Squads and Duels: How to Set Them Up Without Anyone Quitting
Small private groups, weekly leaderboards, server-verified steps. Here's how to create one, who to invite, and the scoring rule that stops it dying in week two.
The single strongest predictor of whether someone is still walking in six months isn't motivation, or a tracker, or a plan. It's whether one other person would notice if they stopped.
Squads exist for that, and they're the most under-used part of the app.
What a squad is
A small private group with a weekly leaderboard, computed server-side from verified step data.
- Private by default. No global ranking. You're only compared to people you invited or whose invite you accepted.
- Create by link. Make a squad, share the invite, whoever opens it joins.
- Up to 10 at once, so a family squad and a work squad run independently.
- Create limits: 2 on a free account, 6 on premium.
- Optionally public, if you'd rather people be able to find and join it.
There are also one-on-one duels for a single named opponent rather than a table.
Why the leaderboard can be trusted
Worth knowing, because it's the thing that makes the standings mean anything:
Manually entered steps are filtered out. Type a number into Apple Health or Health Connect and it contributes nothing.
There's a cap on steps credited per sync, which blocks the phone-attached-to-something-moving approach.
Standings are computed on the server from stored step history, not from a total your phone reports about itself.
Without all three, a step leaderboard measures willingness to cheat rather than willingness to walk. More on step-challenge integrity.
The scoring problem nobody anticipates
Here's the thing that kills most step groups, and it isn't the app's fault:
Raw step totals compare circumstances, not effort.
A nurse on twelve-hour shifts will beat a desk worker without trying. A parent with a toddler will beat someone with a commute by car. Once someone is clearly out of contention they stop looking, and once they stop looking they stop walking — which is the opposite of what the squad was for.
The leaderboard shows totals because that's the objective measure. What you do with it is a house rule, and the house rule is what determines whether the squad survives.
Rules that work:
Percentage over your own baseline. Everyone records a normal week first, then competes on improvement against their own number. The least active person can win, and they're the one the squad is most likely to help.
Most weeks won, not biggest total. Since the leaderboard window is weekly and resets, count weeks rather than steps. A bad Wednesday costs a week, not the season.
A shared target instead of a competition. Everyone's steps toward one number — a million, or the distance to somewhere real.
Fuller treatment of the scoring formats, which applies whatever tool you use.
Who to invite
Three to eight people. Below three there's no group dynamic. Above eight, the middle of the table is emotionally dead — too far back to win, too far forward to be funny — and those people disengage first.
Pick by life shape, not fitness. Two parents of small children will find a rhythm. A shift worker and a nine-to-five will not, however much they'd both enjoy it.
One person is enough to start. A duel with someone who'd notice if you stopped does most of the work of a squad. Don't wait until you can assemble a group.
Why falling behind doesn't have to end it
The structural advantage of a squad inside a game rather than a spreadsheet: your own progress continues regardless of the standings.
Your steps are still hatching and evolving your creature, still feeding whatever expedition is running, still counting toward your streak. Being fourth out of five doesn't mean nothing is happening for you — it means one number is lower than four other numbers.
That's the pressure valve. In a pure leaderboard, losing means you're getting nothing; here, losing means you're getting everything except first place. It's a small design difference and it's most of why people stay in.
A squad that lasts
For five friends with different jobs:
- Week 0 — everyone walks a normal week. That's the baseline.
- Weeks 1–3 — compete on percentage improvement over baseline. The leaderboard supplies the numbers; you supply the rule.
- Scoring — most weeks won takes it.
- Prize — something collective. Individual prizes reintroduce the problem you just designed out.
- Rule — nobody has to explain a bad week.
That last rule matters more than it looks. A group where a low week invites questions becomes a source of low-grade dread, and dread is what people leave.
Getting started
Create a squad from the Steps tab, share the link, and agree the house rule in the group chat before anyone's ahead. Five minutes on day zero prevents the week-two collapse entirely.
New to the app? The beginner's guide covers the first week — squads are best added in week two, once the solo loop is running.
Frequently asked questions
How do I create a squad?
Create one from the Steps tab and share the invite link. Whoever opens it joins. On a free account you can create up to 2 squads and be a member of up to 10; premium raises the create limit to 6.
Can strangers see my steps?
No. Squads are private and there's no global ranking — you're only ever compared against people you invited or whose invite you accepted. There's also an option to make a squad publicly listed if you specifically want people to be able to find it.
How is the leaderboard calculated?
Server-side, from stored step history over a weekly window. Manually entered steps are filtered out and there's a cap on how many can be credited in one sync, so the standings can't be gamed by typing numbers in or shaking a phone.
What's the difference between a squad and a duel?
A squad is a small group with a shared weekly leaderboard. A duel is one-on-one against a specific person. Duels tend to work better for people who want a named opponent rather than a table.
How many squads can I be in?
Up to 10 at once, so a family squad and a work squad can run independently without interfering.
Your next walk could hatch something
EggVentures turns the steps you already take into pets that hatch, grow, and evolve — no GPS staring, no battles. Open it for twenty seconds before you head out, and there's a payoff waiting when you get back.