Guide · 4 November 2026
Moves app alternative for iPhone (2026)
Moves recorded a day on the phone, then Facebook shut it down in 2018. This page lists what to check in a replacement, and what PathPal, Arc Timeline, and Replay each publish about themselves.
What Moves did
On 2 July 2018, Facebook said it was shutting down Moves, an app it had bought in 2014. Facebook called Moves a fitness app that recorded daily activity, including walking, cycling, and running. The same post said the Moves app and the Moves API would be deprecated on 31 July 2018, and that Facebook would delete the app's user data within 90 days.
People who relied on Moves, and the products that offered to take its place that summer, treated it as a timeline of the day: movement and the places the day included, recorded without a workout timer. The app is gone. The search remains, because that kind of automatic day log is still what many people want on an iPhone.
What to look for in a replacement
A useful replacement is an app you can leave running. These are practical checks, not a scoreboard.
- Automatic recording, so a missed start button does not leave a gap in the day.
- A timeline you can correct when a place or a trip is wrong.
- A map of past places and the routes between them.
- Some recognition of how you traveled.
- A plain account of background location and battery. An all-day log on iPhone usually needs location access set to Always.
- A plain account of where the history is stored, and whether the app requires an account.
What Arc Timeline, Replay, and PathPal publish
Arc Timeline and Replay are two current iPhone apps that publish this kind of automatic timeline. PathPal is a third, and it is the app this site documents. The table repeats each publisher's own description as of 4 November 2026. Empty claims are left out. Moves is not a column, because the app is no longer available.
| Topic | PathPal | Arc Timeline | Replay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording | Automatic. No need to start and stop each activity. | Automatic, in the background, with no buttons to press. | Automatic, in the background, with no manual entry. |
| Editing the timeline | You can manually edit the activity timeline. | You can correct a place or how you travelled. The publisher says the app learns from those corrections. | You can confirm or edit places. |
| Map history | Historical locations and routes on a map. | Visits and trips, with the timeline beside a map. History is searchable. | Places and routes on a map of your days. |
| How you travelled | Automatic recognition of transport modes. The PathPal site does not name each mode. | Walking, running, cycling, driving, train, bus, airplane, and more than 20 other activity types. | Walking, cycling, and driving. Replay's site also mentions running and other modes. |
| Battery and Always location | With location access set to Always, approximately 3–5% of battery per day. Actual use varies by device and conditions. | Records in the background and uses a lower-power mode while you stay in one place. This page does not repeat a battery percentage for Arc. | Tracks in the background. The publisher describes it as battery-optimized. This page does not repeat a battery percentage for Replay. |
| Data and account | The PathPal website does not say where the timeline is stored, or whether an account is required. Check the App Store listing. | Stored on the iPhone. No account. Optional backup to your own iCloud. | Stored on the device. No sign-in. Optional iCloud backup. |
| Availability | iPhone app on the App Store. Current device requirements are on that listing. | iPhone app. The publisher says Arc Timeline 4 requires iOS 26 or later. | iPhone app. The App Store listing says it requires iOS 17.5 or later. |
Arc's site says Arc Timeline 4 is the current app, that the original Arc Timeline has been on the App Store since 2016, and that version 4 offers a free trial, then a subscription or a one-time purchase. Replay's App Store listing shows a free download with in-app purchases. PathPal's website does not state a price. Use each App Store listing for the current price and device requirements.
Apple's App Store notice on Arc Timeline and Replay says that using location while the app is not open can decrease battery life. The same kind of notice applies to background location in general. The 3–5% figure above is the only battery percentage this page takes from a publisher, and it is the figure already published on the PathPal homepage.
PathPal
PathPal is an automatic activity tracker for iPhone. It organizes the day into a timeline of activities, routes, and visited places. Recording runs without a start and stop for each activity.
You can edit the timeline by hand and open historical locations and routes on a map. The app recognizes transport modes, shows activity charts, can share an image of a route, and can open navigation to a saved location.
With location access set to Always, PathPal uses approximately 3–5% of battery per day. Actual battery use may vary depending on your device and usage conditions. Location and route accuracy depend on GPS signal quality and network connectivity. When the signal is weak, the recorded line can be less accurate.
PathPal is one solid option when you want that automatic record. It is not a ranking, and it does not import a Moves archive. If you still have a Moves export from 2018, keep the file. This page does not claim that PathPal, Arc Timeline, or Replay can open it.
Download on the App StoreQuestions
Do I need to start and stop recording in PathPal?
No. PathPal supports automatic activity recording, so you do not need to manually start and stop each activity.
How much battery does PathPal use with Always location?
With location access set to Always, PathPal uses approximately 3–5% of your battery per day. Actual battery use may vary depending on your device and usage conditions.
Can I edit the timeline?
Yes. You can manually edit your activity timeline and view historical locations and routes on a map.