Help
Training and movementHow do Step Battles work?
Updated 7 July 2026
Step Battles in Focal let you turn your daily step count into a friendly competition with your friends. If you need an extra push to get moving, challenging a mutual follower to a head to head contest is a great way to stay motivated. Here, you will learn exactly how to set up a new battle, how the rules handle experience points, and what you need to do to make sure your steps are counted properly. Whether you want a quick two day sprint or a full week of competition, setting stakes with your friends adds a clear goal to your daily routine. We will cover the specific requirements for wagering your experience points, the durations available for a battle, and the sequence of phases every challenge goes through from start to finish.
Step Battles: Who Wins the Pot?
Maya Chen, Focal product specialist — knows every feature inside-out · Callum Brooks, Strength coach and nutrition advisor — ten years coaching everyday lifters
The host and guests are fictional characters. This conversation is scripted and based on verified information from this help article.
Section 1
Introduction
Step Battles in Focal let you turn your daily step count into a friendly competition with your friends. If you need an extra push to get moving, challenging a mutual follower to a head to head contest is a great way to stay motivated. Here, you will learn exactly how to set up a new battle, how the rules handle experience points, and what you need to do to make sure your steps are counted properly. Whether you want a quick two day sprint or a full week of competition, setting stakes with your friends adds a clear goal to your daily routine. We will cover the specific requirements for wagering your experience points, the durations available for a battle, and the sequence of phases every challenge goes through from start to finish.
Section 2
Key takeaways
The essentials to remember.
- Step Battles are exclusive to mutual followers in the Focal app.
- Each competition lasts for 2, 5, or 7 days.
- Battles can be scheduled up to 14 days in advance.
- Both competitors must stake a minimum of 10 XP.
- Apple Health must be connected with step sharing enabled.
Section 3
Starting a new battle
To challenge a friend, you both need to follow each other on Focal. You must also decide how long the competition will last and when it begins.
- Choose a mutual follower to challenge.
- Select a duration of 2, 5, or 7 days.
- Schedule the start date for tomorrow or up to 14 days in advance.
Section 4
Wagering your experience points
Every Step Battle requires both players to put some of their experience points at stake. The winner takes the entire pot, and the loser loses their staked amount.
- Both players must have a minimum of 10 XP available to stake.
- You can stake 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent of the lower total available XP between both players.
- The app rounds these percentages to neat values automatically.
- No extra bonus XP is awarded beyond the transferred stake.
Section 5
Step tracking requirements
Focal uses your device data to ensure a fair competition. You must give the app permission to read your step count so your progress updates correctly during the battle.
- Ensure Apple Health is connected to Focal.
- Check your settings to confirm step sharing is enabled.
- Sync your device regularly so your steps appear on the leaderboard.
Section 6
The phases of a battle
Once you send a challenge, the competition moves through a specific timeline. You can check the current status of any battle to see what happens next.
- Invite: One player sends the challenge and waits for the other to accept.
- Upcoming: The challenge is accepted and waiting for the scheduled start date.
- Live: The battle is active and steps are being counted.
- Settling: The time is up and the app is finalising the step counts.
- Finished: The winner is declared and the experience points are transferred.
Section 7
Common questions
- Can I start a battle on the same day I create it?
- No, the earliest a battle can start is the day after you create and send the invite.
- Do I earn extra experience points for winning?
- There is no bonus reward. The winner simply takes the exact amount of experience points wagered by the losing player.
- How does the application calculate the stake options?
- The app looks at the available experience points for both players. It takes the lower of the two balances and lets you wager 5, 10, 15, or 20 percent of that amount.
- What happens if one of us has less than 10 experience points?
- You will not be able to start a Step Battle. Both players must have at least 10 experience points available to meet the minimum stake.
- Why are my steps not updating in the battle?
- Check that Apple Health is connected and that you have enabled step sharing in your device settings.
Section 8
In the app
Where to find this in Focal.
You can easily find and manage your Step Battles directly within the Focal app. Simply navigate to the Home screen, check the Leaderboard, or visit the People tab to view your friends. From any of these screens, selecting a mutual follower will give you the option to issue a new challenge. If you are ready to test your daily movement against a friend, check your current experience points balance today. Make sure you have at least ten points available, find a mutual follower on your People tab, and send your very first battle invite to get started.
