Trigger: Activity Recognition

This trigger fires when the device detects you are performing a particular physical activity with the specified confidence level. It uses Google Play Services to analyze sensor data and determine your current movement state.

Options

When configuring this trigger, select one of the following activities:

In Vehicle - Traveling in a car, bus, train, or other motorized transport
On Bicycle - Riding a bicycle
Running - Running or jogging
Walking - Walking at a normal pace
Still - Stationary with minimal movement

Confidence Level

Set a confidence threshold between 10% and 100%. This represents how certain the device must be that you are performing the selected activity before the trigger fires.

Lower values (30-50%) - Trigger fires more readily, but may produce false positives
Higher values (70-90%) - More accurate detection, but may occasionally miss legitimate activity changes

Comparison Mode

Greater than or equal to (≥) - The trigger fires when confidence rises to or above your threshold. Use this to detect when an activity starts.
Less than (<) - The trigger fires when confidence drops below your threshold. Use this to detect when an activity ends.

Example 1: Auto-connect car Bluetooth and play music

When you get in your car, automatically enable Bluetooth and start playing music.

Triggers

Activity Recognition - In Vehicle (≥ 50%)

Actions

Set Bluetooth State (Enable Bluetooth)
Wait (5 Seconds)
Connect to Bluetooth Device (Car Stereo)
Media Controls (Play)

Example 2: Disable Wi-Fi when leaving home on foot

When you start walking, disable Wi-Fi to save battery.

Triggers

Activity Recognition - Walking (≥ 60%)

Actions

Set Wi-Fi State (Disable Wi-Fi)

Constraints

Wi-Fi Connected

Example 3: Log when you stop running

Detect when a run has ended by monitoring for confidence dropping below threshold.

Triggers

Activity Recognition - Running (< 50%)

Actions

Write To File - Append "{hour}:{minute}:{second} - Run ended" to exercise_log.txt

Example 4: Enable Do Not Disturb when stationary at work

Automatically silence your phone when you're sitting still at work.

Triggers

Activity Recognition - Still (≥ 70%)

Actions

Set Do Not Disturb Mode (Priority Only)

Constraints

Location (At Work)

Tips for Reliability

Enable location services - GPS and network location data feed into the recognition algorithm and improve accuracy
Enable Wi-Fi scanning - Even when not connected, Wi-Fi scanning helps identify location context
Enable Bluetooth - Bluetooth connections (e.g., car audio systems) can help confirm vehicle detection
Adjust the update rate - The polling interval can be configured in MacroDroid Settings → Activity Recognition Update Rate (default is 120 seconds). Lower values detect changes faster but use more battery.

Permissions

On Android 10 and above, this trigger requires the Activity Recognition permission. MacroDroid will prompt you to grant this permission when you add the trigger.

Notes

The trigger will not fire repeatedly for the same activity. It only fires when the detected activity changes and crosses your confidence threshold.
When using greater than (≥) mode, the trigger fires when the selected activity becomes the most probable activity AND exceeds your confidence level.
When using less than (<) mode, the trigger fires when confidence for the selected activity drops below your threshold (useful for detecting when an activity has ended).
Detection accuracy depends on your device's sensors (accelerometer, gyroscope) and their quality. Some electric or very smooth vehicles may be harder to detect.
This trigger uses the Google Activity Recognition API via Google Play Services.

Troubleshooting

Trigger never fires - Lower the confidence threshold, ensure Google Play Services is installed and up to date
Too many false triggers - Increase the confidence threshold
Delayed detection - Reduce the Activity Recognition Update Rate in MacroDroid Settings
Vehicle not detected - Ensure location services are enabled; try lowering the confidence threshold

See Also

MacroDroid Settings Action - Can modify update rate