Strava adds support for iPhone-free running & biking with GPS on Apple Watch Series 2
Via an update, Strava's signature fitness app now makes use of the GPS on the Apple Watch Series 2 -- allowing activity tracking without carrying an iPhone along, the developer has announced.
When installed on a Series 2, the app can track pace, speed, and distance without an iPhone's help, along with time and heart rate. While Strava already had Watch support, the app wasn't fully functional on watchOS without an iPhone carried in a pocket or armband.
Series 2 owners can enable the new functionality simply by updating the iPhone app.
Strava is one of the most popular fitness apps for Apple platforms, supporting distance-based activities like running and cycling. While providing stats, the app also places a heavy emphasis on mapping and social networking, including leaderboards.
Relatively few fitness apps have announced support for GPS on the Series 2, one example being Runkeeper. Another is Nike+ Run Club, which also comes pre-installed on the Apple Watch Nike+.
The latest version of Strava is a free download, but requires iOS 9.3 or later. Some functions -- namely coaching, live feedback, and more detailed post-workout analysis -- are locked behind a Strava Premium subscription, which costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
When installed on a Series 2, the app can track pace, speed, and distance without an iPhone's help, along with time and heart rate. While Strava already had Watch support, the app wasn't fully functional on watchOS without an iPhone carried in a pocket or armband.
Series 2 owners can enable the new functionality simply by updating the iPhone app.
Strava is one of the most popular fitness apps for Apple platforms, supporting distance-based activities like running and cycling. While providing stats, the app also places a heavy emphasis on mapping and social networking, including leaderboards.
Relatively few fitness apps have announced support for GPS on the Series 2, one example being Runkeeper. Another is Nike+ Run Club, which also comes pre-installed on the Apple Watch Nike+.
The latest version of Strava is a free download, but requires iOS 9.3 or later. Some functions -- namely coaching, live feedback, and more detailed post-workout analysis -- are locked behind a Strava Premium subscription, which costs $5.99 per month or $59.99 per year.
Comments
As a side question does anyone have ideas as to why there is no Apple support for podcasts or audiobooks on the Apple Watch? There's only one app so far that can do podcasts and it's a janky process.
I'd love to leave my phone at home when I run every day and not just on race day. I thought that day would come with the Series 2, but it hasn't so far.
My guess would be that the design of the watch app previously relied on the phone being present and doing some of processing. This was quite a common approach because the first version of watchOS didn't even allow the app to run on the watch - most of the app had to run on the phone and pass data to the watch. With watchOS 2 and 3 the app does run on the watch but not all of the functionality available in iOS is available in watchOS, so it is often still easier to leave some of the processing on the iPhone and send it to the watch. Rewriting this functionality to run on the watch could be what has taken them so long. It could have entailed a change to the fundamental architecture of the app from being split across the iPhone and the watch to running exclusively on the watch.
However this is all just guesswork as I know nothing about the Strava app!
Are you having problems when you run without the iPhone and only the Watch? I use the Nike Run App and haven't had problems with it.
I use the app on the watch(which in the latest versions runs independent of the phone app), but carry my phone anyway.
Then I realized it was my sleeve (or something) hitting the watch. I solved the problem by "locking" it after I start it running: (Swipe left and tap the lock button at the top of the screen). Apple suggests that this is for other purposes -- but it means you have to turn the watch dial before stopping a workout -- so it solves the sleeve problem as well.
I wish that Steve Jobs could come back for even just a day to see all the things his creation created!