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 6.3 / 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: 
how to use core-motion
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use core-motion on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add core-motion
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills --skill core-motioncopy
The skills CLI fetches core-motion from GitHub repository dpearson2699/swift-ios-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/core-motion
Reload or restart Cursor to activate core-motion. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /core-motion) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?