Core Motion

CoreMotion

Read device sensor data -- accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, pedometer, and activity recognition -- on iOS and watchOS. CoreMotion fuses raw sensor inputs into processed device-motion data and provides pedometer/activity APIs for fitness and navigation use cases. Targets Swift 6.2 / iOS 26+.

Contents

• Setup
• CMMotionManager: Sensor Data
• Processed Device Motion
• CMPedometer: Step and Distance Data
• CMMotionActivityManager: Activity Recognition
• CMAltimeter: Altitude Data
• Update Intervals and Battery
• Common Mistakes
• Review Checklist
• References

Setup

Info.plist

Add NSMotionUsageDescription to Info.plist with a user-facing string explaining why your app needs motion data. Without this key, the app crashes on first access.

<key>NSMotionUsageDescription</key>
<string>This app uses motion data to track your activity.</string>

Authorization

CoreMotion uses CMAuthorizationStatus for pedometer and activity APIs. Sensor APIs (accelerometer, gyro) do not require explicit authorization but do require the usage description key.

import CoreMotion

let status = CMMotionActivityManager.authorizationStatus()
switch status {
case .notDetermined:
    // Will prompt on first use
    break
case .authorized:
    break
case .restricted, .denied:
    // Direct user to Settings
    break
@unknown default:
    break
}

CMMotionManager: Sensor Data

Create exactly one CMMotionManager per app. Multiple instances degrade sensor update rates.

import CoreMotion

let motionManager = CMMotionManager()

Accelerometer Updates

guard motionManager.isAccelerometerAvailable else { return }

motionManager.accelerometerUpdateInterval = 1.0 / 60.0  // 60 Hz

motionManager.startAccelerometerUpdates(to: .main) { data, error in
    guard let acceleration = data?.acceleration else { return }
    print("x: \(acceleration.x), y: \(acceleration.y), z: \(acceleration.z)")
}

// When done:
motionManager.stopAccelerometerUpdates()

Gyroscope Updates

guard motionManager.isGyroAvailable else { return }

motionManager.gyroUpdateInterval = 1.0 / 60.0

motionManager.startGyroUpdates(to: .main) { data, error in
    guard let rotationRate = data?.rotationRate else { return }
    print("x: \(rotationRate.x), y: \(rotationRate.y), z: \(rotationRate.z)")
}

motionManager.stopGyroUpdates()

Polling Pattern (Games)

For games, start updates without a handler and poll the latest sample each frame:

motionManager.startAccelerometerUpdates()

// In your game loop / display link:
if let data = motionManager.accelerometerData {
    let tilt = data.acceleration.x
    // Move player based on tilt
}

Processed Device Motion

Device motion fuses accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer into a single CMDeviceMotion object with attitude, user acceleration (gravity removed), rotation rate, and calibrated magnetic field.

guard motionManager.isDeviceMotionAvailable else { return }

motionManager.deviceMotionUpdateInterval = 1.0 / 60.0

motionManager.startDeviceMotionUpdates(
    using: .xArbitraryZVertical,
    to: .main
) { motion, error in
    guard let motion else { return }

    let attitude = motion.attitude       // roll, pitch, yaw
    let userAccel = motion.userAcceleration
    let gravity = motion.gravity
    let heading = motion.heading         // 0-360 degrees (requires magnetometer)

    print("Pitch: \(attitude.pitch), Roll: \(attitude.roll)")
}

motionManager.stopDeviceMotionUpdates()

Attitude Reference Frames

Check available frames before use:

let available = CMMotionManager.availableAttitudeReferenceFrames()
if available.contains(.xTrueNorthZVertical) {
    // Safe to use true north
}

CMPedometer: Step and Distance Data

CMPedometer provides step counts, distance, pace, cadence, and floor counts.

let pedometer = CMPedometer()

guard CMPedometer.isStepCountingAvailable() else { return }

// Historical query
pedometer.queryPedometerData(
    from: Calendar.current.startOfDay(for: Date()),
    to: Date()
) { data, error in
    guard let data else { return }
    print("Steps today: \(data.numberOfSteps)")
    print("Distance: \(data.distance?.doubleValue ?? 0) meters")
    print("Floors up: \(data.floorsAscended?.intValue ?? 0)")
}

// Live updates
pedometer.startUpdates(from: Date()) { data, error in
    guard let data else { return }
    print("Steps: \(data.numberOfSteps)")
}

// Stop when done
pedometer.stopUpdates()

Availability Checks

CMMotionActivityManager: Activity Recognition

Detects whether the user is stationary, walking, running, cycling, or in a vehicle.

let activityManager = CMMotionActivityManager()

guard CMMotionActivityManager.isActivityAvailable() else { return }

// Live activity updates
activityManager.startActivityUpdates(to: .main) { activity in
    guard let activity else { return }

    if activity.walking {
        print("Walking (confidence: \(activity.confidence.rawValue))")
    } else if activity.running {
        print("Running")
    } else if activity.automotive {
        print("In vehicle")
    } else if activity.cycling {
        print("Cycling")
    } else if activity.stationary {
        print("Stationary")
    }
}

activityManager.stopActivityUpdates()

Historical Activity Query

let yesterday = Calendar.current.date(byAdding: .day, value: -1, to: Date())!

activityManager.queryActivityStarting(
    from: yesterday,
    to: Date(),
    to: .main
) { activities, error in
    guard let activities else { return }
    for activity in activities {
        print("\(activity.startDate): walking=\(activity.walking)")
    }
}

CMAltimeter: Altitude Data

let altimeter = CMAltimeter()

guard CMAltimeter.isRelativeAltitudeAvailable() else { return }

altimeter.startRelativeAltitudeUpdates(to: .main) { data, error in
    guard let data else { return }
    print("Relative altitude: \(data.relativeAltitude) meters")
    print("Pressure: \(data.pressure) kPa")
}

altimeter.stopRelativeAltitudeUpdates()

For absolute altitude (GPS-based):

guard CMAltimeter.isAbsoluteAltitudeAvailable() else { return }

altimeter.startAbsoluteAltitudeUpdates(to: .main) { data, error in
    guard let data else { return }
    print("Altitude: \(data.altitude)m, accuracy: \(data.accuracy)m")
}

altimeter.stopAbsoluteAltitudeUpdates()

Update Intervals and Battery

Use the lowest frequency that meets your needs. CMMotionManager caps at 100 Hz per sample. For higher frequencies, use CMBatchedSensorManager on watchOS/iOS 17+.

Common Mistakes

DON'T: Create multiple CMMotionManager instances

// WRONG -- degrades update rates for all instances
class ViewA { let motion = CMMotionManager() }
class ViewB { let motion = CMMotionManager() }

// CORRECT -- single instance, shared across the app
@Observable
final class MotionService {
    static let shared = MotionService()
    let manager = CMMotionManager()
}

DON'T: Skip sensor availability checks

// WRONG -- crashes on devices without gyroscope
motionManager.startGyroUpdates(to: .main) { data, _ in }

// CORRECT -- check first
guard motionManager.isGyroAvailable else {
    showUnsupportedMessage()
    return
}
motionManager.startGyroUpdates(to: .main) { data, _ in }

DON'T: Forget to stop updates

// WRONG -- updates keep running, draining battery
class MotionVC: UIViewController {
    override func viewDidAppear(_ animated: Bool) {
        super.viewDidAppear(animated)
        motionManager.startAccelerometerUpdates(to: .main) { _, _ in }
    }
    // Missing viewDidDisappear stop!
}

// CORRECT -- stop in the counterpart lifecycle method
override func viewDidDisappear(_ animated: Bool) {
    super.viewDidDisappear(animated)
    motionManager.stopAccelerometerUpdates()
}

DON'T: Use unnecessarily high update rates

// WRONG -- 100 Hz for a compass display
motionManager.deviceMotionUpdateInterval = 1.0 / 100.0

// CORRECT -- 10 Hz is more than enough for a compass
motionManager.deviceMotionUpdateInterval = 1.0 / 10.0

DON'T: Assume all CMMotionActivity properties are mutually exclusive

// WRONG -- checking only one property
if activity.walking { handleWalking() }

// CORRECT -- multiple can be true simultaneously; check confidence
if activity.walking && activity.confidence == .high {
    handleWalking()
} else if activity.automotive && activity.confidence != .low {
    handleDriving()
}

Review Checklist

• NSMotionUsageDescription present in Info.plist with a clear explanation
• Single CMMotionManager instance shared across the app
• Sensor availability checked before starting updates (isAccelerometerAvailable, etc.)
• Authorization status checked before pedometer/activity APIs
• Update interval set to the lowest acceptable frequency
• All start*Updates calls have matching stop*Updates in lifecycle counterparts
• Handlers dispatched to appropriate queues (not blocking main for heavy processing)
• CMMotionActivity.confidence checked before acting on activity type
• Error parameters checked in update handlers
• Attitude reference frame chosen based on actual need (not defaulting to true north unnecessarily)

References

• Extended patterns (SwiftUI integration, batched sensor manager, headphone motion): references/motion-patterns.md
• CoreMotion framework
• CMMotionManager
• CMPedometer
• CMMotionActivityManager
• CMDeviceMotion
• CMAltimeter
• CMBatchedSensorManager
• Getting processed device-motion data