Understanding “Active Minutes” in Challenges

What are “Active Minutes”?

Some fitness devices automatically track not just steps, but also time spent being active. This is often called “active minutes,” “exercise minutes,” or something similar.

These minutes can be:

• Automatically detected throughout the day
• Based on how intensely you are moving
• Recorded even if you don’t start a workout manually

Why This Matters in a Challenge

Not all devices measure activity the same way.

Some participants:

• Only get credit when they manually track a workout
• Others may get credit for automatically detected activity
• Some devices give extra credit for higher intensity

Because of this, reports of activity time can vary between participants even if they are doing similar workouts.

How Different Devices Handle This

Apple Watch / Apple Health

• Tracks Exercise Minutes
• Counts time when you are moving at a steady, brisk level
• Can detect activity automatically
• Only works with some Apple Watches
• Does not work with Apple Health without an Apple Watch
• You must enable all permissions when syncing with our app

Fitbit

• Tracks Active Zone Minutes
• Gives more credit for higher intensity activity. This is similar to Garmin, but the method of calculating it is different
• Uses heart rate to measure effort
• Only works with some models of Fitbit
• You must enable all permissions when syncing with our app

Garmin

• Tracks Intensity Minutes
• Similar to Fitbit, with extra credit for more intense activity, but the method of calculating it is different
• Based on heart rate and movement
• Only works with some models of Garmin
• You must enable all permissions when syncing with our app

Oura

• Estimates active time throughout the day
• Based on movement and effort levels
• Automatically detects activity
• Only works with some models of Oura
• You must enable all permissions when syncing with our app

Summary

Active minutes are a helpful way to capture movement throughout the day, but they are device-specific and not standardized.

If you want the most consistent results in a challenge, manually tracking your activities is the best approach.