{"schemaVersion":1,"record":{"key":"mechanic/phone-motion--family-activity","type":"mechanic","id":"phone-motion--family-activity","lang":"en","title":"Body movement and device context","summary":"A system estimate of movement becomes an activity counter. Pedometer++ displays estimated steps and how they vary across days.","updatedAt":"2026-10-22","status":"active","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/knowledge/mechanic/phone-motion--family-activity/","jsonUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/api/v1/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-motion--family-activity.json","markdownUrl":"https://gamemechanics.pro/content/knowledge/en/mechanic/phone-motion--family-activity.md","aliases":[],"tags":["Phone motion interactions","Mechanics catalog"],"sourceIds":["source-90188c25f747371a"],"sources":[{"id":"source-90188c25f747371a","title":"Pedometer++","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pedometer/id712286167?uo=4","verifiedAt":null}],"sections":[{"id":"principle","title":"How it works","body":"Ratings depend on where and how the phone is mounted. A sensor event does not prove a specific human action."},{"id":"variants","title":"Variants","body":"### Variants and applications\n\n<a id=\"family-activity-variants\"></a>\n\n- Step as an event. Action: A repeating pattern of movement is classified as a step. Application: Move counter, walk pet, step progression, walking quest. Sensors: Name: System recognition; Meaning: Custom system API preferred; implementation depends on the device. Limitations: System step detector is preferred; The location of the phone and other people's fluctuations affect the assessment. <a id=\"variant-m065\"></a>\n- Step frequency as control. Action: The pace of the estimated steps changes the speed or state of the virtual process. Application: Walking rhythm, character pace, adaptive music, step challenge. Sensors: Name: System recognition; Meaning: Custom system API preferred; implementation depends on the device. Limitations: Step frequency does not equal movement speed and does not provide distance traveled by itself. <a id=\"variant-m066\"></a>\n- Rest, walking or running. Action: The time window of signals is classified into several broad states. Application: Adaptive game mode, background sound change, contextual interface. Sensors: Name: System recognition; Meaning: Custom system API preferred; implementation is device dependent. Limitations: This is a probabilistic estimate; use system APIs and take into account the position of the phone. <a id=\"variant-m067\"></a>\n- Pick up and put down the device. Action: A sequence of movement, posture changes and subsequent stability triggers the transition. Application: Start of session, end of round, character awakening, tabletop props. Sensors: Name: Accelerometer + gyroscope; Meaning: A bunch of sensors for orientation, rotation and separating movement from gravity. Limitations: Without additional features, it is impossible to reliably distinguish a table from a stationary hand. <a id=\"variant-m068\"></a>\n- Significant motion detection. Action: The fact of transition from rest to activity changes the mode of the application. Application: Resume a process, wake up a simulation, pause a static scenario. Sensors: Name: System recognition; Meaning: Custom system API preferred; implementation depends on the device. Limitations: Event availability and background operation are limited by the OS; the event does not report the exact route. <a id=\"variant-m069\"></a>\n- Repeating the movement with a given attachment. Action: When the phone is in a fixed position, the rough cycle of body movement is checked. Application: Motor game, tilt repetition, marching in place, training repetition counting. Sensors: Name: Accelerometer + gyroscope; Meaning: A bunch of sensors for orientation, rotation, and separating movement from gravity. Limitations: Cannot universally detect squats or jumps with any grip; Each movement needs to be checked separately. <a id=\"variant-m070\"></a>\n- Walk with spatial progress. Action: Steps and activity are connected with an external assessment of movement. Application: Opening zones, route quest, walk map, area exploration. Sensors: Name: Motion + geolocation; Meaning: Position and route require an additional source of coordinates. Limitations: Route requires GPS/GNSS or other position data; The accelerometer does not replace geolocation. <a id=\"variant-m071\"></a>\n- Episode of reduced overload. Action: A small module of raw readings is detected as a candidate for a low-g event. Application: Analysis of already recorded movement, educational visualization, device analytics. Sensors: Name: Accelerometer; Value: Sufficient for the specified simplified scenario under the described conditions. Limitations: Experimental scenario; the signal does not prove a fall. For the game, it is better to imitate the event, do not throw the phone... <a id=\"variant-m072\"></a>"},{"id":"context","title":"Context and limits","body":"96 mechanics and scenarios; Basic gestures, control schemes and derived applications are separated into layers. Examples are design ideas other than individually confirmed products."}],"relations":[],"placements":[{"catalogId":"phone-motion","id":"family-activity","title":"Phone motion interactions","url":"https://gamemechanics.pro/en/mechanics/phone-motion/#family-activity","categoryIds":["section-1"]}],"supersededBy":[],"attributes":{"preview":{"updatedAt":"2026-10-22","title":"Body movement and device context","description":"A system estimate of movement becomes an activity counter. Pedometer++ displays estimated steps and how they vary across days.","image":{"src":"images/mechanics/touch-pedometer-0.webp","width":665,"height":1440,"crop":{"x":46,"y":360,"width":573,"height":1052},"game":"Pedometer++","sourceUrl":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pedometer/id712286167?uo=4","originalUrl":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/PurpleSource221/v4/d8/87/43/d8874376-16e3-f28f-f780-623170e5149c/iOS_26_-_Panel_1.png/720x1560bb.jpg","credit":"Cross Forward Consulting, LLC","rights":"© Cross Forward Consulting, LLC. Developer-distributed app screenshot; all rights reserved. Excluded from MIT and CC BY 4.0.","caption":"Pedometer++: estimated step count and daily history","alt":"Pedometer++: estimated step count and daily history","markers":[{"x":50,"y":42,"label":"Step count is a movement estimate, not direct observation of the feet"}]},"tips":["Check phone placement and do not treat every acceleration peak as a step."],"examples":[{"title":"Pedometer++","url":"https://apps.apple.com/us/app/pedometer/id712286167?uo=4"}]}},"endsAt":null,"provenance":"Original editorial design catalog consolidated from project discussions on 2026-10-20. Complete discussion item lists and contextual limitations are preserved; linked primary sources support specific techniques, not the entire classification. English translation was prepared with machine assistance and editorial review.","license":"CC-BY-4.0","codeLicense":"MIT","attribution":"gamemechanics.pro contributors","catalogKey":"catalog/phone-motion"}}