Apps WorkOutDoors: New workout features

[maurycyorlik]

The current version of the app doesn't record every GPS point in the WOD file if you have not moved far since the last point. This was originally to save space but I have removed the restriction in the next version, now that the watches have more space and faster data transfer.

If you want every GPS point with the current version then you can export from Apple's workout system using an app like HealthFit or RunGap. WOD uses Apple's workout system and that stores all the GPS points, and also smoothes them, so I often suggest this to people who are concerned about the way the GPS track looks. It doesn't make any noticeable difference to the metrics, especially if you use the default of getting calibrated distances from the pedometer, but I understand that some people are very focussed on GPS.

That’s great to know! Thank you ?

 

[aloper]

Apple say that it can take up to 9 days for workouts to be counted for awards, which seems pretty poor to me (and a strangely specific number). After that they say to contact them.

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Wow, I didn't know that...Seems like a really strange thing.

Anyways, funny little story that the app this morning saved me from being potentially arrested! I was out early, in the middle of a long walk. My route takes me through residential neighborhoods but there is a part that goes through a commercial area with a bunch of business parks. I'm just cruising along, listening to an audio book and a police car passes me, out on the road. Like 20 seconds later, through my earbuds, I hear the siren and can see flashing blue and red lights on the ground in front of me. Turning around, the police car had turned around and pulled up behind me but off to the side, on the road. The officer motioned me to come over and I did so, while pulling one of my earbuds out. He says "Oh, I didn't realize you had headphones on so that is why you didn't hear me...". Anyways, he asked me what I was doing and I told him I was out for a walk. Apparently, sometime during the night, a business in the area had been vandalized. I showed him my running walk workout and panned the map around to show him my route. He asked where I go the app, as he had an Apple watch as well...lol. Satisfied, he told me to have a great day and he drove off...

 

[cfc]

Wow, I didn't know that...Seems like a really strange thing.

Anyways, funny little story that the app this morning saved me from being potentially arrested! I was out early, in the middle of a long walk. My route takes me through residential neighborhoods but there is a part that goes through a commercial area with a bunch of business parks. I'm just cruising along, listening to an audio book and a police car passes me, out on the road. Like 20 seconds later, through my earbuds, I hear the siren and can see flashing blue and red lights on the ground in front of me. Turning around, the police car had turned around and pulled up behind me but off to the side, on the road. The officer motioned me to come over and I did so, while pulling one of my earbuds out. He says "Oh, I didn't realize you had headphones on so that is why you didn't hear me...". Anyways, he asked me what I was doing and I told him I was out for a walk. Apparently, sometime during the night, a business in the area had been vandalized. I showed him my running walk workout and panned the map around to show him my route. He asked where I go the app, as he had an Apple watch as well...lol. Satisfied, he told me to have a great day and he drove off...

Now that is a new use for the app - proving an alibi! Glad it helped. And thanks for spreading the word!

 

[JBinPDX]

Apple say that it can take up to 9 days for workouts to be counted for awards, which seems pretty poor to me (and a strangely specific number). After that they say to contact them.

workouts from third party apps not counti… - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Ring in the new year challenge 2022 - Apple Community

discussions.apple.com

Apple Watch achievements, badges, or awards not updating? Fix it now

From time to time, there are some issues with your Apple Watch achievements updating properly. We take a look at a few different methods to get everything working again.

www.myhealthyapple.com

What tipped me off was I didn’t get the watch 7 workouts completed in a week award after doing those two using Workoutdoors which should have got me to 7…I did reboot the watch and phone and will give it another try tomorrow morning…

For what it's worth, I've noticed this also. I haven't been credited with a 7 workout week since last July. On a typical week, I have 14 walks via WOD and 3 workouts via Fitness+. Only the latter are counted towards the 7 workout badge. The WOD workouts do show up in the Fitness app and the Health app... just not as far as the badge goes. This week I used the Apple workout app during a walk, and that was counted on the badge.

I decided that I didn't care enough about that particular badge to pursue it with Apple. But thought you might want to know that there are at least two of us seeing this.

 

[cfc]

For what it's worth, I've noticed this also. I haven't been credited with a 7 workout week since last July. On a typical week, I have 14 walks via WOD and 3 workouts via Fitness+. Only the latter are counted towards the 7 workout badge. The WOD workouts do show up in the Fitness app and the Health app... just not as far as the badge goes. This week I used the Apple workout app during a walk, and that was counted on the badge.

I decided that I didn't care enough about that particular badge to pursue it with Apple. But thought you might want to know that there are at least two of us seeing this.

Judging from the number of complaints across the web it seems that iOS has always been a bit unreliable at counting workouts for awards, especially if they are created by third party apps. Unfortunately there isn't much that the apps can do about it. Sorry about that.

 

[jon08]

This may have been asked before, but was wondering if WOD will work with always-on display in a future update?

 

[cfc]

This may have been asked before, but was wondering if WOD will work with always-on display in a future update?

Third party apps were unable to use the always on display until watchOS 8 was released recently. I plan to add it in the future but it won't be in the app for a while because it will be a lot of work. Sorry about that. Updating the screen when inactive seems to require Apple's latest coding language (known as SwiftUI). This appeared long after WorkOutDoors was first released, so the app does not use it.

My current plan is to finish off the next version of the app and then look into displaying an always on screen that uses SwiftUI when the user lowers their wrist. Hopefully by then there will be more information about whether this is possible.

 

[jon08]

Third party apps were unable to use the always on display until watchOS 8 was released recently. I plan to add it in the future but it won't be in the app for a while because it will be a lot of work. Sorry about that. Updating the screen when inactive seems to require Apple's latest coding language (known as SwiftUI). This appeared long after WorkOutDoors was first released, so the app does not use it.

My current plan is to finish off the next version of the app and then look into displaying an always on screen that uses SwiftUI when the user lowers their wrist. Hopefully by then there will be more information about whether this is possible.

Right, I was excited when it was announced watchOS 8 would allow 3rd party apps to use the AOD! But wasn't aware if it was simple to implement or more of a complex matter. Keeping my fingers crossed to see it implemented as early as by the end of this year...

 

[cfc]

Right, I was excited when it was announced watchOS 8 would allow 3rd party apps to use the AOD! But wasn't aware if it was simple to implement or more of a complex matter. Keeping my fingers crossed to see it implemented as early as by the end of this year...

It is simple to implement if you do not need to update the screen whilst it is inactive (wrist down), but if you do want to change what is displayed then the code needs to use SwiftUI (specifically something called TimelineView). I think it is Apple's way of nudging us developers into using their latest toys.

In the long term I will probably have to rewrite the main view using SwiftUI but I am hoping that there may be a way to get around it in the short term.

 

[jon08]

It is simple to implement if you do not need to update the screen whilst it is inactive (wrist down), but if you do want to change what is displayed then the code needs to use SwiftUI (specifically something called TimelineView). I think it is Apple's way of nudging us developers into using their latest toys.

In the long term I will probably have to rewrite the main view using SwiftUI but I am hoping that there may be a way to get around it in the short term.

I see. Surely the point of AOD would be to see the real-time data without having to fully raise the wrist in an app like WOD with many different metrics running on the screen, otherwise you would just raise your wrist as you normally do display all the metrics.

 

[cfc]

I see. Surely the point of AOD would be to see the real-time data without having to fully raise the wrist in an app like WOD with many different metrics running on the screen, otherwise you would just raise your wrist as you normally do display all the metrics.

That is definitely the case for WOD but many other apps do not show real-time data so don't need to be updated for AOD.

Just rebuilding the app will mean that it automatically shows the unchanging AOD screen when not active. I have had to specifically set an option in the next version of WOD so that it doesn't do that, because that could confuse people into thinking that the metrics they see are live.

 

[Limbeckx]

Did you ever thing about creating a sub on reddit? I am not a expert on it but was supprised that it does not have it's own sub on Reddit.

 

[cfc]

Did you ever thing about creating a sub on reddit? I am not a expert on it but was supprised that it does not have it's own sub on Reddit.

There is an AMA on reddit from a few years ago that people still ask questions on.

To be honest I already spend a lot of time answering questions on email / social media and I don't want to add to that! ?

 

[TheMixam]

I think I'm having an issue with the search / filter options. I add the name of the shoe to the title of the run so I can use the search/filter to track mileage of my shoes. When I use 'Group By: Year', I can see the distance for 2021 and 2022 for a certain pair of shoes:

But now I have to add up multiple years of mileage. So I expected to be able to use 'Group By: Activity Type' and have all my running activities in 1 group, but then I get 'No Workouts Yet Created' even though I used the exact same filter and sorting settings.

 

[cfc]

That does seem to be a bug. I will take a look. It shows how little anyone uses the filtering feature though because that will have been in there for many years.

 

[maurycyorlik]

Just to confirm - beta isn’t out yet, right?

 

[cfc]

Just to confirm - beta isn’t out yet, right?

Not yet but very close. Waiting for Stryd to reply to a question about how to include some of their more esoteric metrics into a FIT file (which WOD can now export).

 

[leescottdavis]

I think we are more eager than you can imagine!

 

[maurycyorlik]

Ian should sync his big app updates with Garmin product announcements

 

[DieAllianz]

sorry if this has been asked before but searching the thread was a pain.

- the display of my apple watch 7 is not fully utilized. When will this be changed or is there a setting for it?

- what is the status with elevation lines in the maps?

 

[cfc]

sorry if this has been asked before but searching the thread was a pain.

- the display of my apple watch 7 is not fully utilized. When will this be changed or is there a setting for it?

- what is the status with elevation lines in the maps? View attachment 1952995

The next version will make the most of the larger screen sizes on the series 7 and will also have the option to show contours. It will start beta testing soon and will be released to the App Store when that is complete.

 

[Rio90]

Hi everyone,

Watching some YouTube video I heard that if you use only WorkOutDoors to track your workouts it is necessary at some point to recalibrate the GPS of the Apple Watch…

Could you please explain me better how often do I have to make this calibration? And also how to doing it…

Thanks a lot!!

 

[cfc]

Hi everyone,

Watching some YouTube video I heard that if you use only WorkOutDoors to track your workouts it is necessary at some point to recalibrate the GPS of the Apple Watch…

Could you please explain me better how often do I have to make this calibration? And also how to doing it…

Thanks a lot!!

The app uses Apple's workout system and by default also uses their calibrated distances. However these come from the pedometer rather than the GPS. I don't think there is a way to calibrate the GPS but if the distances look incorrect then you can calibrate them as described here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204516.

If the recalibration doesn't work (Apple's pedometer just doesn't work for some people) then you can switch off calibrated distances and the app will instead use GPS to determine distance. To do this touch the watch screen for a second and tap Settings then More. Then switch off "Use Calibrated Distances". Note that this makes it susceptible to poor GPS signals, such as when you go through tunnels etc.

 

[Limbeckx]

The next version will make the most of the larger screen sizes on the series 7 and will also have the option to show contours. It will start beta testing soon and will be released to the App Store when that is complete.

Do you still accept beta testers? Aw 7 user who runs 6 days a week and does some walks and some cycling here and there.

 

[cfc]

Do you still accept beta testers? Aw 7 user who runs 6 days a week and does some walks and some cycling here and there.

Sure. Please email me at info@workoutdoors.net and I will add you to the list of beta testers. Thanks for testing the app!