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news
Strava app icon in iPhone (Focal Foto on Flickr, CC BY-NC 2.0)Strava users can no longer publicly share activity data on third-party apps, as company aims to crack down on fitness syncing ecosystem
In a development that has allegedly blindsided thousands of third-party apps, Strava has announced changes to its API Agreement that won’t allow other platforms to display users’ data publicly, meaning cyclists won’t be able to use apps like VeloViewer or coaching platforms like Intervals.icu to share their ride or other activity data with anyone else.
The popular fitness tracking and sharing app is used by more than 125 million users, with a large majority of athletes using it as a data hub to track their activities using fitness tracking devices like smartwatches and power meters, and then export that data using third-party apps which focus on specific disciplines like cycling, running, hiking and more. In fact, there are tens of thousands of such apps, according to Strava itself.
However, the new changes in its API Agreement could mean a death blow to the entire fitness syncing ecosystem, with users already warning that Strava is “shooting themselves, users, and third-party apps in the foot with this move.”
Besides the change dictating how user data is shared on these countless other platforms, the California-based company has also announced that third-party apps won’t be able to use any data parsed from its app to perform analytics using artificial intelligence models.
So, what does this mean for you? The first thing to note is that if you use a device — such as a GPS computer — to record your rides and then upload that data to Strava, this change won't affect that, because users can still access the data generated from their devices; however, apps pulling data from Strava will no longer be allowed to perform any data processing, nor share it with other users on that platform, making leaderboards and segments redundant.
And finally, in a move to “safeguard Strava’s experience”, other apps and platforms will have to maintain a distinct user interface that doesn’t feel too similar to Strava’s own.
Interestingly, Strava wrote that these changes have come into effect from 11 November, despite its blog post detailing the announcement being made four days ago. Here’s the full list of changes announced by Strava:
Effective November 11, the updated API agreement introduces three key changes that provide Strava users with greater control, security, and a consistent experience:
Stronger Privacy Standards: Third-party apps may now only display a user’s Strava activity data to that specific user. Users will continue to have access to their personal Strava data across apps connected to our platform, though there may be differences in how this data appears.
Data Use Limitations: Our terms now explicitly prohibit third parties from using any data obtained via Strava’s API in artificial intelligence models or similar applications.
Protecting the Strava Experience: Additional terms have been added to protect Strava’s unique look and feel and functionality, helping users easily distinguish between Strava and third-party platforms.
More surprisingly, the blog post ends with the note: “Per our Community Guidelines and Guidelines to Ideas, posts requesting or attempting to have Strava revert business decisions will not be permitted.”
Since making the post, Strava has attempted to clarify its position by providing additional context. According to the company, the changes were made to enhance privacy and user control and prevent third-party platforms from utilising their user’s data to train AI models and misuse via generative AI, claiming that “innovation in this space must be handled responsibly and with a firm focus on user control”.
Strava said: “We want to thoughtfully address situations where users connect to a third-party app and are unaware that their data is being surfaced not just for their own use and visibility, but also to other users (for example, in a public feed or heatmap). The latest API changes address this scenario and provide a more consistent framework for Strava user data.”
It added: “Third-party developers may not take such a deliberate approach to training AI models and as a result, we believe the best decision for the platform and for users is to prohibit the use of data extracted from Strava users in this manner. Our previous terms already disallowed the use of Strava user data in model training and development but we’ve made this more explicit in light of the increasing activity in this space.”
This was perhaps not evident in the original post, in which it claimed that it is “proactively refining our terms to stay ahead of advancements in data technology”.
The company launched a beta version of its ‘Athlete Intelligence’ feature last month, allowing subscribers to analyse and interpret workout data into personalised insights and guidance, providing “smarter insights across pace, heart rate, elevation, power and Relative Effort”, as well as aggregating data trends from workouts logged over the past 30 days.
Additionally, Strava believes that these changes will have “no impact to most developers”, anticipating that “only a small fraction (less than 0.1 per cent) of the applications on the Strava platform” will be affected, with “the overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed, including coaching platforms focused on providing feedback to users and tools that help users understand their data and performance.”
However, the popular training and coaching platform Intervals.icu already posted that this breaks all coaching features for them related to Strava data – requiring them to hide not only new user data going forward, but all historical data for coaches.
Nate Pearson, CEO of TrainerRoad, an app that provides users with “Effective, Science-Backed Workouts” based on access to data from Strava, wrote: “This was crazy news to us, too. We’re still understanding the full implications.”
Ray Maker on the website DCRainmaker said: “They [Strava] don’t seem all that committed to “working closely with partners”. As every single partner I’ve talked to over the last 24 hours has been completely broadsided by this change. They all received a generic e-mail Friday night, with a mere 30 days of notice to completely re-work their entire applications. Mind you, a 30-day period that includes the holidays (most companies would give at least 6 months of notice for something like this).
“I suspect we’ll see a lot of companies just shut off the API entirely, and perhaps that’s Strava’s goal. Though, I fail to see how that benefits paying Strava subscribers, and thus Strava’s bottom line. Strava seems to be working very hard to kill off the community of tens of thousands of apps that arguably made it so popular.”
Chris Snook, Director of PR and Communications at Zwift, told road.cc: “The changes do not impact Zwift customers, so we aren’t in a position to provide any commentary,” while Wahoo said that it “doesn't comment on changes to key partners strategies”.
Garmin and Hammerhead have also been approached for comment.
How is this change going to affect your usage of Strava for your rides and other activities going forward? Let us know in the comments…
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after completing his masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Cymru, and also likes to write about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
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53 comments
Given my voice is only one of many, I have done the one thing that might make a difference, and cancelled my sub, referencing this decision and linking to Ray's article.
I also called Strava out in my latest activity and uploaded a plain black picture so my friends see this.
As others have noted, (and as someone still using his phone for cycling and running), the sensor cut-off was annoying, but this is OUR data per many regulations (GDPR etc) or simply due to the fact we're importing the data from non-Strava origins (Garmin, Wahoo etc).
Strava can change their terms especially regards other companies. I can choose to stop paying them. I like a quote I saw for a Carbon Literacy course (interesting course, as an aside!): "I'm just one person, said seven billion people".
If others were to cancel now (mine doesn't actually run out 'til May) with a similar comment to Strava and/or highlight Strava on an activity, there could be a bit of a protest movement here... spread the word.
I don't blame Strava for this at all. Anything that enables competing services looks commercially stupid. Same as musk did with X APIs
Plenty of organisations manage to make a commercial success out of interoperability and supporting a surrounding ecosystem - this can be a selling point, as long as you offer a superior core service in your area of expertise.
If Strava have decided that that's not their strategy, though, that's fine - they have the option of simply disabling access and forcing you to manually download your data if you want to take it elsewhere. Seems foolish to me, but that's a business decision for them.
The problem is with them allowing you to transfer it to other services, and then presuming to dictate what you can permit those services to do with your data.
They arent competing if Strava doesnt have that functionality.
The converse point is you dont piss off your customers all at once without looking long and hard as to whether they are competitors, which is probably the vast majority.
Space Karen is hardly an exemplar for commercial success of a Social platform now is he?
I'm not sure commercial success is even particularly high on his list of priorities for it - it's much more about the leverage it gives him for political (and thereby regulatory) gain.
I stopped using Strava when it arbitrarily raised its price a few years back, which meant an overnight price increase of >100% for me.
I’ve never looked back.
Try it: trust me, you actually won't be disappointed.
The jokey KoM /QoM segment comparisons between mates was about the only thing which took a few weeks to forget. But, honestly, who cares!?
Save your money: go elsewhere. This tends to be what you get with market dominance - hubris personified.
I hardly bother to look at Strava any more. For my purposes Garmin Connect is much better; very good route planning and syncing with bike computer, good post-ride analysis if needed.
The novelty of segments has long gone as I've gotten older and slower.
Too much advertising in it too, for a paid service.
The big advantage of Strava is that it's device agnostic and only requires a web browser. I've previously owned a couple of Garmin smartwatches and didn't enjoy having to use a Windows application to configure them etc.
It's easy enough to setup your computer/network to block most adverts and I didn't even realise that Strava was advert heavy (I've never paid for Strava either).
I don't need a Windows app to configure my 1080 head unit...
How do you configure it - a phone app?
(I've never had a Garmin bike computer, but instead use a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt)
You need something special to configure a cycle computer that hasn't yet been released
I may have been wooshed as I'm not that familiar with Garmin stuff - they always strike me as being overpriced for the hardware (and I don't like companies forcing me to use Windows).
they always strike me as being overpriced for the hardware
I managed for years using the Cateye with the magnet on the spoke, and it was very good. I got a smartphone in 2018 (still working well) and used the GPS on that for long trips, except when camping like on the Pennine Bridleway. Edge 1040 was available on Black Friday last year so I got one. It's fantastically good! with multi-day battery life- managed the Coast to Coast along with a day and a half each for getting there and coming back. Because I'm a sad old git, it still has the throwaway plastic cover on the screen
Garmin have lagged definitely behind Wahoo in this, although starting with the x20 series, head units could be paired with a phone for syncing activities, routes, etc without a cable. The first unit (IIRC) that could be set up from scratch without tethering to a Windows PC was the 1030 Plus (followed by the rest of the x30 series). Following that, the 1040 (and subsequent x40 models) could be reliably set up and later configured using the Garmin Connect mobile app. This was a major improvement, being able to customise screens on the phone app rather than the unit itself, which I think Wahoo had been doing since day 1.
Also, on all models since the 1030 Plus, if you've had a previous Edge device later than a x20 paired with your account, the setup will bring across your paired sensors and data screen customisations, which for me has probably been the most useful feature.
Even with these changes, until June this year (2024), you've still needed the Windows PC app and a cable (works fine in a VM so no problem for me) to update the maps, however with the launch of the 1050, this can be done over-the-air providing the device itself is configured with a wifi network (as opposed to behing paired with a phone for connectivity). This feature also came to the x40 series a few months later.
Finally, with the launch of the 1050 in June, the setup has been reduced to scanning a QR code and waiting until complete. That functionality has now found its way to the x40 series with a firmware update.
Can you do firmware updates wirelessly with the Garmin units? As I recall, their smartwatches needed to be wired up to a windows pc to install firmware updates.
Of course, Wahoo have this sorted with the Elemnt - it just asks you whether you want to apply the new update and does it all over wifi.
Yep, they've been OTA since the x20 series (c.2015), initally only able to use a bluetooth connected phone running the GC mobile app, but on wifi native client since 1030.
Edit to add: I've been referring to the Edge cycling head units, but coincidentally my watch (Venu 2 Plus) has just prompted me to update the firmware OTA.
Cool - that removes one of my issues with Garmin. I'm quite happy with the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, so I doubt that I'll be switching unless Garmin come out with some game changing tech.
I still use a Garmin 800 (of the plug it in and hope the Windows app works generation) and that is a bit of a pain. My c. 3 year old entry level Garmin running watch is configured via a reliable phone app.
The advertising in Strava is in the feed, usually disguised as some low-grade challenge sponsored by Whoever. Every time one of your 'friends' joins such a challenge it appears in your feed, cluttering the thing up.
The answer to this is to have no friends.
Yeah, used to love it. Had a premium subscription. Koms used to be good, but are pointless. Why cycle when you can use your car. This is another nail in the coffin
Sounds like a great opportunity for some tech-startup to do the exact opposite of Strava. That is make an open-exchange app that will act as both a social network and an activity data exchange platform. Activities could have simple toggle switches specifing which metrics are shareable . It's not hard to imagine it just needs someone, I lack the skills, to do it and people to ditch Strava and take it up. Build it and the people will come.
Seems an odd choice to me, since Strava depends on user data. It seems like this should be a good incentive for the third party services/apps to build .FIT file processing. I know all Garmins (maybe also Wahoo?) spit out a .FIT file by default containing all the information. I understand that there's a cost to developing that functionality, but it would bypass strava for the vast majority of applications.
Many* users will not want to download a file from their Garmin [or whatever] and then upload it to somewhere else as a manual process; currently Garmin Connect automatically exchanges the information ... and users are going to want to see that interface remain.
* certainly just me.
It's a pain in the arse that makes humans do the work of computers.
I wonder, what would happen is say, Garmin, Wahoo, and Hammerhead decided to cut their ties and stop sharing their data with Strava? Maybe making it so you could only use their gps head units on their own apps?
Strava has to remember they are only as good as the people uploading data to it. Where it has been revolutionary in the uptake of cycling and many other sports where people can post their workouts, its a very flimsy business when you rely purely on customer input to exist.
And when you record a ride with, lets say a garmin, Strava dont own that data, The GPX was made by Garmin. The code is used by Garmin. Strava is just a database with flashy graphics and maps.
Sounds like a few companies should get together to build their own "upload" service. If the band together they could create a genric API they could all use to upload and download the data and skip Strava completly.
It would only work if a lot of companies chip in to make a central database outside of the Strava universe.
You dont need to, You have thge ability to give it to a 3rd party without Strava. You may have to manually upload it or link it to Garmin Connect or similar but Strava can be taken out this loop entirely. Which is what makes this situation so self defeating.
Second some tech staff from Garmin, Wahoo and Hammerhead, put them in a room together and Strava won't have much of a business left.
It's strange [probably not for them in the know] that I can connect PlotaRoute to Garmin Connect and upload a route ... but I can't connect VeloViewer to Garmin Connect and get the snazzy goodies that VV gives ... although, tbh the main snazzy bit I'm interested in is the info graphic...
Is Strava annoyed with the Telegraph "52mph" article and decided to do something about it?
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