Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[FunkyMagicUK]

On the wet screen stuff above, I used to get phantom presses, but as of the WatchOS update that came around the time the AW5 was released, I now get the Water Lock coming on automatically when it rains.

Did I configure that to happen somewhere?? And...is it possible to add a feature so that some kind of indicator could appear on screen when in Water Lockmode...as a few times I’ve poked and prodded and swiped the screen and thought the app had crashed but it was just waiting for me to rotate the crown.

And a potential bug...
I am using GPS for pace for my outdoor runs (although none of the rolling pace metrics are giving me particularly useful data at the mo 😊🤷‍♂️).
My indoor run is configured to use pedometer, with a rolling 10seconds...but it only ever displays as an empty field. The average pace for the whole activity works just fine.

 

[Javisolivo]

Hi, its application is fantastic, I just wanted to tell you that I also had reboots after updating to 6.1.1, my aw5

 

[cfc]

On the wet screen stuff above, I used to get phantom presses, but as of the WatchOS update that came around the time the AW5 was released, I now get the Water Lock coming on automatically when it rains.

Did I configure that to happen somewhere?? And...is it possible to add a feature so that some kind of indicator could appear on screen when in Water Lockmode...as a few times I’ve poked and prodded and swiped the screen and thought the app had crashed but it was just waiting for me to rotate the crown.

And a potential bug...
I am using GPS for pace for my outdoor runs (although none of the rolling pace metrics are giving me particularly useful data at the mo 😊🤷‍♂️).
My indoor run is configured to use pedometer, with a rolling 10seconds...but it only ever displays as an empty field. The average pace for the whole activity works just fine.

The water lock should not come on automatically. It can only be initiated by a command, although that can be associated with a shortcut, so maybe you are using that shortcut. I will look into making it clear when it is on. Hopefully watchOS will tell the app when the user switches it off by rotating the crown.

The rolling paces use the GPS because the pedometer updates are not frequent enough. So I should not be making the metrics available for indoor walking/running. Sorry about that, I will remove them for those workouts in the next version.
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Hi, its application is fantastic, I just wanted to tell you that I also had reboots after updating to 6.1.1, my aw5

That is worrying. Do you mean that the app crashed, or that the watch reboots itself? And how often has it happened?

 

[Javisolivo]

That is worrying. Do you mean that the app crashed, or that the watch reboots itself? And how often has it happened?
[/QUOTE]
Not only happens in the application. It closes without gagging but in the training metrics of the native application if there is some data,

 

[cfc]

Not only happens in the application. It closes without gagging but in the training metrics of the native application if there is some data,

Please try rebooting the watch and the phone. If that doesn't help then uninstall the watch app (not the iPhone app); reboot both devices; and reinstall the watch app.

 

[NME42]

So any update on watchOS 6.1.1 stability or was it all coincidences?

 

[fredash]

nothing here... all is working well with watchOS 6.1.1 on my S5.

 

[cfc]

So any update on watchOS 6.1.1 stability or was it all coincidences?

I think it was just a coincidence. I have had one user report a crash on 6.1.1 but he rebooted his watch and it has been fine since.

Apple also automatically send me crash logs (if users allow it) and there has only been once crash on watchOS 6.1.1 according to those. Interestingly in the same period there has only been one crash on 6.1, two crashes on 6.0, and five crashes on various versions of watchOS 5. So maybe watchOS 6 is now more stable than watchOS 5 was, which surprises me. Although I think I will wait for a bigger sample before calling that!

 

[oeagleo]

This is a completely out of thread question for cfc, have you considered porting WorkOutdoors to Tizen? The OS for the Samsung watches? There's several mentions of your product over there, and there is a definate need. Just a thought, I have no idea what would be involved.

 

[cfc]

This is a completely out of thread question for cfc, have you considered porting WorkOutdoors to Tizen? The OS for the Samsung watches? There's several mentions of your product over there, and there is a definate need. Just a thought, I have no idea what would be involved.

It's good to hear that people are talking about the app but I have no plans to port it. I would have to learn a new language and development environment. Also I still have lots of plans for improving the app on the Apple Watch.

The closest thing to porting the app that I have considered is making a fully functional iPhone version with similar features and customisations. Cyclists with iPhones mounted on their handlebars sometimes ask about showing the workout metrics on the iPhone as well as the watch.

However if I were going that far then I would probably go the whole way and make it work standalone as well, so that iPhone owners without Apple Watches could also use it. That wouldn't be much more work and would massively increase the potential user base.

That is a long way off at the moment though. I like to think that one of the advantages of the app is that it is totally focussed on the Apple Watch, and I want to make sure the experience is as good as possible on that before branching out.

Thanks for the suggestion though. It always great to hear when the app gets mentioned in unexpected places!

 

[Akrapovic]

I've started using the indoor workouts, which are awesome.

Is it possible to edit the distance of a completed indoor run? The distance measured never ever matches what the treadmill says. Every app is wrong by approximately the same amount, so I'm guessing this is a system level issue, and not a problem with the apps themselves. But this morning I did 3.95km on a treadmill and it registered 3.45. It gets significantly worse the longer I go.

Obviously editing outdoor runs isn't (and probably shouldn't) be possible, but it'd be nice to have the indoor ones match.

 

[cfc]

I've started using the indoor workouts, which are awesome.

Is it possible to edit the distance of a completed indoor run? The distance measured never ever matches what the treadmill says. Every app is wrong by approximately the same amount, so I'm guessing this is a system level issue, and not a problem with the apps themselves. But this morning I did 3.95km on a treadmill and it registered 3.45. It gets significantly worse the longer I go.

Obviously editing outdoor runs isn't (and probably shouldn't) be possible, but it'd be nice to have the indoor ones match.

Glad you like the indoor workouts. As you guess the distance estimates are supplied by Apple. To get them as accurate as possible it is worth calibrating the watch as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204516

It isn't possible to edit the distance for indoor workouts in the app at the moment but it is on my To Do list. It is a bit fiddly because it would also mean proportionately adjusting all the distances for laps and intervals, and this could mean inconsistencies if they were distance based. I will add it at some time though.

 

[Mr1ntu05]

How about adding just one music playing function: a button to skip to the next song?

 

[cfc]

How about adding just one music playing function: a button to skip to the next song?

Unfortunately watchOS does not allow that. It only allows you to display the Now Playing screen, from where you can skip tracks. WorkOutDoors has a command to display this screen, so you could set up a shortcut if you want. For example you could make it so that swiping left shows the Now Playing screen, from where you can skip to the next track.

My guess is that it is a deliberate restriction by Apple to prevent one app from controlling the playback of media from another app. It is only possible via Now Playing Screen because then it is guaranteed that the user wants it. Sorry about that.

 

[Akrapovic]

Glad you like the indoor workouts. As you guess the distance estimates are supplied by Apple. To get them as accurate as possible it is worth calibrating the watch as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204516

It isn't possible to edit the distance for indoor workouts in the app at the moment but it is on my To Do list. It is a bit fiddly because it would also mean proportionately adjusting all the distances for laps and intervals, and this could mean inconsistencies if they were distance based. I will add it at some time though.

Thanks for this. My Watch has been calibrated to the Apple setup numerous times, unfortunately it doesn't seem to make a huge difference. I've been running at the space pace for months, so you'd think it'd have learned my average, but it's always way way below (by about 30 seconds per km).

I'm looking forward to manual adjustment. Will feel less cheated on the treadmill.

 

[PatrickNSF]

Glad you like the indoor workouts. As you guess the distance estimates are supplied by Apple. To get them as accurate as possible it is worth calibrating the watch as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204516

It isn't possible to edit the distance for indoor workouts in the app at the moment but it is on my To Do list. It is a bit fiddly because it would also mean proportionat ely adjusting all the distances for laps and intervals, and this could mean inconsistencies if they were distance based. I will add it at some time though.

+1 for this feature!

 

[Monkswhiskers]

Unfortunately watchOS does not allow that. It only allows you to display the Now Playing screen, from where you can skip tracks. WorkOutDoors has a command to display this screen, so you could set up a shortcut if you want. For example you could make it so that swiping left shows the Now Playing screen, from where you can skip to the next track.

My guess is that it is a deliberate restriction by Apple to prevent one app from controlling the playback of media from another app. It is only possible via Now Playing Screen because then it is guaranteed that the user wants it. Sorry about that.

I use airpods for running and find the double tap to skip/repeat tracks far easier than fumbling about with the watch screen while on the go.

 

[Akrapovic]

Unrelated to WoD, but people here might be interested. Yesterday I did a treadmill run at 5:00min per km. The watch registered 5:36min per km, 36 seconds slower.

Today I did a treadmill run at 4:30min per km. The watch registered 5:36min per km again. 66 seconds slower per km. After 10km, I'd lost 1.9km on the watch.

The watch calibration doesn't seem to mean a huge amount. No matter what speed I run, it returns a result of approximately 5:36min per km.

Today I recorded the activity using WoD, but did not sync it to Strava, and then entered it manually into Strava. This means that Strava is far more accurate, which is good for training. But it doesn't have the heart rate data...which is bad for training.

So yes, very much looking forward to WoD adjustable lengths. Going back to the idea of premium features - I'd pay more for that one as I understand it's a niche item. WoD is like the Swiss army knife of fitness apps now.

 

[rbart]

Basically, AW misses calibration features to get better distance/speed estimations.
You have to rely on the Apple internal cooking without any possibility to tweak it.
Apple considers the watch as accurate enough for casual runners.
It's a shame they don't push more the sport features as the hardware/software as a lot of potential.
We can imagine to have an Apple watch with all Garmin capacities, just with software if Apple removes some limitations (button usage, GPS calibration, sync features ...)

 

[fredash]

Basically, AW misses calibration features to get better distance/speed estimations.
You have to rely on the Apple internal cooking without any possibility to tweak it.
Apple considers the watch as accurate enough for casual runners.
It's a shame they don't push more the sport features as the hardware/software as a lot of potential.
We can imagine to have an Apple watch with all Garmin capacities, just with software if Apple removes some limitations (button usage, GPS calibration, sync features ...)

Apple Watch Pro !

 

[NME42]

I was running with Garmin watches on treadmills and to disappoint you: they are far worse than an AW.

But overall, independent of watch brand: use a footpod when on treadmill.

 

[rbart]

My remark was not related to treadmills, but to outdoor runs.
I find my AW optimistic for distance. For example, I have ran an official 10km and it was 10.2km on my watch. I was a bit disappointed by my result at the end...
I think distance is always overestimated by 2%

 

[NME42]

Yes, true distance is 2% too much. Measuring now with Stryd and checking with Komoot, the AW is 2% off. Consistently.

 

[Akrapovic]

My remark was not related to treadmills, but to outdoor runs.
I find my AW optimistic for distance. For example, I have ran an official 10km and it was 10.2km on my watch. I was a bit disappointed by my result at the end...
I think distance is always overestimated by 2%

Yes, I'd say that outdoors the Watch is accurate enough. 2% is fine. Indoors is a disaster though. I lose almost 20% of the distance. That's completely unacceptable.

 

[rbart]

2% is not too bad, but when you have a target, it's not enough.
My watch told me I was running 4'20"/km, but my official result was 4'25"
And I have missed my target for 45" for 10km...