Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[BigMatti]

Hi CFC,
Great app. I’m new to it and only done a handful of runs but is there a way of racing against a previous workout so that I can see in real-time if I’m ahead or behind what I was at that exact point on the previous run? Hope that made sense.
It was something I enjoyed on my previous garmin watch.
Cheers,

matt

 

[cfc]

Hi CFC,
Great app. I’m new to it and only done a handful of runs but is there a way of racing against a previous workout so that I can see in real-time if I’m ahead or behind what I was at that exact point on the previous run? Hope that made sense.
It was something I enjoyed on my previous garmin watch.
Cheers,

matt

Thanks for buying the app. I am glad that you like it.

There is currently no way to compare against a previous workout, but you can set a target pace and see metrics showing how far ahead or behind you are, so you could set the target pace to be the average for the previous workout in question. It is not as good as a "target workout" which I plan to add at some time in the future, but may help if you workout course is relatively flat.

To set a target go to the settings on the watch and tap Pace then Target, or go to the Settings tab on the iPhone and tap Pace. To see the metrics either configure a screen with the "Time vs Target" and/or "Distance vs Target" metrics, or display a screen with the "Target" profile. This will display a default screen configuration that includes those metrics.

I hope that helps.

 

[BigMatti]

Hi Matt,

Thanks for buying the app. I am glad that you like it.

There is currently no way to compare against a previous workout, but you can set a target pace and see metrics showing how far ahead or behind you are, so you could set the target pace to be the average for the previous workout in question. It is not as good as a "target workout" which I plan to add at some time in the future, but may help if you workout course is relatively flat.

To set a target go to the settings on the watch and tap Pace then Target, or go to the Settings tab on the iPhone and tap Pace. To see the metrics either configure a screen with the "Time vs Target" and/or "Distance vs Target" metrics, or display a screen with the "Target" profile. This will display a default screen configuration that includes those metrics.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Ian

Cheers for the rapid response.
Not a problem, I can make that work for me. Just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing a trick.
Again, well done with the app. Can’t believe I’ve been making do with Apples own app for so long.

 

[Nano2021]

Hey,
I discovered WorkOutDoors a short while ago and I‘m a big fan already and I‘m using it for all kinds of workouts on my Apple Watch. What I wasn‘t able to determine yet, is whether voice notifications for navigation on a predefined route are possible? Could you give me a hint, how to get a notification each time I need to take a turn on an intersection? If the app isn‘t able to do this yet, wouldn‘t it be a great feature not to have to look on the map on your wrist during the workout? Thanks and stay healthy!

 

[cfc]

Hey,
I discovered WorkOutDoors a short while ago and I‘m a big fan already and I‘m using it for all kinds of workouts on my Apple Watch. What I wasn‘t able to determine yet, is whether voice notifications for navigation on a predefined route are possible? Could you give me a hint, how to get a notification each time I need to take a turn on an intersection? If the app isn‘t able to do this yet, wouldn‘t it be a great feature not to have to look on the map on your wrist during the workout? Thanks and stay healthy!

Thanks for buying the app. I am glad that you like it! Turn-by-turn navigation is not available at the moment but you should get alerts if you deviate from the route, which can help.

I plan to add turn-by-turn in the future, probably starting with a compromise solution where the app relies on the GPX files containing the navigation directions. This is because a full solution that can create directions for a route would require me to pay for a service every time it was used, which isn't possible with the current one-off payment for the app.

 

[Akrapovic]

Has anyone done a back to back battery test of WoD vs Workout app?

My AW S4 is borderline for completing a marathon distance using the standard Workout app. Does WoD stress it more of less? I'm planning on a straight test, but just wondering what info others have.

 

[keeper]

After a ride my watch would not connect to my phone, the data was in workoutdoors, however after a watch reboot the data has gone, the strange thing is it’s transferred to fitness. No way to upload to Strava now.

 

[cfc]

After a ride my watch would not connect to my phone, the data was in workoutdoors, however after a watch reboot the data has gone, the strange thing is it’s transferred to fitness. No way to upload to Strava now.

Is the workout still in the history on the watch? If so then you may be able to resend it to the iPhone app. It is worth rebooting the iPhone as well as the watch though, in case the reason the workout was not transferred before is because iOS got confused (in which case an iPhone reboot usually helps).

 

[keeper]

No record of the activity, but I can see all the segments in the health data.
Could it have deleted it from workoutdoors and left the data elsewhere?

 

[cfc]

No record of the activity, but I can see all the segments in the health data.
Could it have deleted it from workoutdoors and left the data elsewhere?

So the workout is not shown in Apple’s Fitness app? Just some of the data?

It is very strange because the app stores the workout in both Apple’s Health system and also in WorkOutDoors, and both systems persist the data in case of a problem, so they should both have been able to recover it.

Has this happened before? If it was a one off then hopefully rebooting both the iPhone and the watch will mean that it doesn’t happen again.

 

[keeper]

No not seen this before, i have the data but seems no way to export it.

 

[cfc]

No not seen this before, i have the data but seems no way to export it.

If there is no workout recorded in either health or WOD then you probably won't be able to.

It is worth checking that you have given the app all the required health permissions. To do this go to the Settings app on the iPhone and tap Privacy then Health then WorkOutDoors. Make sure that every switch is on, scrolling down to the bottom to check them all. The permissions seem to have strange interdependencies so they all need to be set.

Also, did you run a workout in another app at the same time as in WOD? iOS/watchOS only allow one workout at a time, so that can also have strange effects.

 

[ukms]

Just a quick question regarding some of the gym based activities and apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.

I do a variety of group classes at my gym and alternate between using HIIT, Cross Training and Mixed Cardio. Is there any actual difference in the way these are recorded or should I see the same results regardless of my activity choice ?

Thanks

 

[cfc]

Just a quick question regarding some of the gym based activities and apologies if this has been covered elsewhere.

I do a variety of group classes at my gym and alternate between using HIIT, Cross Training and Mixed Cardio. Is there any actual difference in the way these are recorded or should I see the same results regardless of my activity choice ?

Thanks

To be honest I don't know if there is any difference apart from the name of the activity. The app uses Apple's workout system and they do not reveal that sort of detail. So they could be calculating the calories differently based on the activity type, but it could also be that they use the same generic algorithm based on heart rate.

They definitely take the activity into account for the more popular workout types like running, cycling, hiking etc, but I do not know for HIIT, Cross Trying and Mixed Cardio. My guess would be that those activities are all treated the same, but that is purely a guess.

 

[keeper]

To be honest I don't know if there is any difference apart from the name of the activity. The app uses Apple's workout system and they do not reveal that sort of detail. So they could be calculating the calories differently based on the activity type, but it could also be that they use the same generic algorithm based on heart rate.

They definitely take the activity into account for the more popular workout types like running, cycling, hiking etc, but I do not know for HIIT, Cross Trying and Mixed Cardio. My guess would be that those activities are all treated the same, but that is purely a guess.

No just this app, I could see the workout before the sync failed, as indicated the workout data is in the health app but no longer in WOD.

 

[cfc]

No just this app, I could see the workout before the sync failed, as indicated the workout data is in the health app but no longer in WOD.

The only thing I can think of is if you tapped Discard at the end of the workout instead of maybe uploading to Strava. That would remove the workout from both Apple Health and from WorkOutDoors.

 

[keeper]

The only thing I can think of is if you tapped Discard at the end of the workout instead of maybe uploading to Strava. That would remove the workout from both Apple Health and from WorkOutDoors.

But the data is still in Apple Health as per the screenshot below and it has the WorkOutDoors logo?
Lets hope this is a one-off and not a data integrity issue.

 

[cfc]

But the data is still in Apple Health as per the screenshot below and it has the WorkOutDoors logo?
Lets hope this is a one-off and not a data integrity issue.

Sorry - I missed that screenshot. I thought you said there was no record of the activity in Apple's Health system. As there is then you can upload that to Strava by using an app such as HealthFit or RunGap.

It could be that iOS and watchOS have got confused which is why the workout has not transferred to the iPhone app, so please try rebooting both the watch and the iPhone. If you can see the workout in the history on the watch then try resending that to the iPhone after you have rebooted both devices.

 

[keeper]

@cfc cheers I got it transferred with RunGap, just had to buy a 3 mth pass.

 

[Pesky_UK]

What data do AW's get from a bluetooth connected chest strap?

Cadence Heartrate obviously but what about other running dynamics? Stride length? Respiration rate? Anything else?

Does WO support these dynamics?

 

[cfc]

What data do AW's get from a bluetooth connected chest strap?

Cadence obviously but what about other running dynamics? Stride length? Respiration rate? Anything else?

Does WO support these dynamics?

WatchOS can only read heart rates from external chest straps. It cannot read cadence, stride length etc even if the sensor supplies it. So at the moment WOD is the same because it only uses the sensors supported by watchOS.

I am gradually adding the ability for WOD to support other sensors. The next version will connect to Stryd and offer all of the dynamics that provides. If that goes well then I will extend support to other sensors.

It will also be interesting to see what Apple announce at WWDC in a few weeks. Many people have been hoping for years that they will offer native support for other sensor types, so maybe this will finally be the year. If they do then that will probably affect my plans (likely in a good way), but we will see.

 

[daanjj]

Also, did you run a workout in another app at the same time as in WOD? iOS/watchOS only allow one workout at a time, so that can also have strange effects.

CFC, first of all: thanks for a great app- very happy new customer here!!!

This remark (WatchOS only allowing one workout at a time) triggers a follow-up question. Can I combine WOD with an app like Strava or RunKeeper to share my live position/data with friends? If so, should I use their iPhone app rather than their Apple Watch app, or is that irrelevant? (I don't know whether the Apple Watch and iPhone have their own HealthKit data?)

 

[cfc]

CFC, first of all: thanks for a great app- very happy new customer here!!!

This remark (WatchOS only allowing one workout at a time) triggers a follow-up question. Can I combine WOD with an app like Strava or RunKeeper to share my live position/data with friends? If so, should I use their iPhone app rather than their Apple Watch app, or is that irrelevant? (I don't know whether the Apple Watch and iPhone have their own HealthKit data?)

To be honest I don't know. Having two watch apps running a workout at once definitely causes problems but I do not know if the same problem occurs if one of the apps is on the iPhone and one on the watch.

Has anyone else got any experience of this? Note that it is not a problem if the other app doesn't use Apple's workout system which is possibly more likely for an iPhone app.

 

[Torque73]

CFC, first of all: thanks for a great app- very happy new customer here!!!

This remark (WatchOS only allowing one workout at a time) triggers a follow-up question. Can I combine WOD with an app like Strava or RunKeeper to share my live position/data with friends? If so, should I use their iPhone app rather than their Apple Watch app, or is that irrelevant? (I don't know whether the Apple Watch and iPhone have their own HealthKit data?)

Yes, you can. Just be sure that you didn’t allow Strava to write data in health under Privady Menú and WOD is authorized to write data in health.
this way WOD will record all your track and Strava will only share your position with your friends.

i used to do it with app Run which just informs your series and Stryd app to save my run with Power.

 

[Maryn]

HI @cfc , do you have a plan to introduce .fit file export to Strava ?