support. link
6. Apple (2026). Share your activity from Apple Watch. Apple Watch User Guide. link
7. Apple (2026). Pair and set up Apple Watch with iPhone. Apple Watch User Guide. link
8. StepUp (2026). StepUp: Free Step Challenge App — FAQ. thestepupapp.com. link
9. StepUp (2026). Privacy Policy. thestepupapp.com. link
10. StepUp Pedometer Step Counter (2026). App Store. link
11. Pacer Health (2026). Pacer Step Challenges for Friends, Family & Teams. mypacer.com. link
12. Pacer Pedometer Step Counter (2026). App Store. link
13. Pacer Pedometer & Step Counter (2026). Google Play. link
14. Google (2026). Connect with friends on Google Health. Google Health Help. link
15. Google (2026). Google Health app setup requirements. Google Help. link
16. Google (2026). Track your steps with Google Health on your phone. Google Health Help. link
17. Garmin (2026). Garmin Connect. connect.garmin.com. link
18. Garmin Connect (2026). App Store. link
19. Strava (2026). Steps on Strava. Strava Help Center. link
20. Strava (2026). Terms of Service. strava.com. link
21. Samsung (2026). Use the Together feature in Samsung Health. Samsung US Support. link
22. Samsung (2026). Use the Samsung Health app on your iPhone. Samsung US Support. link
23. Samsung Health (2026). App Store. link
24. Tada! (2026). How a shared streak works. Tada! Help. link
25. Tada! (2026). What the server knows about me. Tada! Help. link