Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[Apple_Robert]

Two days in a row now, that my heart rate has gotten stuck (during a run with WOD) and was mistaken for cadence for half the run. I am guessing this is a watchOS 6 issue? Very frustrating, especially when I am focusing on running in a specific zone.

 

[cfc]

Two days in a row now, that my heart rate has gotten stuck (during a run with WOD) and was mistaken for cadence for half the run. I am guessing this is a watchOS 6 issue? Very frustrating, especially when I am focusing on running in a specific zone.

That sounds like "cadence lock", where the sensor confuses the steps with the heart rate. It is a reasonably common issue with all optical heart rate sensors.

Unfortunately there isn't much the app can do about it. As you say it is a hardware and/or watchOS issue. Workout apps such as WorkOutDoors simply ask watchOS to supply the heart rate and it does the rest. It is worth reading Apple's tips on getting a good reading in case they help, but sometimes you just can't avoid it: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207941#heartrate

 

[Apple_Robert]

That sounds like "cadence lock", where the sensor confuses the steps with the heart rate. It is a reasonably common issue with all optical heart rate sensors.

Unfortunately there isn't much the app can do about it. As you say it is a hardware and/or watchOS issue. Workout apps such as WorkOutDoors simply ask watchOS to supply the heart rate and it does the rest. It is worth reading Apple's tips on getting a good reading in case they help, but sometimes you just can't avoid it: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207941#heartrate

Deleted

 

[Apple_Robert]

Is there any way to set a default training screen for running, so that I don’t have to swipe thru screens to get the one I want during a run? I didn’t see it mentioned on the website. If not, can you add the ability? I would like to be able to start a run and it automatically goes to the screen I want.

 

[cfc]

Is there any way to set a default training screen for running, so that I don’t have to swipe thru screens to get the one I want during a run? I didn’t see it mentioned on the website. If not, can you add the ability? I would like to be able to start a run and it automatically goes to the screen I want.

You can configure exactly what data is shown on each screen by going to the Screens tab on the iPhone app. This includes the ability to change the order of the screens by tapping the Edit button and then dragging the screens using the usual iOS drag icons with 3 horizontal bars. So you could drag the screen you want to the top and it will be the default screen shown when starting a run.

You can do the same thing on the watch app by pressing the screen hard and tapping Settings and then Screens and then Running. Tap Edit Screen X where X is the screen you want as a default. Then scroll down to the Position setting and press the up arrow until it shows position 1. I hope that helps.

 

[kitenski]

Is there any way to set a default training screen for running, so that I don’t have to swipe thru screens to get the one I want during a run? I didn’t see it mentioned on the website. If not, can you add the ability? I would like to be able to start a run and it automatically goes to the screen I want.

I think screen 1 is the one always shown at the start, so simply configure that and you are all set. That's what I've done and works fine.

 

[iDron]

WorkOutDoors used to use the pedometer to do stroke counting for the Rowing workouts, which seemed to count strokes as well as it did steps. However over the last few months a few people reported that it was no longer working properly, so I took it out of the latest version.

It was almost as if watchOS was deciding not to make the pedometer work during rowing workouts. I will have another look to see if that is still the case with watchOS 6. However it is still being used to count strokes for Paddling workouts, so it may be worth trying that.

Does it count strokes again while rowing in the current version? Just started to track my outdoor rowing workouts with the Apple Watch. Just tracked it as a outdoor cycling the first few times and then changed the category but it gives a wrong calorie count. Saw this "RowingCoach" App that's supposed to count strokes and uploads to Strava.

I would buy WorkOutDoors if it has the strokes count...

 

[cfc]

Does it count strokes again while rowing in the current version? Just started to track my outdoor rowing workouts with the Apple Watch. Just tracked it as a outdoor cycling the first few times and then changed the category but it gives a wrong calorie count. Saw this "RowingCoach" App that's supposed to count strokes and uploads to Strava.

I would buy WorkOutDoors if it has the strokes count...

I haven't checked recently if Apple are allowing the pedometer to count strokes during a rowing workout. They stopped it a while ago but that may have been a bug. I plan to set up my old indoor rower if we get confined to the house in the future (which unfortunately seems possible!), so if that happens I will check it again then.

 

[iDron]

I haven't checked recently if Apple are allowing the pedometer to count strokes during a rowing workout. They stopped it a while ago but that may have been a bug. I plan to set up my old indoor rower if we get confined to the house in the future (which unfortunately seems possible!), so if that happens I will check it again then.

Thanks for your reply! But do u mean that there is no stroke counting in the moment, or no stroke counting using the pedometer?

 

[cfc]

The stroke counting in the app was previously done by using the pedometer provided by watchOS. I guess that the pedometer works by counting repetitive arm movements and that this also worked for arm movements whilst rowing. However a while back watchOS stopped the pedometer from working during rowing workouts, so the app was showing no stroke count.

As a result I removed the stroke metrics from rowing workouts. I don't know if this was deliberate on their part or not. It could be that they have reinstated them and I can add strokes back, so that is what I will check. I am not optimistic though.

The last I heard the stroke counts were still working for Paddling workouts, so you may want to try that activity type instead.

 

[iDron]

The last I heard the stroke counts were still working for Paddling workouts, so you may want to try that activity type instead.

Oh that is good to know as I am technically speaking paddling instead of rowing, I didn't know there were any apps for that. Thank you!

 

[cfc]

Oh that is good to know as I am technically speaking paddling instead of rowing, I didn't know there were any apps for that. Thank you!

The app offers 20+ activity types that are a subset of those offered by Apple. They describe the paddling activity as being for "canoeing, kayaking, paddling an outrigger, paddling a stand-up paddle board, and related sports".

 

[iDron]

The app offers 20+ activity types that are a subset of those offered by Apple. They describe the paddling activity as being for "canoeing, kayaking, paddling an outrigger, paddling a stand-up paddle board, and related sports".

Thanks! Do you know what is the difference between rowing and paddling from an data analytics viewpoint? How are movements tracked or processed differently?

 

[cfc]

Thanks! Do you know what is the difference between rowing and paddling from an data analytics viewpoint? How are movements tracked or processed differently?

Unfortunately Apple don't reveal those sorts of details. I imagine that the main difference would be in calorie calculations although that is just a guess.

 

[iDron]

After I tried the RowingCoach during my last paddling practice session yesterday, and it appeared to be quite buggy, I purchased your app to give it a try! Thanks for your support on this forum!

 

[cfc]

After I tried the RowingCoach during my last paddling practice session yesterday, and it appeared to be quite buggy, I purchased your app to give it a try! Thanks for your support on this forum!

Thanks for buying the app. I hope that you like it!

 

[iDron]

I could not use the workoutdoors app for paddling yet as my practice got suspended due to corona...

However I tried it for a running session today. In general, I think your App does a very good job, cause it delivers all the features it should be:
- I tried the Rowing Coach App for paddling last week, and there are segments missing, the calorie and move goals in the Activity App gets counted twice and so on...
- I tried the ViewRanger App during a hike on the weekend, and it just does not export the GPS-Track to the Activity App. So in order to access that, manually export the gpx file, re-import and then of course lose the calorie reading etc...

So I felt all the third party apps have some major flaws. Apple's built-in workout app actually is alright, it just does not show all the data and the GPS-smoothing is bad.

So during my run today, the WorkOutDoors-App did everything without any issues.

The one thing I feel needs improvement is the interface though: It just does not feel very 'apple-like', not really made for this device. For example, no transitions when switching between screens on recording. All the fonts, and buttons and so on look a bit "hand-crafted".

All-in-all a very great outdoor app, as it does just everything it should do without major flaws and with abundant functionality!

And just a recommendation for other users: Even though it has a direct Strava-export, I actually use it in conjunction with the HealthFit App. Just as I saved the workout on the watch and get home, I already see a notification popping up on the phone that I can view the route on Strava, it's also ready to view in Activity - perfect, that's how I imagined working out with the watch, just took me about two weeks to get the right Apps.

 

[cfc]

I could not use the workoutdoors app for paddling yet as my practice got suspended due to corona...

However I tried it for a running session today. In general, I think your App does a very good job, cause it delivers all the features it should be:
- I tried the Rowing Coach App for paddling last week, and there are segments missing, the calorie and move goals in the Activity App gets counted twice and so on...
- I tried the ViewRanger App during a hike on the weekend, and it just does not export the GPS-Track to the Activity App. So in order to access that, manually export the gpx file, re-import and then of course lose the calorie reading etc...

So I felt all the third party apps have some major flaws. Apple's built-in workout app actually is alright, it just does not show all the data and the GPS-smoothing is bad.

So during my run today, the WorkOutDoors-App did everything without any issues.

The one thing I feel needs improvement is the interface though: It just does not feel very 'apple-like', not really made for this device. For example, no transitions when switching between screens on recording. All the fonts, and buttons and so on look a bit "hand-crafted".

All-in-all a very great outdoor app, as it does just everything it should do without major flaws and with abundant functionality!

And just a recommendation for other users: Even though it has a direct Strava-export, I actually use it in conjunction with the HealthFit App. Just as I saved the workout on the watch and get home, I already see a notification popping up on the phone that I can view the route on Strava, it's also ready to view in Activity - perfect, that's how I imagined working out with the watch, just took me about two weeks to get the right Apps.

Glad you like the app. The look of it is quite limited by the flexibility of the screen layouts, but I must admit that it is not a strong point of mine! However I am trying to gradually improve the design with each version.

I would like to make the transitions between screens a bit smoother but unfortunately the limitations of watchOS make it impossible when you have maps on the screens. You cannot have more than one screen with a map on it, so I use a single screen and make it look like multiple screens by updating it when you swipe.

Apple introduced some new technology last year that should allow developers to make apps look a bit more polished, but it is probably still too new to be used for an app as complex as WorkOutDoors.

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[iamasmith]

I feel a bit mean bugging the author constantly so I'll ask here.

Has anybody found a way of turning off the auto ordering of the workouts? I alternate between a run and a walk daily and the swapping means that I end up tapping sometimes just as the app is switching order and thus needing to cancel the wrong workout type.

 

[cfc]

I feel a bit mean bugging the author constantly so I'll ask here.

Has anybody found a way of turning off the auto ordering of the workouts? I alternate between a run and a walk daily and the swapping means that I end up tapping sometimes just as the app is switching order and thus needing to cancel the wrong workout type.

Don't worry about bugging me - it's part of the job! Unfortunately there is currently no way to change the order on the menu. You can configure which activities are shown but not the order. A couple of people have asked for it but none have mentioned an update delay as the reason. I can see why you would want it given your pattern of use.

The simplest change would be to have an option to order alphabetically instead of by date and you could use the activity configuration to restrict the choices to just those that you use. I will have a think about it.

 

[hem1968]

Sorry that the instantaneous pace was erratic. It comes from Apple's GPS or Pedometer systems and neither are great. If you press the watch screen hard and tap Settings and then Pace then you will find various ways to improve it. Tap Current Pace to choose between GPS or Pedometer, and there is also an option to smooth the values (which I added because of the erratic instantaneous pace).

Alternatively you could use a rolling pace instead. There are 3 rolling pace metrics, so you can display 3 different time or distance windows at once whilst deciding which window works for you. The longer the window then the more accurate the pace but the less responsive it is, and vice-versa.

In the next version I have added an option to determine the pace from Apple's distance estimates, which seems less erratic.

In terms of the heart rate not varying often, this is an issue with the watch sensor which affects some people during colder weather when the blood vessels are further from the surface of the skin, although it can happen at any time. There is nothing the app can do about it.

It varies from person to person and some people use external monitors during the colder months. Apple have advice on it here: https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT207941#heartrate

I’ve tried different settings but cannot get a decent current pace. Without that it’s almost impossible to use this app for interval training.
I’ve tried Nike and Runkeeper, both of them are way more solid when I use current pace instead of average.
So, I gave up and went back to using the Apple workout again...
I hope this gets fixed soon!

 

[cfc]

I’ve tried different settings but cannot get a decent current pace. Without that it’s almost impossible to use this app for interval training.
I’ve tried Nike and Runkeeper, both of them are way more solid when I use current pace instead of average.
So, I gave up and went back to using the Apple workout again...
I hope this gets fixed soon!

I have worked around the watchOS current pace issue in the next version, which I am in the process of releasing a beta for. Email me at info@workoutdoors.net if you want to give it a go.

 

[iamasmith]

Had an odd one for the last couple of days and I think it's a new watchOS bug, all my maps turned mono in Workoutdoors.

I searched through the options thinking I must have accidentally enabled some high vis mode but no, it took a restart of the watch to get back to colour maps.

watchOS 6.2 on SS S5.

 

[cfc]

Had an odd one for the last couple of days and I think it's a new watchOS bug, all my maps turned mono in Workoutdoors.

I searched through the options thinking I must have accidentally enabled some high vis mode but no, it took a restart of the watch to get back to colour maps.

watchOS 6.2 on SS S5.

Sorry about that. It is a watchOS 6 bug that has been around since 6.0 but is quite rare (although some people get it more than others). You don't need to restart the watch because restarting the app will also fix it. To do that press the side button until the power off menu appears and then press the crown until you see the app disappear in the background.

In the next version of the app I have found a way to fix it by resetting some of the resources that the app uses to draw the map (the "materials" for those who know about 3D graphics). The app will do this at the beginning of each workout and also when you zoom in or out, which means that you can fix it during a workout.

I haven't found a way to avoid it happening but at least these changes mean that you do not need to restart the app or even the workout on the rare occasions that it does happen. Hopefully Apple will fix the bug some time soon.

 

[Apple_Robert]

I mentioned earlier, that I had recently been having trouble with my AW 5 heart rate sticking and the AW 5 apparently interpreting cadence and heart rate as the same thing. I started using my Scosche Rhythm+ With WoD when the AW 5 started showing his problem, and I haven’t had anymore problems with heart rate sticking and being seen as cadence. I purchased the Scosche Rhythm 24 this week, and it has been solid as well with WoD.

Wanted to post an anecdotal update, in case others run into this intermittent problem with the AW 5.