Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[kevroc]

We have it promised in the next update
It will be just as good as in Fenix ... maybe without routing on the watch, but the position on the route, the remaining distance to waypoints and the end of the route and the altitude profile - everything we hikers can dream about

Sounds exciting! Any chance for an "Off Route" notification?

 

[cfc]

Sounds exciting! Any chance for an "Off Route" notification?

The app already has that, but it doesn't repeatedly alert as was requested. It is just a single alert when you deviate from the route and then no off-route alerts until you rejoin it again.

 

[CM9ja]

The app already has that, but it doesn't repeatedly alert as was requested. It is just a single alert when you deviate from the route and then no off-route alerts until you rejoin it again.

Thank you for the app, been using it for a few years now.

I wanted to ask is there a way to see paces for every lap after a workout instead of the total with a graph , like the way Apple workout handles it , I reckon there maybe a setting I am not familiar with cos there are loads .

So I know which pace for a particular lap

Thank you

 

[mgmooij]

Thank you for the app, been using it for a few years now.

I wanted to ask is there a way to see paces for every lap after a workout instead of the total with a graph , like the way Apple workout handles it , I reckon there maybe a setting I am not familiar with cos there are loads .

So I know which pace for a particular lap

Thank you

On the workout screen you can tap on the button right called “Map” and choose “Laps” or “Laps & Map”.

 

[CM9ja]

On the workout screen you can tap on the button right called “Map” and choose “Laps” or “Laps & Map”.

You are the best ❕ Thank you

 

[iamasmith]

Quick question here on the new feature to allow you to use the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra. It mentions that Workout needs to be selected on the Apple Watch App and WorkOutdoors needs to be selected, however, after updating I only see the Apple Workout app appear there - is there some extra step? (iOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.2)

 

[gtjeta]

Quick question here on the new feature to allow you to use the Action button on the Apple Watch Ultra. It mentions that Workout needs to be selected on the Apple Watch App and WorkOutdoors needs to be selected, however, after updating I only see the Apple Workout app appear there - is there some extra step? (iOS 16.2 and watchOS 9.2)

Maybe you only have it updated in the iPhone and not in the watch. Try to update it in the App Store in the watch itself. Sometimes the versions are not in sync (for me it is an obvious bug in apple implementation)

 

[cfc]

Maybe you only have it updated in the iPhone and not in the watch. Try to update it in the App Store in the watch itself. Sometimes the versions are not in sync (for me it is an obvious bug in apple implementation)

It is really annoying. It happens every time I release and I still don't understand why Apple don't update the watch app when the iPhone app is updated. I asked about it a few years ago on their forums and they said that it is because the watch app is able to run independently without requiring the iPhone app.

For some reason they think that means that users will not want the watch app to be updated when they update the iPhone app. However in my experience 99% of users probably expect the watch app to be updated when the iPhone app is updated. I read post by a WOD user on social media yesterday who saw a warning about needing to update the WOD watch app, and then realised that 4 more of his watch apps were also out-of-date.

At the very least I think it should be optional, or the user should be asked "Do you want to update the watch app as well?". The strange thing is that often the watch app does get updated, but maybe that is when both apps are updated automatically.

What makes it even worse is that I can't change the app back to not be independent because Apple do not allow that. It is a one-way change. I made the app independent thinking that it will help the small minority of WOD users who do not use the iPhone app, but I actually caused issues for the vast majority that do use the iPhone app.

I try to mitigate the problem with each release. For example the apps now look at each other's version numbers when they communicate, and will warn the user when they don't match. However this only happens when they need to communicate, so I plan to improve it so that the watch app will always try to communicate with the iPhone app when it starts up, to determine if that is more up to date.

I don't like working around what I think is a bug, but it doesn't look like Apple have any plans to fix it because they do not consider it a bug.

Another problem is that the TestFlight system used for beta testing always updates the watch app. This is a good thing generally (I wish the App Store did the same), but it means that any workarounds I add are never beta tested.

Apologies for the very long rant!

 

[kevroc]

It is really annoying. It happens every time I release and I still don't understand why Apple don't update the watch app when the iPhone app is updated. I asked about it a few years ago on their forums and they said that it is because the watch app is able to run independently without requiring the iPhone app.


Apologies for the very long rant!

That's actually excellent feedback and I appreciate the insights into the core issue. Good for users to know! Thanks.

 

[iamasmith]

Maybe you only have it updated in the iPhone and not in the watch. Try to update it in the App Store in the watch itself. Sometimes the versions are not in sync (for me it is an obvious bug in apple implementation)

No, sadly that's not it. I checked on the Apple Watch store and it just said 'Open' and also tried sending some sensor changes to the app on the watch from the iPhone after the update and no warnings.

 

[cfc]

No, sadly that's not it. I checked on the Apple Watch store and it just said 'Open' and also tried sending some sensor changes to the app on the watch from the iPhone after the update and no warnings.

What version do you see when you go to the WOD watch app Settings and then tap More? Scroll down to the bottom to see the version number.

If it does not say 4.8.8 then you need to update it. When you say that the App Watch store says Open, do you mean the App Store app on the watch? Not the Apple Watch section of the App Store app on the iPhone.

If you do not have 4.8.8 on the WOD watch app, and you cannot update by using the App Store on the watch, then you could try by using Apple's Watch app on the iPhone to uninstall and reinstall the app. However this will lose the data in the watch app so you will then need to go to the File Management section of the iPhone app and send the settings from the iPhone to the watch.

 

[gtjeta]

No, sadly that's not it. I checked on the Apple Watch store and it just said 'Open' and also tried sending some sensor changes to the app on the watch from the iPhone after the update and no warnings.

If you arrived to the WOD App Store link in the watch, even although it says ‘Open’, enter in the details page related to the app by clicking on the link. It is possible you will find an update option there. At least it was what I found in several apps during the last week.

 

[iamasmith]

What version do you see when you go to the WOD watch app Settings and then tap More? Scroll down to the bottom to see the version number.

If it does not say 4.8.8 then you need to update it. When you say that the App Watch store says Open, do you mean the App Store app on the watch? Not the Apple Watch section of the App Store app on the iPhone.

If you do not have 4.8.8 on the WOD watch app, and you cannot update by using the App Store on the watch, then you could try by using Apple's Watch app on the iPhone to uninstall and reinstall the app. However this will lose the data in the watch app so you will then need to go to the File Management section of the iPhone app and send the settings from the iPhone to the watch.

I'm an idiot, I don't use the App Store on the Watch really and didn't realise the update option would be under the app and instead of showing update like on the iPhone it just shows Open until you tap into it.

It's working now, thanks

 

[iamasmith]

I have to say the sensor stuff is revalationary, I didn't see it until today when looking at other settings. No more going into Bluetooth settings to check my my Polar H10 is connected before starting a workout, great work! What a shame they didn't include device power readings in the Bluetooth Heart Rate sensor Bluetooth Profile though.. just had a read through and nothing about that so I assume Polar send some peek code over Bluetooth Serial to get a reading in Beat :/

 

[viscount]

After updating to version 4.8.8 on my watch, I've lost the WOD icon on the watch face as a complication. On my favorite Solar Dial face, it only shows the text "WORKO..." and on a couple of other faces it only shows a "--".

Any one else seen this, and is there a fix?

I've tried a couple of cycles of restarting my phone and watch, and toggling thru some other app in that position as a complication and going back to WOD but that doesn't solve it. The WOD icon shows up fine in the home screen.

 

[tcarlisle]

Is there a way to resend activities to Apple Health? I've tested a few methods but nothing seems to resend the workout once I've deleted it from Apple Health.

 

[oric1sg]

[deleted]

 

[oric1sg]

viscount

After updating to version 4.8.8 on my watch, I've lost the WOD icon on the watch face as a complication. On my favorite Solar Dial face, it only shows the text "WORKO..." and on a couple of other faces it only shows a "--".

No problem with Solar Dial (WOD on the top left) or any other watch faces on my Ultra.

 

[cfc]

After updating to version 4.8.8 on my watch, I've lost the WOD icon on the watch face as a complication. On my favorite Solar Dial face, it only shows the text "WORKO..." and on a couple of other faces it only shows a "--".

Any one else seen this, and is there a fix?

I've tried a couple of cycles of restarting my phone and watch, and toggling thru some other app in that position as a complication and going back to WOD but that doesn't solve it. The WOD icon shows up fine in the home screen.

Sorry, that is a bug in the app where it no longer shows the icon for 40mm and 41mm watches. I have fixed it and submitted a beta to Apple which I am waiting for them to review (the first beta of every version has to be reviewed by them). After that I will need to submit it for review again to the App Store.

I guess that myself and none of the 250+ beta testers ever used a complication on the smaller watch sizes. It's odd because the new version has been out for a week and I don't think anyone had mentioned it until last night, and now about 8 people have mentioned it! I assume it is partly due to the 7 day phased release, but it is still surprising.

At the moment I haven't decided whether to release the fix to the App Store or to just keep it as a beta that can be offered to people who want it. There have been so many complaints in a short period of time that I am tempted to release it. However it will take a couple of days to get through Apple's systems, which would mean it would be released just before Xmas, which is far from ideal.

I should get a better idea of how much of a problem it is during the time it takes for Apple to review it twice, so I will probably make a decision closer to the time. It would be good if beta testers could give it a quick test whilst Apple are reviewing it for the App Store and I can then decide whether or not to release based on the number of complaints and the result of the testing.

One nice side effect of the fix is that it brings back the orange complication instead of appearing as white on coloured watch faces, which was a change introduced in the last release.

So I will be releasing a beta very soon with the fix, and it would be much appreciated if testers could try it!

 

[cfc]

Is there a way to resend activities to Apple Health? I've tested a few methods but nothing seems to resend the workout once I've deleted it from Apple Health.

The workout is automatically saved in Apple Health as it happens, so there is no facility to resend it. Sorry about that.

However you could export it as a FIT file and then use HealthFit to load that into Apple Health:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthfit/id1202650514?mt=8

HealthFit is an excellent workout utility app with loads of useful features like this. Most people know of it for its ability to automatically send workouts to most external systems, but it offers many other features as well, such as gear tracking, geographical heat maps, workout photos and lots of advanced trend analysis (fitness, fatigue, form etc).

 

[joeyd01]

Hello Ian. First of all, thanks a lot for creating such an amazing app. I've been using WOD for 3 years now, it turned my Watch into an indispensable tool for my training. Now that support for the action button has been implemented I have a question I hope you can answer since I'm not sure I understood.

When setting up the commands for each button combination there's a note saying that the action button only works if the action button is set to open WOD in the Watch settings, but I did some testing and set up the action button to start an open outdoor run in the native Apple app and then started a run in WOD to see if the button combinations would still work and, to my surprise, they did. I could press the action button to create a new interval, action button + side button to pause and crown + side button to end workout. I then did the opposite and set up the action button to start an open outdoor run with WOD, started a workout in the native apple app and, again, I could use the action button to create a new segment and action button + side button/crown to pause in the native app even though the action button is set to start a run in WOD. Is my watch wrong or is this the expected behavior? cause I really like that it behaves this way since I still use both apps for different needs.

Aside from that, I've been reading previous posts regarding AOD support coming with a future update and I wanted to know if you could give an approximate release date, maybe by spring or summer? Would be really nice cause that's when I do more outdoor cycling/MTB and having maps on my wrist without barely raising my arm would be really convenient, that and the fact that your app would look super cool from an aesthetics point of view in AOD mode.

 

[cfc]

Hello Ian. First of all, thanks a lot for creating such an amazing app. I've been using WOD for 3 years now, it turned my Watch into an indispensable tool for my training. Now that support for the action button has been implemented I have a question I hope you can answer since I'm not sure I understood.

When setting up the commands for each button combination there's a note saying that the action button only works if the action button is set to open WOD in the Watch settings, but I did some testing and set up the action button to start an open outdoor run in the native Apple app and then started a run in WOD to see if the button combinations would still work and, to my surprise, they did. I could press the action button to create a new interval, action button + side button to pause and crown + side button to end workout. I then did the opposite and set up the action button to start an open outdoor run with WOD, started a workout in the native apple app and, again, I could use the action button to create a new segment and action button + side button/crown to pause in the native app even though the action button is set to start a run in WOD. Is my watch wrong or is this the expected behavior? cause I really like that it behaves this way since I still use both apps for different needs.

Aside from that, I've been reading previous posts regarding AOD support coming with a future update and I wanted to know if you could give an approximate release date, maybe by spring or summer? Would be really nice cause that's when I do more outdoor cycling/MTB and having maps on my wrist without barely raising my arm would be really convenient, that and the fact that your app would look super cool from an aesthetics point of view in AOD mode.

I didn't realise that it worked that way but I am glad that it does. I am pretty sure that it didn't when I tried it in the past but that was a long time (and several versions of watchOS) ago.

It may be that one of the code changes I made since then has got it working. For any watchOS coders out there my guess would be the fact that the app now "donates" an "intent" at the start of a workout.

In terms of the AOD it is difficult to estimate until I have a better idea about what is involved. I have been investigating it and have got the map working with Apple's new SwiftUI language, but it doesn't yet update when the app is not active, so I want to investigate that further. If I had to guess then I would be hoping for late Spring / early Summer, but it depends on how things go.

I am also working on other features in parallel such as the navigation improvements and also the ability to import schedules in FIT files (which is pretty much working already, which wasn't the plan ). So it also depends on how they go as to where AOD fits in.

 

[viscount]

Sorry, that is a bug in the app where it no longer shows the icon for 40mm and 41mm watches. I have fixed it and submitted a beta to Apple which I am waiting for them to review (the first beta of every version has to be reviewed by them). After that I will need to submit it for review again to the App Store.

I guess that myself and none of the 250+ beta testers ever used a complication on the smaller watch sizes. It's odd because the new version has been out for a week and I don't think anyone had mentioned it until last night, and now about 8 people have mentioned it! I assume it is partly due to the 7 day phased release, but it is still surprising.

At the moment I haven't decided whether to release the fix to the App Store or to just keep it as a beta that can be offered to people who want it. There have been so many complaints in a short period of time that I am tempted to release it. However it will take a couple of days to get through Apple's systems, which would mean it would be released just before Xmas, which is far from ideal.

I should get a better idea of how much of a problem it is during the time it takes for Apple to review it twice, so I will probably make a decision closer to the time. It would be good if beta testers could give it a quick test whilst Apple are reviewing it for the App Store and I can then decide whether or not to release based on the number of complaints and the result of the testing.

One nice side effect of the fix is that it brings back the orange complication instead of appearing as white on coloured watch faces, which was a change introduced in the last release.

So I will be releasing a beta very soon with the fix, and it would be much appreciated if testers could try it!

Indeed, I have a 40 mm SE, so good to know there's an explanation and it's not a random thing with my watch. I'll wait for the update but I'll also be glad to be a beta tester! And it's great that the icon color will come back, as I had noticed it had become a dim blue/gray after a recent update on my Solar Dial face.

Love the recent updates though, especially the power metrics, so thanks for the continued updates to a fantastic app!

 

[tcarlisle]

The workout is automatically saved in Apple Health as it happens, so there is no facility to resend it. Sorry about that.

However you could export it as a FIT file and then use HealthFit to load that into Apple Health:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/healthfit/id1202650514?mt=8

HealthFit is an excellent workout utility app with loads of useful features like this. Most people know of it for its ability to automatically send workouts to most external systems, but it offers many other features as well, such as gear tracking, geographical heat maps, workout photos and lots of advanced trend analysis (fitness, fatigue, form etc).

Thanks for the reply. I've used HealthFit in the past and I didn't find it all that useful...nevertheless I will try it again at your suggestion. Perhaps it has change since I last used it.

I'm sure it will be a low priority but if you are ever able to add a "Re-send to Apple Health" button that would be useful every now and then.

 

[cfc]

Thanks for the reply. I've used HealthFit in the past and I didn't find it all that useful...nevertheless I will try it again at your suggestion. Perhaps it has change since I last used it.

I'm sure it will be a low priority but if you are ever able to add a "Re-send to Apple Health" button that would be useful every now and then.

HealthFit has had loads of new features added over the last year or two, so it is worth checking out what is new.

Re-sending to Apple Health from WOD is on my list but very low down because it is rarely requested and also because it is possible with HealthFit. Sorry about that.

It is a bit like Gear Tracking, which is requested more often for WOD but which is lower down the list than it would otherwise be because it is already provided by HealthFit. Also gear tracking is the sort of feature that should work across all workout apps because people often use the same gear but different apps. Using it in HealthFit allows for this whereas if I added it to WOD then it would not.