Strava’s API debacle highlights the messiness of fitness data

A fewer days ago, Strava upset its users implicit some restrictive API changes. It mightiness look unusual for one app’s users to fume implicit an API, but astatine the bosom of the substance is the inherent messiness of fittingness data.

Here’s a emblematic scenario. Say you’re each successful connected Garmin’s platform. You usage their watches for moving and spot training. Then, you prime up a Peloton motorcycle for indoor cycling. Well, Garmin devices aren’t compatible with Peloton bikes due to the fact that the 2 companies haven’t struck a nonstop woody with 1 different for information sharing. So, to get your bosom complaint connected the Peloton bike, you bargain a thorax strap. And past you determine to bid for a race, truthful you motion up for 1 of those integer coaching platforms — the benignant wherever a idiosyncratic trainer reviews your workouts and builds you a customized plan.

The dilemma is present you person 3 abstracted apps wherever your workout past is stored, with 3 abstracted interfaces — and nary of them with the full representation of your training.

There are a fig of ways you could consolidate that data, but successful this scenario, the simplest is to upload each your workouts into Strava and past import each that Strava information into the coaching app.

This benignant of script has travel up dozens of times passim my wearables testing. Most recently, it came up erstwhile I reviewed a Mobvoi connected table treadmill. I didn’t similar its autochthonal app, but trying to get the information into my preferred apps was a nightmare. At the extremity of the day, it was easiest for maine to spell done Strava.

The world is galore smaller fittingness apps and wearable makers don’t person the resources to onslaught up nonstop information integrations with the thousands of different fittingness apps and devices connected the market. It’s overmuch easier for everyone to usage Strava’s API and telephone it a day. And dissimilar Apple’s HealthKit API oregon Google’s Health Connect, Strava is platform-agnostic.

Where things get truly murky is third-party fittingness platforms that extrapolate their ain insights from Strava information — a no-no nether the caller API terms.

Take a third-party level similar VeloViewer. The full thought down VeloViewer is to springiness much in-depth insights into Strava data, including 3D maps, charts, yearly enactment recaps, and leaderboards. This is simply a large enactment for folks who privation much info than what’s natively disposable successful Strava, but the caller API changes interruption galore of the aforementioned features. As you mightiness imagine, VeloViewer users — galore of whom accidental they lone wage a Strava subscription to usage VeloViewer — are pissed. VeloViewer has since released a statement saying it’s moving with Strava to resoluteness the issue, but it doesn’t alteration the information that Strava holds each the cards.

Admittedly, this is simply a niche problem. Most radical usage 1 oregon possibly 2 fittingness apps with their smartwatch, and this isn’t truly an issue. But for those of america who privation the state of utilizing aggregate devices and apps crossed assorted platforms? It’s a sobering reminder that it lone takes Strava changing the rules to interruption a cautiously crafted system.