Choose the instructions you need: setting up an event, joining one, or understanding what happens once it starts. All three guides cover Competitions, Pools and Social games.
01 / STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
CREATE AN EVENT.
Organising the event? Start with the format you want to create. The setup controls what other people agree to when they join.
Create a CompetitionChoose the activity, format and entry conditions.+
Choose Competition in the create menu
Sign in to ASTA and open the central create action. Select Competition. Give the event a name and choose public or private visibility. Public events can be discovered; private events use restricted access and invitations.
Set what the entrants will compete on
Select Walking, Running, Cycling or Swimming and the duration. Choose solo or squad participation. The current creation flow supports one to 30 whole days. Check the entry amount and the fixed prize schedule before creating the event; the actual field and conditions shown in the app apply.
Arrange participation
Make the event available to the intended entrants. For squad events, the captain’s open or invite-only admission setting determines how players enter the squad. Creation and participation are different actions: check the entrant list to confirm your own place if you intend to compete.
Check the start status
A Competition waits for its required field to fill. It then locks and is scheduled for the next midnight in South African Standard Time. Creating the event does not start the activity window immediately. Check the scheduled dates and your activity connection before taking part.
Create a PoolSet the daily goals, dates, time zone and shared contribution.+
Choose Pool in the create menu
Open the central create action and select Pool. Add a title and choose public or private visibility so the right people can discover or access the challenge.
Define the daily commitment
Choose one or more goals from steps, running, cycling, swimming and sleep. Set each required target. Where sleep timing conditions are selected, check those as well as duration. Every selected target must pass each day; one goal cannot substitute for another.
Set the date and contribution
Choose a future start date, the Pool’s time zone, duration and common contribution. Everyone contributes the same amount. Review these details before creating the Pool: the creator joins and contributes during creation.
Invite participants before the start
Share access with the intended participants. A new date-based Pool starts at midnight on its chosen date, even if only the creator has joined. Joining closes then. The creator can cancel before the start with refunds, but a started wallet Pool cannot simply be deleted.
Create a Social gameChoose the sport, players, meeting place and time.+
Choose Social game in the create menu
Open the central create action and select Social game. Give it a name, select the sport and add a description that tells players what is being arranged. A Custom game provides simple point scoring; Hiking uses a timer without a competitive score.
Set the practical details
Add the meeting point, start time, optional end time and player count. Choose public visibility for discovery or private access for invited players. Adding a venue to ASTA does not reserve it: arrange any court or facility booking separately.
Bring the players together
Make the game available to the intended players and check the participant list. All places must be filled before the host starts. Except for Hiking, everyone must select one of the two teams, with players on both sides.
Start when everyone is ready
Check the players and teams before starting, because teams are fixed once play begins. The host controls start, pause, resume and finish. Joined participants use the sport’s scoring controls during play and can correct mistaken entries.
Taking part in someone else’s event? You can join without creating one. Choose the relevant format for the steps and the details to check first.
Join a CompetitionFind an open event and check the activity and entry rules.+
Find the event
Open Play and browse Competitions, or use the access provided for a private event. Check that the Competition is still filling and that you meet the event’s participation requirements.
Read the listing before committing
Check the activity, duration, league, required entrants, solo or squad format, entry amount and fixed prize schedule. For a squad event, follow its admission arrangements. Do not assume that another Competition uses the same field or prize terms.
Join and confirm your place
Use the event’s join flow and review the entry being committed. Check that you or your squad appear in the event. Connect the supported activity evidence you need. You can leave while the Competition is filling and receive your entry back in the wallet; normal withdrawal closes when it locks.
Return for the scheduled start
Once the field fills and locks, check the start and end shown in ASTA. The current start rule is the next midnight in South African Standard Time. Activity before the start does not count. Follow your total and sync status while the event runs.
Join a PoolCheck every daily goal and join before the selected start.+
Find a Pool you can access
Browse Pools in Play or use a valid invitation to a private Pool. Check the start date first: new date-based Pools close joining when they start, regardless of how many people have joined.
Review the entire commitment
Read every goal, the duration, time zone and equal contribution. Include sleep duration or timing requirements where selected. Make sure the relevant supported activity records can reach ASTA. Extra activity cannot replace a different missed target.
Join before the start
Complete the Pool’s join flow and confirm your participation and contribution. You can leave before the start and receive your entry back. The start is midnight on the chosen date in the Pool’s time zone, not necessarily midnight where you are.
Check progress every day
Meet every required daily target and check that the evidence reaches ASTA before the upload deadline. If a target fails after the daily allowance closes, your qualifying run ends and your contribution remains in the Pool. Read the completion and refund rules below before joining.
Join a Social gameCheck the plan, take a place and select your team.+
Find a game
Browse Social games in Play or open an invitation to a private game. Nearby discovery uses distance to the meeting point, not the live location of other players. Check that places are available.
Read the practical details
Confirm the sport, date, start time, meeting point, description and player count. Check any venue arrangements with the organiser before travelling. Social-game participation is free in the current model.
Join and choose a team
Complete the game’s join flow and check that your name appears in the participant list. For scored sports, choose a team before the host starts. Hiking does not use the competitive team requirement. All places must be filled and both teams need players before a scored game can start.
Play and help keep the score
Meet at the agreed place and time. The host starts the game; joined participants record and correct points using the selected sport’s controls. You do not need to create your own game to participate. Afterwards, the recorded result appears in participation history and can be shared.
These rules apply whether you created the event or joined it. Read the activity window, daily checks, scoring and results for your format.
01 / RANKED ACTIVITY TOTALS
RANKED ACTIVITY TOTALS
COMPETITIONS.
A Competition compares the eligible activity you record across the whole event. Everyone in the event uses the same activity and time window; the largest qualifying total ranks first.
01
Before the start
Choose Walking, Running, Cycling or Swimming, then review the event duration, field, solo or squad format, league, entry and fixed prize schedule. Join while places are available. You can leave while the event is filling and receive your entry back in the wallet. When its required field fills, the Competition locks; its current start rule is the next midnight in South African Standard Time.
02
While you take part
Steps count towards Walking. Suitable saved workouts supply Running and Cycling kilometres or Swimming metres. Eligible activity inside the event window is added to your total; for squads, members’ eligible totals are combined. Check progress and sync feedback in the app. You do not have to win each day or maintain a daily streak.
03
At the finish
Exercise after the end time does not count. A current seven-minute allowance lets earlier eligible records arrive, then results use the qualifying totals. Current tie handling favours earlier joining: the entrant for solo events, or earliest-joined member for squads. Relevant reports or anomalies may hold an affected prize for review.
04
The result
The event’s advertised prize schedule determines allocations. A squad prize is split among its members. Activity-specific trophies and leagues track progression separately for Walking, Running, Cycling and Swimming. A wallet result credit is separate from an external transfer; internal-test balances have no cash value.
A Pool checks whether you complete a shared set of daily targets. You can qualify alongside other participants; their extra activity does not count against you.
01
Before the start
Read the chosen goals, start date, time zone, duration and equal contribution. Goals can cover steps, running, cycling, swimming and sleep, with sleep timing conditions where selected. The creator joins during creation. New date-based Pools begin at midnight on the chosen date regardless of headcount; joining closes then. You can leave before the start, and the creator can cancel before the start, with entry refunds.
02
Each day
Complete every selected target within that Pool day. One completed goal cannot replace another, and extra activity cannot be carried forward to repair a later day. Check the source records and ASTA sync status. Main sleep is assigned to the day on which the sleep interval ends. The Pool’s time zone determines its day boundary.
03
When a day is checked
The current seven-minute upload allowance is for activity recorded before the day ended. After that allowance, missing any required goal ends your qualifying run and your contribution remains in the Pool. There is no current pay-to-rejoin or buy-back step. Avoid relying on a last-minute background sync.
04
At completion or an early finish
Remaining qualifiers share the collected total equally, with no commission in ASTA’s Pool allocation calculation. In a Pool that began with multiple people, one remaining qualifier can trigger an early finish. If nobody qualifies, entries are refunded. A sole entrant can only receive their own contribution back; no extra prize is created.
A Social game brings players together at an agreed place and time. Scores are entered by participants using the controls for their sport, independently of activity-based events.
01
Arrange the game
The host chooses the sport, description, venue or meeting point, time, player count and public or private visibility. Players review the details and join or accept an invitation. Public nearby discovery uses distance to the venue, not other players’ live locations. Venue bookings need to be arranged separately.
02
Get ready to play
All places must be filled before the host starts. For scored sports, every participant chooses a team and both teams need players. Hiking is the exception because it has no competitive score. Teams are fixed once play begins. The host controls start, pause, resume and finish.
03
Enter and correct the score
Joined players can add points and undo or remove score entries. Basketball uses one-, two- and three-point actions; tennis and padel use their points, games and sets structure. Other sports have their own controls. The app records what participants enter; it does not referee the game or infer points from a workout.
04
Finish and share
The host, scheduled end or a supported winning condition can finish the game. The result is kept in participation history and can be shared with an optional photo. Social games are free in the current model. They do not automatically register players for a Competition or Pool.
Competitions and Pools use eligible records from supported activity connections. On iPhone, you choose which Apple Health permissions to allow. ASTA reads the permitted steps, workout distance and sleep data; it does not write health records through that connection.
Running, cycling and swimming need suitable saved workouts. Manually entered Health records do not qualify. Check the activity type, event window and sync status if a total looks different.
A local reading, an enabled connection and a successful upload are different states. Check that the record reaches ASTA before the event’s deadline. The current seven-minute upload allowance is for earlier activity only. Duplicate evidence is handled to avoid counting the same activity twice.
The current route is Strava → Apple Health → ASTA. Activity needs to reach Apple Health with the required workout details before ASTA can assess it for an event.
SOCIAL FEATURES
Follow, post and message
Share photos and results, comment on posts and follow other people. Direct messaging is available when both people follow one another. You can use social features without connecting Apple Health.
WATCH COMPANIONS
Scoring from your wrist
Apple Watch and Garmin companion options focus on scoring Social games through a paired phone. Contact ASTA to check current availability and compatibility for your watch and phone.
ENTRIES, ALLOCATIONS & REFUNDS
UNDERSTAND THE RESULT.
Each format has its own rules
A Competition uses the fixed prize schedule advertised before entry. A Pool shares its collected total between qualifying participants. A Social game records the score of a free recreational activity. These outcomes should not be treated as interchangeable.
A wallet entry is not a bank transfer
Entry deductions, refunds, held amounts and result credits are recorded in the ASTA wallet. A refund into that wallet is separate from returning money to an original payment method, and a result allocation does not prove an external transfer has completed.
Internal testing uses non-cash balances
During internal testing, balances have no cash value. Entries, refunds and results exercise the event rules, while cash deposits and withdrawals are disabled in that mode. Contact ASTA for current access and participation availability.
01 / RANKED ACTIVITY TOTALS
02 / EVERY REQUIRED GOAL, EVERY DAY
ORGANISE SPORT AND KEEP SCORE
SOCIAL GAMES.
A Social game brings players together at an agreed place and time. Scores are entered by participants using the controls for their sport, independently of activity-based events.
Arrange the game
The host chooses the sport, description, venue or meeting point, time, player count and public or private visibility. Players review the details and join or accept an invitation. Public nearby discovery uses distance to the venue, not other players’ live locations. Venue bookings need to be arranged separately.
Get ready to play
All places must be filled before the host starts. For scored sports, every participant chooses a team and both teams need players. Hiking is the exception because it has no competitive score. Teams are fixed once play begins. The host controls start, pause, resume and finish.
Enter and correct the score
Joined players can add points and undo or remove score entries. Basketball uses one-, two- and three-point actions; tennis and padel use their points, games and sets structure. Other sports have their own controls. The app records what participants enter; it does not referee the game or infer points from a workout.
Finish and share
The host, scheduled end or a supported winning condition can finish the game. The result is kept in participation history and can be shared with an optional photo. Social games are free in the current model. They do not automatically register players for a Competition or Pool.