Your first Stepwars walk: setup, GPS tracking and results

1. Check access to the iPhone app

For your first outing, aim to understand tracking and the result on a familiar route. You need the iOS app and the correct account. Signing in on the website does not install the app or prove a subscription is active.

Stepwars is intended for iPhone; Android is deferred. This guide does not announce public App Store availability. The planned subscription is €4.99/month or €39.99/year for the same features, with a three-day trial for eligible new subscribers, followed by automatic renewal unless cancelled. Purchase activation remains under verification. Check current access with the creator before preparing an outing; a web account alone does not confirm an iOS download, subscription or access.

No sports accessory or nearby player is required for the personal goals described here.

• Ask which app distribution is currently available (French)

2. Choose a simple, accessible loop

Pick a familiar route with places where you can stop without obstructing traffic. Choose an obvious start and return point. The game map represents cells, not certified safe paths or permission to enter private property.

Adapt the distance to your circumstances and the day’s conditions. You can go without a mission; optional missions start at 250, 600 and 1,000 metres. These are game objectives, not exercise recommendations. Solo progression does not depend on finding a neighbourhood with other players.

• Choose the kind of walking game you enjoy

3. Check location before setting off

Open Stepwars and follow its location prompts. Check in iPhone settings that the app has location access. Stand somewhere the phone can obtain a usable position and inspect tracking status before starting.

Buildings, tunnels and phone constraints can disturb measurements. GPS is not an exact counter of every metre. If a position seems inconsistent, wait somewhere safe or postpone the attempt; do not chase a cell while crossing a road.

Precise GPS points are used temporarily to validate movement. The latest precise server points are removed when an outing is paused, finished or abandoned. A limited local buffer handles some interruptions; it is not unlimited offline storage. Cells, distances, results and progression remain associated with the account and can reveal places you visit, even without a complete route history.

• Location data and retention (French privacy policy)

4. Start an outing and check its state

Choose an optional mission and explicitly start the outing from the map. Check that it has begun before putting the phone away. The game does not automatically convert all the steps in your day.

Use the app’s pause control when you stop. An iOS outing may continue with the screen locked when tracking is available. After an interruption or restart, inspect the displayed state and resume explicitly if needed. A visible map does not prove that tracking is continuing.

A network or GPS interruption can affect results. The local buffer handles some interruptions but is not an unlimited offline backup. The synchronised result remains your reference after returning.

5. Finish and read the result

When stationary, explicitly finish the outing. Then check confirmed distance, cells and any rewards. Capture and XP are distinct: capture uses a threshold inside each cell, while rewards also depend on outing eligibility and the daily cadence.

For example, an eligible 600-metre outing gives 30 distance XP and 60 Kip coins. A successful 600-metre mission can add 30 XP within the daily limit. The rules and calculator explain how caps can reduce this result.

The aim is to find your outing and understand its result. If data seems missing, note the circumstances and contact support. Avoid sending a precise route or home address in a public screenshot.

• Rules and XP / Kip calculator

Keep these checks for the next walk

Once the process is familiar, choose another accessible loop at your own pace. Read the gamified walking overview if you want to understand how the map and camp fit together.

• Actual iOS app access with the correct account.
• A practical route suited to your circumstances.
• An outing explicitly started and finished.
• A synchronised result read separately from a step count.

• How gamified walking works
• All Stepwars guides

Frequently asked questions