Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[cfc]

I typed faster than my brain was working and meant is there any data other than weather that WOD doesn’t write to Health vs. native app?

Weather is the main metric missing. There are a few little differences such as WOD not storing intervals since they were added last year, and Apple's apps don't show some information for third party apps (e.g. splits, min/max elevation).

But generally the app writes the same data. It uses Apple's workout system, which does a lot of the work anyway.

Since my sensors are already paired with watchOS is it OK to also pair with WOD? I have a KICKR CORE which sends power, speed, and cadence over a single BT connection. Will that work with WOD?

I don't recommend it because most sensors only support a single BT connection, so if you connect them to watchOS then they would not be able to connect to the app.

 

[rmh78]

1. I may add weather data if I find somewhere that does it for free

2. Glad to hear from @Drock1119 that fall detection works

3. There are many differences but I tend to focus on what WOD offers that the native app doesn't.

4. Auto-pause for slow activities like walking is hard to implement, which is probably why Apple don't offer it. WOD does, and it works for most people, but some find it unreliable. I figure that is better than not having it at all, but can understand that Apple can't offer something that doesn't work for some people. If Apple do offer it for an activity (e.g. running and cycling) then WOD defaults to using their implementation because it is probably better than mine.

5. Live mirroring is on my to-do list. However it is quite specific to cycling, and even then only for people prepared to mount their phone on the handlebars, so it is lower on the list than features which would benefit every activity type.

6. BT cycling sensors need to be paired via WOD. I will allow them to be paired via watchOS in the future but it is relatively low down my to-do list because it is already possible to use them via WOD. I will probably implement it when I next revisit the sensor functionality, but that won't be for a while.

I‘m really looking forward to see the live mirroring for bike tours. Specially when routing feature find its way into WOD. This would then be a really unique feature combination!

 

[estesbubba]

I don't recommend it because most sensors only support a single BT connection, so if you connect them to watchOS then they would not be able to connect to the app.

My KICK CORE supports 3 connections but I'm going to disable the native BT connection for my first ride. Since other 3rd party workout apps support the native connections, I think it would be good to have WOD support sensors at the OS level rather than app level sooner rather than later.

I've heard that watchOS 11 allows apps to use double-tap. That would be killer for WOD to support double-tap to switch between screens during a workout, especially during bike rides.

 

[cfc]

My KICK CORE supports 3 connections but I'm going to disable the native BT connection for my first ride. Since other 3rd party workout apps support the native connections, I think it would be good to have WOD support sensors at the OS level rather than app level sooner rather than later.

I've heard that watchOS 11 allows apps to use double-tap. That would be killer for WOD to support double-tap to switch between screens during a workout, especially during bike rides.

I investigated implementing double tap when Apple announced it at WWDC and at first glance I had a couple of concerns. Apple have made it so that apps can associate it with a button, such that the double tap gesture will be considered the same as tapping that button. However WOD does not display such a button during a workout.

It may be possible that I could add an invisible button which invokes a command which can be configured as usual in Settings / Commands / Shortcuts. That may work but then my other concern is that it may not work when the watch is lowered, which would be a bad restriction.

My plan is to finish the next version of the app and then investigate. By then watchOS 11 will be more mature and reliable and developers may have a better idea of the limitations of integrating the double tap gesture.

 

[estesbubba]

Since getting my Ultra 2 in November I have been using the native app for outdoor cycling. I decided to use WOD again and today's ride appears to not have written all the data to Apple Health. It shows calories as the main stat and distance, speed and other metrics are missing.

But WOD shows distance, speed, etc. Any ideas on how this happened, and how to fix in Health?

 

[estesbubba]

I use grade as one of my main metrics and think the % should be removed and a decimal added. When it shows +3% it could be 2.5% or 3.4% which is a big range for grade. I would like it to show +3.4 or -1.6 which would be consistent with other metrics fields that don't show the unit.

Now it would really be cool for the background to be colored and sloped based on the grade!

 

[cfc]

Since getting my Ultra 2 in November I have been using the native app for outdoor cycling. I decided to use WOD again and today's ride appears to not have written all the data to Apple Health. It shows calories as the main stat and distance, speed and other metrics are missing.

View attachment 2399091

But WOD shows distance, speed, etc. Any ideas on how this happened, and how to fix in Health?

View attachment 2399092

Please check that you have given the app permission to read and write all the health data. To check this go to the Settings app on the iPhone and select Privacy / Health / WorkOutDoors. Make sure that every health setting is enabled (you may need to scroll down to turn them all on). Note that if you have installed on a new iPhone or watch then you may need to give permission again.

If they are all enabled then you may be experiencing a bug with iOS/watchOS where the watch seems to lose the permission. To fix this switch all of the permissions off, then reboot both the iPhone and the watch, and then switch them all on again. This procedure nudges iOS into sending them to the watch again.

Hopefully that helps for future workouts.

 

[Dovales]

It may be possible that I could add an invisible button which invokes a command which can be configured as usual in Settings / Commands / Shortcuts. That may work but then my other concern is that it may not work when the watch is lowered, which would be a bad restriction.

Awesome! I was thinking other day how great it would be to toggle full map by using double tap gesture in the future, hope you figure out a way to make it available on the shortcuts setting!

 

[estesbubba]

Please check that you have given the app permission to read and write all the health data. To check this go to the Settings app on the iPhone and select Privacy / Health / WorkOutDoors. Make sure that every health setting is enabled (you may need to scroll down to turn them all on). Note that if you have installed on a new iPhone or watch then you may need to give permission again.

If they are all enabled then you may be experiencing a bug with iOS/watchOS where the watch seems to lose the permission. To fix this switch all of the permissions off, then reboot both the iPhone and the watch, and then switch them all on again. This procedure nudges iOS into sending them to the watch again.

Hopefully that helps for future workouts.

So all permissions were enabled so I did the turn off, reboot both, and turn back on. I still didn't have the updated metrics in Health, so did a Resend to iPhone from the watch and still didn't update. Is there a way to force WOD to update the workout in Health?

I did several rides over the weekend and didn't have this problem.

 

[cfc]

So all permissions were enabled so I did the turn off, reboot both, and turn back on. I still didn't have the updated metrics in Health, so did a Resend to iPhone from the watch and still didn't update. Is there a way to force WOD to update the workout in Health?

I did several rides over the weekend and didn't have this problem.

Do you mean that you don't have the metrics for older workouts or for ones that you have done since the disable / reboot / enable procedure?

It is not possible to resend the workout to Apple's health system because the app uses Apple's workout system, which creates it during the activity. However you could export the workout from the app in a FIT file and then use a third-party app such as HealthFit to load that file into the Health system:

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

 

[estesbubba]

Do you mean that you don't have the metrics for older workouts or for ones that you have done since the disable / reboot / enable procedure?

It is not possible to resend the workout to Apple's health system because the app uses Apple's workout system, which creates it during the activity. However you could export the workout from the app in a FIT file and then use a third-party app such as HealthFit to load that file into the Health system:

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

My cycling and walking workouts over the weekend worked just fine, but my cycling workout yesterday didn't write certain metrics to AH. I haven't done any workouts since doing the disable/reboot/enable.

I do have HealthFit so will try that. Thanks!

 

[estesbubba]

Importing using HealthFit worked! I've been using that app for probably 5 years to analyze workouts and export to Strava, and never knew it could also import workouts!

I paired my speed and cadence sensor to my gravel bike before riding, and when I went to ride, it said only 2 sensors can be paired at once. I also paired my trainer for indoor rides and maybe it picked that up? I would think it shouldn't have because I selected ... for Cycling (outdoor) and that is configured for Indoor Cycling. Also, I have 3 bikes all with 2 sensors in the same garage - is this going to be a problem for WOD?

I really think you should use the OS for sensors as it just works and picks up the sensors in use. I don't have to do any configuration with other 3rd party apps and they pick them up just fine.

 

[cfc]

Importing using HealthFit worked! I've been using that app for probably 5 years to analyze workouts and export to Strava, and never knew it could also import workouts!

I paired my speed and cadence sensor to my gravel bike before riding, and when I went to ride, it said only 2 sensors can be paired at once. I also paired my trainer for indoor rides and maybe it picked that up? I would think it shouldn't have because I selected ... for Cycling (outdoor) and that is configured for Indoor Cycling. Also, I have 3 bikes all with 2 sensors in the same garage - is this going to be a problem for WOD?

I really think you should use the OS for sensors as it just works and picks up the sensors in use. I don't have to do any configuration with other 3rd party apps and they pick them up just fine.

It's on my list but not high at the moment. I have to prioritise enhancements.

As to the 2 sensor warning, please make sure that the sensors are not paired with watchOS. Also sometimes the watchOS Bluetooth system seems to hold onto sensor connections, so if you have problems then try restarting the app.

 

[pqhf5kd]

When reviewing a workout in the iOS app and scrubbing through the timeline, many metrics change to represent that point it in. Is it possible for the Total Gain, Assent and Descent to the same? (Total Gain is displayed in the tab when scrubbing, but not between the units and display drop downs)

Use case, I want to know total assent when I reached a peak. If I scrub through, I can see the distance, time and gain it took me to get there, but it seems like I need to sum up the assent from each lap to find that info.

 

[cfc]

When reviewing a workout in the iOS app and scrubbing through the timeline, many metrics change to represent that point it in. Is it possible for the Total Gain, Assent and Descent to the same? (Total Gain is displayed in the tab when scrubbing, but not between the units and display drop downs)

Use case, I want to know total assent when I reached a peak. If I scrub through, I can see the distance, time and gain it took me to get there, but it seems like I need to sum up the assent from each lap to find that info.

I can't remember anyone asking for that before but I will bear it in mind as a future enhancement.

 

[pina]

Is it possible to add some notes after a workout? It would be great if I could add how tired I was and what f.e. the weather condition was.

When will it be possible to auto generate the name of a workout with different variables? f.e. that each run can start with the distance I ran instead of just the date?

 

[cfc]

Is it possible to add some notes after a workout? It would be great if I could add how tired I was and what f.e. the weather condition was.

When will it be possible to auto generate the name of a workout with different variables? f.e. that each run can start with the distance I ran instead of just the date?

Both of those changes have been on my to-do list for a while but never been requested enough to get to the top of the list. I will probably get around to them one day though.

 

[estesbubba]

It's on my list but not high at the moment. I have to prioritise enhancements.

As to the 2 sensor warning, please make sure that the sensors are not paired with watchOS. Also sometimes the watchOS Bluetooth system seems to hold onto sensor connections, so if you have problems then try restarting the app.

I have unpaired all sensors from watchOS. Should WOD only look for sensors paired for that workout type? If I'm doing an outdoor ride, should it not look for my indoor ride trainer sensor?

Also, if I pair the speed and cadence sensors of my 3 bikes with WOD, will it automatically pick up the 2 sensors of the bike that I'm riding?

 

[cfc]

I have unpaired all sensors from watchOS. Should WOD only look for sensors paired for that workout type? If I'm doing an outdoor ride, should it not look for my indoor ride trainer sensor?

Also, if I pair the speed and cadence sensors of my 3 bikes with WOD, will it automatically pick up the 2 sensors of the bike that I'm riding?

The app will only look for the sensors that you have paired for that activity type. So it won't look for an indoor bike sensor for an outdoor workout.

It will not look for every sensor that is paired and automatically connect. You need to tell it which sensor(s) to look for.

 

[madmalkav]

Have anyone tried Zwift Footpod + WOD for treadmill runs? How well does the combination work (if at all)?

 

[javataco]

I use the Stryd and it works. I find the Stryd reported pace isn’t accurate (and neither is the treadmill) but aside from that it works smoothly.

 

[madmalkav]

I use the Stryd and it works. I find the Stryd reported pace isn’t accurate (and neither is the treadmill) but aside from that it works smoothly.

Thanks. Unfortunately I forgot the app won't import external structured workouts 😭

 

[Jenzaah]

Thanks. Unfortunately I forgot the app won't import external structured workouts 😭

+1 for import of structured workouts / import from the workout app

 

[cfc]

+1 for import of structured workouts / import from the workout app

Importing schedules from FIT files is on my to-do list. Some time ago I coded it up to work with the current interval schedules, but they don’t yet support nested repeat loops. I asked on here a while back and most people said there would be complaints if I released without supporting nested repeats.

So I decided to hold fire because nested loops would take a while to implement and there are higher priorities at the moment.

It is currently 3rd on my to-do list after the navigation improvements and the ability to create custom activity types.

 

[Jenzaah]

Importing schedules from FIT files is on my to-do list. Some time ago I coded it up to work with the current interval schedules, but they don’t yet support nested repeat loops. I asked on here a while back and most people said there would be complaints if I released without supporting nested repeats.

So I decided to hold fire because nested loops would take a while to implement and there are higher priorities at the moment.

It is currently 3rd on my to-do list after the navigation improvements and the ability to create custom activity types.

I thinks a working version with the current interval schedule (from the workout app) would be a great start.
I use this the most for swim workouts. The default workout app does not show the workout when selected. I really like how WOD helps me keep track of each part of the workout.