Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[cfc]

Yes, that is bad.
Was playing with the idea to feed this cool feature with preplanned race files just like Garmin PacePro does. But this seems impossible now.

I plan to add a "target workout" feature in the future which allows you to compare your pace with that of a previous workout, in the same way as the current "target pace" feature works against a configurable average pace. So you would have metrics for how far ahead or begin you are, and also a yellow icon on the map showing the position of the runner in the target workout.

I plan to allow for this when improving the route navigation, but may not include it in the first version with those improvements.

 

[vfrbuddy]

Don't worry about seeing the sensor light even when an external sensor is paired with watchOS because that is normal in my experience. I think that watchOS still uses its own HR sensor every few minutes, just as it does outside of a workout throughout the day.

If you know anyone else with an HRM then it may be worth asking to borrow that to test it out. That way you will know if the problem is with iOS or the H10.

Thanks on both fronts!

 

[Bersercci]

Hey, is there something fishy going on with the battery life recently in WatchOS 9.2 or WOD?

Twice in a row now I have gotten the message of low battery mode after just 30-40 min of cross-country skiing, stopping the WOD tracking. And I have started with 100% battery.

Ok, it is a bit cold (like -5 °C so nothing dramatic) and I do have BT earphones with Spotify running on the watch. And the watch is in mobile cellular mode and the GPS comes from it as well. It hasn't been a problem in previous winters though on my AW6, but the battery load is super heavy with this setup.

But anyways, 30-40 min seems quite low. Anything like this reported elsewhere?

 

[cfc]

Hey, is there something fishy going on with the battery life recently in WatchOS 9.2 or WOD?

Twice in a row now I have gotten the message of low battery mode after just 30-40 min of cross-country skiing, stopping the WOD tracking. And I have started with 100% battery.

Ok, it is a bit cold (like -5 °C so nothing dramatic) and I do have BT earphones with Spotify running on the watch. And the watch is in mobile cellular mode and the GPS comes from it as well. It hasn't been a problem in previous winters though on my AW6, but the battery load is super heavy with this setup.

But anyways, 30-40 min seems quite low. Anything like this reported elsewhere?

No-one has reported any battery issues recently. However battery life on the watch can be quite random, especially after a recent watchOS update when housekeeping processes can be required. It's probably worth rebooting the watch before using it again.

 

[Bersercci]

No-one has reported any battery issues recently. However battery life on the watch can be quite random, especially after a recent watchOS update when housekeeping processes can be required. It's probably worth rebooting the watch before using it again.

Ok, it seems my AW6 has some battery management issues. I got the first alert at 37 min after which WOD still tracked for 29 minutes after restart before alerting again. Both times the watch shut down after a short while which is a bit odd.

Thanks @cfc , I’ll prob do a factory reset and re-pairing on the watch just to be sure.

 

[cfc]

Ok, it seems my AW6 has some battery management issues. I got the first alert at 37 min after which WOD still tracked for 29 minutes after restart before alerting again. Both times the watch shut down after a short while which is a bit odd.

Thanks @cfc , I’ll prob do a factory reset and re-pairing on the watch just to be sure.

If the watch suddenly shut down then that could be a watchOS issue that was common a couple of years ago, but which seems to have made a comeback recently with watchOS 9. I have heard of 3 or 4 people experiencing it in the last month or so.

The symptoms are that the watch loses power very quickly and then suddenly shuts down because of no power. However when you put it back on the charger then it quickly shows a reasonable battery level.

Here is a thread on it from 2020 with 304 people experiencing the issue (I have been watching and the count has risen recently):

Apple Watch battery drain during exercise - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I think it is software rather than hardware related because someone reported it recently and it even happened after they complained to Apple and received a new watch. It happens with any workout app, so my guess is an issue in Apple's workout system. Although most people who report it are also listening to audio, so it may be that doing a lot at once is confusing the battery sensor code somehow.

Unfortunately I don't know of a fix. With watchOS 7 unpairing and repairing the watch helped, but I don't know if that is still the case now if even getting a new watch doesn't help. It may be worth trying though.

 

[Duffman19]

If the watch suddenly shut down then that could be a watchOS issue that was common a couple of years ago, but which seems to have made a comeback recently with watchOS 9. I have heard of 3 or 4 people experiencing it in the last month or so.

The symptoms are that the watch loses power very quickly and then suddenly shuts down because of no power. However when you put it back on the charger then it quickly shows a reasonable battery level.

Here is a thread on it from 2020 with 304 people experiencing the issue (I have been watching and the count has risen recently):

Apple Watch battery drain during exercise - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I can confirm this behavior as it has happened to me twice in the past two weeks; once while using WOD and once with the built in workout app. I was not listening to any audio and wasn’t running anything else on the watch, though. Luckily, the drop in battery and reboot happened after saving the workout both times, so I didn’t lose any data.

I am running WatchOS beta and assumed it was related to that, but now it looks like this is an historical issue.

 

[NME42]

. Luckily, the drop in battery and reboot happened after saving the workout both times, so I didn’t lose any data.

Same here. Two times, both after saving the workouts. Nothing was lost.

 

[Bersercci]

If the watch suddenly shut down then that could be a watchOS issue that was common a couple of years ago, but which seems to have made a comeback recently with watchOS 9. I have heard of 3 or 4 people experiencing it in the last month or so.

The symptoms are that the watch loses power very quickly and then suddenly shuts down because of no power. However when you put it back on the charger then it quickly shows a reasonable battery level.

Here is a thread on it from 2020 with 304 people experiencing the issue (I have been watching and the count has risen recently):

Apple Watch battery drain during exercise - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

I think it is software rather than hardware related because someone reported it recently and it even happened after they complained to Apple and received a new watch. It happens with any workout app, so my guess is an issue in Apple's workout system. Although most people who report it are also listening to audio, so it may be that doing a lot at once is confusing the battery sensor code somehow.

Unfortunately I don't know of a fix. With watchOS 7 unpairing and repairing the watch helped, but I don't know if that is still the case now if even getting a new watch doesn't help. It may be worth trying though.

Yes, it seems to be an issue with WatchOS 9. Lot's of people (234 and counting) having the same problem:

watchOS 9 battery drain - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

 

[cfc]

Same here. Two times, both after saving the workouts. Nothing was lost.

Hopefully Apple will fix it again. Things got better after the initial problems with watchOS 7 so my guess is that they fixed it back then and watchOS 9 has probably removed or neutralised that fix.

 

[Mauki]

Footpath is the next App with offline download maps.

 

[Akrapovic]

Footpath is the app I use for exporting running and hiking routes to WoD. It's a great app. But them adding maps to the watch won't really add much IMO. The apps great for drawing routes and fine for going for a wee walk. But it won't give you the metrics you need for a workout.

 

[NME42]

Hopefully Apple will fix it again. Things got better after the initial problems with watchOS 7 so my guess is that they fixed it back then and watchOS 9 has probably removed or neutralised that fix.

Yes, very strange bug. Never had it on any versions before 9.1 and 9.2.

Thought it has something to do with cold weather but no sensible pattern as on other cold days, it did not happen. Battery jumped from 40% to 0% to be back to 40% shorty after putting it on a charger. Watch was even unusable until then (showing only black screen with a small red lightning in the corner).

 

[NME42]

Footpath is the next App with offline download maps.

Can it do turn-by-turn navigation?

 

[Mauki]

Can it do turn-by-turn navigation?

I mean Footpath could do turn-by-turn long before the maps came along.

 

[cfc]

Can it do turn-by-turn navigation?

Footpath is great for turn-by-turn navigation.

I have always recommended it for creating routes and I plan to make WOD support the directions that it includes in GPX route files when I eventually add turn by turn to WOD.

 

[NME42]

Footpath is great for turn-by-turn navigation.

I have always recommended it for creating routes and I plan to make WOD support the directions that it includes in GPX route files when I eventually add turn by turn to WOD.

So it can do tbt now without an iPhone?

I have tried this app for route creation a while ago but I prefer doing so on my Mac with a big screen and a mouse.

 

[cfc]

So it can do tbt now without an iPhone?

I have tried this app for route creation a while ago but I prefer doing so on my Mac with a big screen and a mouse.

I have never tried the watch app but have been recommending the iPhone app for a while. Looks like the watch app is pretty good too so I will have to try it out at some time.

 

[firewire9000]

Hi, one question just curious. Why WOD doesn’t show up in the storage section? It should at least use some storage since I downloaded a lot of offline maps.

 

[cfc]

Hi, one question just curious. Why WOD doesn’t show up in the storage section? It should at least use some storage since I downloaded a lot of offline maps.

It shows up in my storage section. Where are you looking? I am using Apple's Watch app on the iPhone then tapping General and then Storage.

 

[NME42]

It shows up in my storage section. Where are you looking? I am using Apple's Watch app on the iPhone then tapping General and then Storage.

Out of curiousity I had a look. No idea what is displayed there but it seems far from reality.
WOD uses 25kb storage? Would surprise me.
Same for Overcast. Have lots of podcasts on my AW and they use 2MB together? Good compression;-)

 

[Mauki]

I have 2 bikes with different cadence sensors. In the WOD Settings I must choose one for recording the cadence, only one.

What is, when I‘m riding my second bike? Did I must change the setting for cadence before every ride?

 

[MaxSto]

I have 2 bikes with different cadence sensors. In the WOD Settings I must choose one for recording the cadence, only one.

What is, when I‘m riding my second bike? Did I must change the setting for cadence before every ride?

Probably yes, because it’s another sensor.

But why don’t you just try it out and give us the result?

 

[chrismaert]

Hi, on the map-view during a workout is there a way to make the current time more easy to read ? I find it is sometimes not so easy to read the white letters when the map is a light colour. Thanks, been using the app 2 years and still loving it.

 

[MaxSto]

Hi, on the map-view during a workout is there a way to make the current time more easy to read ? I find it is sometimes not so easy to read the white letters when the map is a light colour. Thanks, been using the app 2 years and still loving it.

Hi, under Settings -> Maps -> Time Background -> you can choose between "None" / "Grey" / "Black".