Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[cfc]

The new version of WorkOutDoors adds many new features to make it the most powerful and configurable workout app for Apple Watch (IMHO), as well as being the only app that shows a fully functional vector map to aid navigation.

This new thread is all about the new workout features in version 3.0. To read about the existing mapping and GPX route features check out the website: http://www.workoutdoors.net/Maps.html

The new workout features include:

- Completely configurable screens with 4 layouts and 3 different text sizes;
- over 160 live data metrics to choose from, including mini-graphs and buttons;
- ability to define multiple screens and cycle through them during the workout;
- interval alerts for distance, time, steps, ascent, and descent;
- maximum and minimum limit alerts for pace, heart rate, speed, and cadence;
- set a target pace and display the distance and time ahead or behind target;
- show a live icon on the map representing someone moving at target pace;
- manually start new laps or use automatic laps with configurable intervals;
- lap splits available for many metrics and at any time during or after the workout;
- many heartrate zone metrics with user configurable zones;
- much improved analytics screens on both the Watch and the iPhone;
- 3 separate rolling pace metrics with user configurable distance or time windows;
- improved geocaching capabilities including display of groundspeak extensions;
- new workout types: Cross Country Skiing, Paddling, Skating, Surfing, and Golf;
- improved settings screens, all with ability to jump straight back to workout by force pressing;
- now able to lock the screen and/or the crown, to avoid accidental touches;
- tapping a field now shows a full screen description of that field;
- can configure shortcut operations for triple-tapping, quadruple tapping or pressing both side buttons;
- new optional on-screen battery meter;
- many more new features and improvements

These features are detailed in the following posts.
[doublepost=1535620387][/doublepost]New Screen Layouts

You can now choose from 4 screen layouts:

Bottom: Data below the map (as before);
Tower: Between 2 and 4 full width data fields above 2 or 3 data fields (no map);
'L' Shape: Data below and also on the left side of the map;
Grid: 2x4, 2x5 or 3x6 data fields (no map).

Each of these formats can be displayed in 3 different text sizes. The smaller the text then the more fields that can be shown and the larger the map (if present). As before, you can always double tap to see a full screen map, and double tap again to see the data again.
[doublepost=1535620569][/doublepost]Configurable Screens

Each activity type has a set of data screens that can be cycled through during a workout by triple tapping anywhere on the display. So for example the default running screens are as follows:

- Overview (data at the bottom)
- Heart Rate (grid layout with no map)
- Target Pace ('L' shape layout)
- Steps (Tower layout with 2 full width fields and 2 smaller ones at the bottom).

The screens can be easily modified on either the iPhone or the Watch. For example it is very easy to delete the Steps screen or change it to show Elevation information. Or to add a new screen showing the Activity Ring information.

If these screens are not quite what the user wants then they can be customised to show exactly the metrics they require from a pool of over 160 different live fields. These metrics include many types of graphs and charts. The customisation can be performed on either the iPhone or the Watch app.

The metrics also include buttons that provide shortcuts for various operations, including direct access to settings screens of interest. For example the Target screen has a button showing the target pace. If you touch that button for more than 1.5 seconds (to avoid accidental touches) then it displays the target pace settings screen, where you can quickly change the target pace. This is much faster than going via the Settings menu to find that screen.
[doublepost=1535620633][/doublepost]Interval Alerts

You can now configure interval notifications for various properties, such as distance (e.g. every mile), time (e.g. every 5 minutes), steps (e.g. every 1000 steps), calories (e.g. every 100 calories), and distance ascended or descended (e.g. every 100m).

In each case you can control the length of interval (e.g. every 0.25 miles instead of every mile) and also whether or not the notification includes haptics, voice feedback, or on-screen messages when you raise your wrist within a few seconds of the haptic/voice.
[doublepost=1535620697][/doublepost]Limit Alerts

You can also now configure maximum and/or minimum limits for various properties, such as pace, heartrate, cadence and speed. As with notifications you can control whether or not the limit alerts use haptics, voice feedback or on-screen messages.

You can control the sensitivity of each limit, in terms of how many consecutive breaches are required before the user is informed. For example if you have a maximum heartrate of 170 configured with a sensitivity requirement of 3 consecutive breaches then 169, 172, 171, 168 will not result in a notification, but 169, 172, 171, 175 will do. You will also get notifications when the property has returned below the limit (or above the limit for minimum limits).
You can also specify the colour that a property is displayed in when a limit is breached. By default these are red (hot) for maximum limits and blue (cold) for minimum limits. This is the background colour in the notification and also in the data fields, which makes it easy to spot limit breaches amongst other data fields.
[doublepost=1535620774][/doublepost]Target Pace

The app now has the ability to set a target pace or speed. The user can then display fields such as the time or distance that you are ahead or behind someone who is moving at the target pace. When you are ahead of the target pace then the fields are shown in green, and when you are behind then they are shown in red. Both of these colours are configurable.

You can also display a yellow circle on the map, indicating whereabouts you or a competitor would be if running at that target pace. By default the yellow dot is shown only if you are viewing a screen configured with the "Target" profile. This is considered Auto mode. The Target Pace settings screen also allows you to switch the dot off, or make it always visible for any profile.

When in auto-rotate mode the GPS location arrow is positioned towards the bottom of the screen to show more of the map ahead of you. However if the target pace dot is displayed and the target is behind you, then the blue arrow will be positioned further up in order to show the chasing target. It will never be displayed higher than the centre of the screen.

I have found this much more useful than I expected. There is something about watching a dot catching you up or moving away that is much more effective as a motivator than just seeing the numbers for the distance or time difference.
[doublepost=1535620848][/doublepost]Rolling Pace

There are three new Rolling Pace and three new Rolling Speed fields. You can configure the periods for each of the fields in the Rolling Pace settings, which are under the Workout settings. These periods can be either time or distance and default to 1 mile / 1 km; 1 minute; and 0.25 miles / 0.25 km.

Generally the longer the period then the more accurate the value, whereas the shorter the period then the more responsive it is to speed changes.

These fields were added when I saw that Apple had included Rolling Mile Pace in the Workout app in watchOS 5, but I figured it would be handy to choose the period. There are 3 fields so that users can compare 3 different periods and decide which one is the best for them.
[doublepost=1535620905][/doublepost]Laps

The app now supports both manual and automatic laps. By default laps are automatic and use the same interval as distance notifications (which default to 1 mile or 1 kilometre). There is a "Laps" option in the Workout menu of the Settings that allows you to choose between Manual or Auto laps. If you select manual laps then you should configure a shortcut (for example pressing both side buttons) to start a new lap. Although if necessary then you could include a "new lap" button on the screen.

There are many metrics for laps. Practically every metric that covers a time period will also have versions for the current lap and for the previous lap. For example there are average pace metrics for the whole workout, for the current lap, and for the previous lap.

Lap splits can be shown on the watch at any time during the workout by force pressing and selecting Info. This shows a summary screen and a "Pace Splits" button. If you tap a different field on the summary screen (e.g. heart rate) then the button changes to show a "Heart Splits" button. This is explained in more detail in the Watch Analytics section.

The iPhone app allows extensive analysis of lap splits for many different fields, as explained in the iPhone Analytics section.
[doublepost=1535620972][/doublepost]Heart Rate Zones

The new version has two new ways of representing heart rate: intensity and zone. All heart rate values can now be displayed as bpm, intensity or zone.

Intensity is the percentage between configurable minimum and maximum heart rates. These default to 0 and 180, but can be changed by the user on either the iPhone or the watch. For example the maximum is often set to 220 minus the user's age, and the minimum could be changed to the user's resting heart rate if they prefer.

Heart rate zones are based on intensities. The idea is that the body is doing different things in each zone. For example zone 2 is considered the best for burning fat; zone 3 is the best for improving aerobic endurance and zone 4 is for anaerobic endurance. By default zone 0 is below 50%; zone 1 is between 50% and 60%; zone 2 is between 60% and 70% etc. However these values can also be configured by the user.

There are also new fields showing the percentage of the workout (or current lap or previous lap) in each zone. For example if you are interested in weight loss then you would be aiming to have a high percentage in zone 2, whereas if you wanted to improve your aerobic fitness then zone 3 would be better. These percentages can be shown as numbers, or as a bar chart showing the amount of time spent in each zone.

 

[cfc]

iPhone Analytics

The iPhone analytics screen has been completely rewritten with a "tabbed" format. It has roughly the same structure as before, but you can now use the tabs to switch the type of data that is displayed below them. Previously you could only control the graph contents but now you get to see several extra fields for that tab, and lap splits as well.

The background map has also been rewritten to be much darker but still readable. This has better contrast with the coloured routes and also better fits in with the dark theme of the app.

The button on the left below the tabs controls the units or the type of data that you see, such as Pace or Speed, Metres or Floors, BPM or Zones etc.

The button on the right controls whether you show the map or the lap splits (or both). The lap split fields are dependent upon the tab and the units settings, but they always include distance, time and some sort of elevation information. The elevation is included to give context because it often affects the other fields such as pace, heartrate etc. If there is room then both ascent and descent are shown, otherwise a single gain/loss is shown

The lap values are intelligently coloured to help highlight exceptional laps. For example pace fields are shown in green for faster laps and red for slower ones.

As before, if you touch the profile at the bottom and swipe across then the corresponding position is shown by a GPS arrow on the map and the fields in the tabs will change to reflect their values at that point. In addition, if lap splits are visible, then the lap that contains the touched position is highlighted.

Note that the new analytics are only shown for workouts created with the new version of the app. Previous workouts will still be shown using the old analytics screen.
[doublepost=1535621208][/doublepost]Watch App Analytics

The information screen on the watch that is shown when the user selects Info or End from the force press menu has been revised to work in a similar way to the new iPhone analytics screen. It now shows more fields and also a profile (as well as a map) for the selected field. By default it will show a graph and profile of pace, but the user can change this by tapping one of the data buttons. For example to show a heartrate graph then simply tap the heartrate button. This screen also allows cadence and calorie burn graphs to be plotted, unlike before.

When the user has completed at least one lap then a "Splits" button is shown. This displays a screen that shows the values for each lap. The fields shown are controlled by the selected button on the information screen. So by default it will show "Pace Splits", but if the user taps the heartrate value button then the Splits button will change to show "Heartrate Splits".

The Splits screen also allows the user to choose the units or type of data (similar to the left hand button on the new iPhone analytics screen). For example the Pace splits screen can show Pace fields or Speed fields, and the Heartrate splits screen can show BPM, Zone or Intensity fields.

Splits are therefore now available at any time during or after the workout. The fields available for splits include time, distance, pace, speed, max pace, max speed, bpm, max bpm, hr zone, hr intensity, ascent, descent, floors up, floors down, total calories, active calories, calorie burn rate, steps, cadence and stride length.

The End screen has also been changed so that the workout is automatically saved when you press End, instead of waiting until you press Save as was the case before. This is consistent with the Apple Workout app and also avoids the situation where the user forgets to press Save. The Discard option is now only shown if the user pressed End whilst still on the first lap (for accidental starts). Otherwise the Splits button is shown instead.
[doublepost=1535621267][/doublepost]Improved Geocaching

The app has new Geocaching capabilities. If you load a GPX file with groundspeak geocaching extensions then these values are displayed when you touch the geocache waypoint. These extensions include type, size, difficulty, description, hint and log information.

The new version also includes a screen showing the nearest waypoints in the currently selected GPX file. This is particularly useful for Geocaching and means that you can see cache details without having to find the cache's waypoint on the map.
[doublepost=1535621377][/doublepost]Other Improvements

There are loads of other new improvements including:

- new workout types: Cross Country Skiing, Paddle Sports, Surfing Sports, and Golf;
- improved settings screens, all with ability to jump straight back to the workout by force pressing;
- the ability to lock the screen and/or the crown, to avoid accidental touches;

- tapping a field now shows a full screen description of that field;
- shortcuts can be configured for triple-tapping, quadruple tapping or pressing both side buttons;

- if previously auto-rotating then it automatically starts rotating for new workouts when the direction is known;
- now saving flights climbed information with workout;
- new optional on-screen battery meter;
- many other changes.

Apologies for the very long posts!

 

[dbrewood]

And I've got to say even though I don't use the app nearly as deeply as I should (age v time etc) I find it a wonderful application to use and I'm proud to be beta testing it!

 

[rbart]

This app is really great ...
So much functionalities, settings ... Maybe too much but you can configure it like you want...
Thanks for your work !
Maybe you have some place of improvement regarding design/UI/UX to make it a bit less "geek" (fonts, colors ...); but it's not easy.

 

[cfc]

This app is really great ...
So much functionalities, settings ... Maybe too much but you can configure it like you want...
Thanks for your work !
Maybe you have some place of improvement regarding design/UI/UX to make it a bit less "geek" (fonts, colors ...); but it's not easy.

Glad you like the app. I may add some sort of "theme" options in the future, especially in terms of fonts. There is a logic behind the colours but I may possibly add an option to over-ride them as well.

Although, as you say, I have to be careful not to include too much configurability!

 

[rbart]

It's more difficult to keep something simple than adding too much things.
It's hard to find the good balance.
For example, I really like the Nike run club app design (fonts, colors, simplicity), but there are a lot of missing functions or data (and the app is buggy, slow ...). I understand it's really complex to find the good level of complexity for such a small screen.

 

[cfc]

And I've got to say even though I don't use the app nearly as deeply as I should (age v time etc) I find it a wonderful application to use and I'm proud to be beta testing it!

Thanks for your kind words. And thanks to all the fantastic beta testers who have helped to create the app. It literally would not have been possible without your enthusiasm, feedback, and great ideas!

 

[RednBlue]

And I've got to say even though I don't use the app nearly as deeply as I should (age v time etc) I find it a wonderful application to use and I'm proud to be beta testing it!

I second these comments. Superb app. Great for walking and probably just as great for other activities.

 

[Moshchops]

A truly amazing app that really adds value to the Apple Watch. This new release adds well thought out additions and I’m excited for version 4!

 

[batting1000]

Bought the app last night and used it today to run my first half marathon! I love seeing as much stats as I can (especially after runs) so this app is great. Thanks OP/dev!

Looking forward to intervals (hopefully similar to the Intervals app), then it'll be complete!

Would also be better (imo) if all of the settings were on the phone, like the alert stuff, etc then have it sync to the watch. There's a lot in there and it's definitely easier to tinker with all that on a bigger screen, especially if intervals are in the plan, those can get granular. No biggie though.

 

[cfc]

Thanks for buying the app. Glad you like it.

Intervals are high on my To Do list and will be configurable on the phone. I try to make as much as possible configurable on the watch (for use without a phone), but where something is sufficiently complex enough then I make it configurable on the iPhone as well. And intervals will almost certainly be complex enough to be much easier to edit on the bigger screen.

 

[batting1000]

Thanks for buying the app. Glad you like it.

Intervals are high on my To Do list and will be configurable on the phone. I try to make as much as possible configurable on the watch (for use without a phone), but where something is sufficiently complex enough then I make it configurable on the iPhone as well. And intervals will almost certainly be complex enough to be much easier to edit on the bigger screen.

Awesome, looking forward to it! The Apple Watch needs more high-quality apps like this. I tried to do a review but it says I can't since I'm on iOS 12 beta. I'll definitely submit a review once iOS 12 goes public!

 

[cfc]

Awesome, looking forward to it! The Apple Watch needs more high-quality apps like this. I tried to do a review but it says I can't since I'm on iOS 12 beta. I'll definitely submit a review once iOS 12 goes public!

Thanks for trying to review the app from your phone. I guess that Apple prevent reviews on iOS betas because it stops users complaining about a problem with the app that is actually down to the beta.

 

[rbart]

For the first time, I have tried to follow a route (GPX) with this app. It's really great and so convenient !
Incredible feature to discover new workout routes ...
But, for the second time this week, I have an issue : at the end of the workout, the map is not saved in Apple activity/health. I have the workout summary but no map.
I have to manually export GPX from workoutdoor to import it in Strava.
Do you know why ?

 

[cfc]

Glad you found it useful for following a GPX route.

If you are using the Hiking activity then the map never gets transferred with watchOS 4 because hiking is one of Apple's "Others" workout types, so it is best to use the Walking activity. I probably would have removed hiking from the latest version if they were not improving it in watchOS 5, where it becomes a major activity and will hopefully be better implemented.

However even if you are not using the Hiking workout then the map in Apple's Activity app sometimes does not appear, and this is the case for all 3rd party workout apps. I am hoping that it is better with watchOS 5. Some people using other apps say that rebooting both devices helps to make the map appear, so that may be worth trying. Sorry about that.

 

[rbart]

I am using "Running" activity. Usually it works, but I don't know what happened the last two times ...
I will try after a reboot to check if it helps.

 

[Midway123]

Just a short question, auto pause on "running" workout found and tested, that works fine. In the other workouts, like walking and cycling, I find a setting for "haptics on auto-pause", but not the setting "auto-pause when stopped", how does auto pause work here (if at all)? I do not see it "auto-pause" when I stop during a walk.

Otherwise still impressive...working my way through the enormous configuration possibilities. It is a bit overwhelming, but I have never seen a workout app with this degree of customisation, incredible!!

 

[cfc]

Unfortunately Apple currently only provide auto-pause for running workouts. The "haptics on auto-pause" setting should only be visible for running workouts but is shown for all workouts because of a bug (which I coincidentally spotted yesterday). Sorry about that.

Glad you like all the customisation. Sometimes I do worry that I may have gone a bit overboard with all the new features. Maybe that explains why Apple never want to feature it on the App Store: they like watch apps to be simple!

 

[dbrewood]

However even if you are not using the Hiking workout then the map in Apple's Activity app sometimes does not appear, and this is the case for all 3rd party workout apps. I am hoping that it is better with watchOS 5. Some people using other apps say that rebooting both devices helps to make the map appear, so that may be worth trying. Sorry about that.

I've never yet seen the map appear and I always use walking, one of the annoyances I'm hoping is resolved in Watch OS5.

 

[Otto Pilot]

Your app is amazing, hands down. I have been extensively testing the best running setup on the watch in the last few weeks as I start a return to running by trying to stick to a structured plan. My holy grail is an app that tracks metrics as well as yours does, and syncs as much data as possible back to the Heath/Activity apps (you win here so far...a lot of apps appear to not sync either maps or elevation, which tells me they haven’t been updated in a while), allows me to run without a phone (you are great here) and ideally allows a structured workout/interval training plan with voice cues. It sounds like you are looking at this, and I for one cannot wait, and will gladly beta test anything you have to offer in this area. So far I have been using either iSmoothRun, which does great custom interval plans but is a bit flaky in saving data to Health, or a combination of the native workouts app and “Intervals Pro” running simultaneously to provide the workout prompts. This works OK, but when you disable the fitness tracking in Intervals, it also disables display of pace, etc. As a developer with deep knowledge on this subject, maybe you can answer this...when running two fitness apps simultaneously, such as Intervals and either Workouts or your app, can you set which one defaults to displaying? So far when running Intervals and Workout, I can switch and look at Workouts, but it always switches back to Intervals. I would prefer intervals to run in the background and give me my prompts, but keep the pace, etc display from workouts showing when I check the watch. Or, ideally, you can just add interval training and we can put this multiple app mess to bed Again, great app!

 

[cfc]

Glad you like the app! No one really asked for intervals until I released this version but I guess that's partly because it includes so many other things that people had been asking for.

As far as I know it isn't possible to run two workouts that use Apple's workout system at the same time. The Apple documentation says that if you start a workout then it ends any previously running workouts. If you are seeing Intervals Pro taking over the display rather than the other app then it could be because you are starting the workout on the other app first.

So it may be worth starting the workout on Intervals Pro first. Starting the workout on the other app will then kill off the workout for Intervals Pro but may keep the notifications running, whilst the other app controls the workout and defaults to being displayed.

However this is complete speculation because it depends on Intervals Pro continuing to give notifications after its workout is killed off (which is completely up to that app).

Meanwhile I will look into adding intervals to WorkOutDoors!

 

[Otto Pilot]

Glad you like the app! No one really asked for intervals until I released this version but I guess that's partly because it includes so many other things that people had been asking for.

As far as I know it isn't possible to run two workouts that use Apple's workout system at the same time. The Apple documentation says that if you start a workout then it ends any previously running workouts. If you are seeing Intervals Pro taking over the display rather than the other app then it could be because you are starting the workout on the other app first.

So it may be worth starting the workout on Intervals Pro first. Starting the workout on the other app will then kill off the workout for Intervals Pro but may keep the notifications running, whilst the other app controls the workout and defaults to being displayed.

However this is complete speculation because it depends on Intervals Pro continuing to give notifications after its workout is killed off (which is completely up to that app).

Meanwhile I will look into adding intervals to WorkOutDoors!

Weird that the Apple documentation states that...Intervals Pro specifically advertises the ability to run alongside another fitness app in its release notes for its 5.0 release on the app store page (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intervals-pro-workout-timer/id957586938?mt=8). The relevant line:
- Use Intervals at the same time as the Apple Workout App or another fitness app. Just edit the timer settings to disable fitness tracking.
I will give starting it first a shot and see if that changes anything when I run again tomorrow. Yesterday's run I forgot to disable fitness tracking on Intervals and Activities very definitely recorded two workouts at the same time. Sorry to derail this in to a general apple watch fitness app question thing. If you can add interval training or full structured workouts in WorkOutDoors you will be filling a niche that as far as I can see does not exist...detailed robust tracking and import into Health/Activities AND guided training plans.

 

[cfc]

Weird that the Apple documentation states that...Intervals Pro specifically advertises the ability to run alongside another fitness app in its release notes for its 5.0 release on the app store page (https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/intervals-pro-workout-timer/id957586938?mt=8). The relevant line:
- Use Intervals at the same time as the Apple Workout App or another fitness app. Just edit the timer settings to disable fitness tracking.
I will give starting it first a shot and see if that changes anything when I run again tomorrow. Yesterday's run I forgot to disable fitness tracking on Intervals and Activities very definitely recorded two workouts at the same time. Sorry to derail this in to a general apple watch fitness app question thing. If you can add interval training or full structured workouts in WorkOutDoors you will be filling a niche that as far as I can see does not exist...detailed robust tracking and import into Health/Activities AND guided training plans.

I imagine that disabling the fitness tracking will mean that the app does not run a workout, and can act as a timer for another app that does run a workout. I'm not sure how both apps managed to create workouts if that wasn't disabled.

However there is a difference between running a workout (which only one app can do at a time) and saving a workout to the system (which any workout app can do at any time). So maybe the Apple Workout app saved the details for the workout despite the workout it was running being terminated when you started the Intervals workout?

Again, this is all speculation though!

 

[Otto Pilot]

I imagine that disabling the fitness tracking will mean that the app does not run a workout, and can act as a timer for another app that does run a workout. I'm not sure how both apps managed to create workouts if that wasn't disabled.

However there is a difference between running a workout (which only one app can do at a time) and saving a workout to the system (which any workout app can do at any time). So maybe the Apple Workout app saved the details for the workout despite the workout it was running being terminated when you started the Intervals workout?

Again, this is all speculation though!

Real Time test update:
I went for a 3 mile run this morning doing intervals, and tested out the theory on how to keep an app in focus. I started Intervals Pro (tracking disabled) and Apple Workouts next. When I checked after a minute or so, Intervals was back in focus. As a test, I then stopped Workout and started a run with your app. To my delight and surprise, this did exactly what I wanted it to do. WorkOutDoors stayed in focus allowing me to see pace, time, etc metrics and Intervals did its thing in the background and gave me the prompts I wanted!!! So very happy that this worked. I MAY have a theory on how this works...I wonder if it has to do with an apps position in the Dock. I have Intervals “higher” in the dock than Workouts. WorkOutDoors is not currently a stored app (changing today!) so it moved into the top slot while running. Will test more on my next run.

One minor annoyance with running Intervals and WorkOutDoors is that I may have to disable voice prompts in your app. The first prompt from Intervals was loud and clear, but I have distance alerts set to .5 mile in WorkOutDoors and after it alerted for the first time, the Intervals prompt was very quiet, like WorkOutDoors was still in control of whatever controls the voice prompt. Not sure if this is normal or a result of me running WatchOS 5 beta. Anyway, very minor, and I suspect disabling voice prompts in WorkOutDoors will solve it.

Let me say that your app has now earned my props, after LOTS of testing, as the BEST fitness tracking app for outdoor runs. You have the best flexibility of information displayed and hands down the best intergration with Apple Health/Activites. Extremely well done, and I will definitely throw my hat in the ring if and when you want to beta test future versions.

 

[cfc]

Real Time test update:
I went for a 3 mile run this morning doing intervals, and tested out the theory on how to keep an app in focus. I started Intervals Pro (tracking disabled) and Apple Workouts next. When I checked after a minute or so, Intervals was back in focus. As a test, I then stopped Workout and started a run with your app. To my delight and surprise, this did exactly what I wanted it to do. WorkOutDoors stayed in focus allowing me to see pace, time, etc metrics and Intervals did its thing in the background and gave me the prompts I wanted!!! So very happy that this worked. I MAY have a theory on how this works...I wonder if it has to do with an apps position in the Dock. I have Intervals “higher” in the dock than Workouts. WorkOutDoors is not currently a stored app (changing today!) so it moved into the top slot while running. Will test more on my next run.

One minor annoyance with running Intervals and WorkOutDoors is that I may have to disable voice prompts in your app. The first prompt from Intervals was loud and clear, but I have distance alerts set to .5 mile in WorkOutDoors and after it alerted for the first time, the Intervals prompt was very quiet, like WorkOutDoors was still in control of whatever controls the voice prompt. Not sure if this is normal or a result of me running WatchOS 5 beta. Anyway, very minor, and I suspect disabling voice prompts in WorkOutDoors will solve it.

Let me say that your app has now earned my props, after LOTS of testing, as the BEST fitness tracking app for outdoor runs. You have the best flexibility of information displayed and hands down the best intergration with Apple Health/Activites. Extremely well done, and I will definitely throw my hat in the ring if and when you want to beta test future versions.

That is great to hear! Now I know what to suggest as a workaround for users who want intervals (until I implement them in the app), so many thanks for that.

I am always on the lookout for beta testers. Unfortunately there isn't a beta to test at the moment, but if you email me at info@workoutdoors.net then I will be very happy to add you to the program for the next beta.