How to share Activity rings and compete with friends on an Apple Watch

2 min read · 6 steps · Updated 2 October 2026

Short answer

Open the Activity app on the watch, tap the Sharing button and tap Invite a Friend. Choose a contact and wait until they accept. You then see each other's rings. To start a seven-day competition, tap the friend, scroll down and tap Compete.

Sharing shows a friend your three Activity rings, workouts and awards, and shows you theirs. It needs an Apple Watch on both sides. Many people find that a friend who can see their rings is the push that gets them out of the door.

These steps are for recent versions of watchOS and iOS.

Step by step

  1. Open the Activity app and tap Sharing

    The Sharing button shows two overlapping figures.

  2. Tap Invite a Friend

    Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through your contacts and tap a name. The friend gets an invitation on their watch and iPhone.

  3. Wait for them to accept

    Until then the name is listed as invited. To accept an invitation you received, open the notification and tap Accept.

  4. Look at a friend's day

    In Activity, tap Sharing and tap a name to see their rings, steps and workouts for today.

  5. Start a competition

    Tap the friend, scroll down and tap Compete, then Invite. A competition lasts seven days. Each percent of the rings you close gives a point, up to 600 points a day and 4,200 in total. The one with more points at the end wins an award.

  6. Mute, hide or remove

    Tap a friend and scroll down. Mute Notifications stops their updates. Hide my Activity stops them from seeing yours for a while. Remove Friend ends the sharing.

Good to know

Everything also works in the Fitness app on the iPhone, on the Sharing tab, which is more comfortable for adding several people.

What a friend sees: your rings, workouts with type and duration, and awards. They do not see your location, heart rate or health data.

In a competition, a high Move goal is not an advantage. Points count the percentage of your own goals. To adjust them: how to change your activity goals on an Apple Watch.

If the rings do not fill as expected: Apple Watch not counting steps or tracking activity correctly: 6 fixes.

In short: Activity app, Sharing, Invite a Friend, wait for acceptance, tap a friend to see their rings, Compete for a seven-day competition.

Sources
  • Apple Support: Share your activity from Apple Watch

Rules and prices change. Check the official source before you act.