This article explains how Daily Boost points are calculated when you wear an Apple Watch, and why your points can be lower than expected.
How the Daily Boost window works
When you claim a Daily Boost, a 30-minute window starts the moment you claim it, not when you start walking. Only the steps that fall inside this window are multiplied (2x, or 3x if you choose the 3x option, which costs 100 Gems). If you claim the Boost and start your walk 10 minutes later, only the remaining 20 minutes qualify.
Which session is counted with an Apple Watch?
If you wear an Apple Watch, two sessions can exist during your Boost window at the same time:
- A session recorded by the Pacer app on your iPhone (for example, a GPS walk you started after claiming the Boost).
- A session recorded in Apple Health by your watch (for example, a workout your watch started earlier).
Pacer does not add these together. When sessions overlap inside the 30-minute Boost window, only one session is used to calculate your Boost points: the one with the earlier start time. Only the steps that fall inside the window are multiplied.
What this means for you
- If your Pacer session started first, it is used, and you get the full multiplier on the steps in the window.
- If your watch’s Apple Health session started earlier than your Pacer session, the watch session is used instead. Its steps inside the window may be fewer or recorded at a slower pace, so your Boost points can be lower than you expected.
Example
Your watch starts a walking workout at 6:00. You claim the Boost and start a Pacer GPS walk at 6:30. Both overlap the Boost window. Because the watch session started earlier, it is the one counted, even if your Pacer walk was faster.
How to get the most from your Boost
- Before claiming the Boost, end or avoid starting a workout on your Apple Watch.
- Claim the Boost, then start your walk right away.
- Remember the 30-minute timer starts when you claim the Boost, not when you start walking.
Good to know
Daily Boost, Weekly Boost and Go Outside Boost points are not subject to the Adventure Challenge 200-point weekly cap. That cap applies to Adventure Challenge points only.