Hello everyone,
I recently submitted a request for Standard Tier+ access for my application, but unfortunately it was not approved. Before submitting a new request, I'd like to better understand the expectations for applications that are still in the pre-launch phase.
For context:
- Application: ONAapi
- Company: ONAtrail
- Current authenticated users: 10
- Intended users: 3,000–6,000 during the initial launch and growth phase
ONAtrail is a specialized trail running performance web platform designed to support athletes before, during, and after their races. Trail running presents unique challenges compared to road running due to elevation changes, technical terrain, and race-specific pacing demands, and our platform provides dedicated tools to address these challenges.
Through Strava API integration, athletes can securely connect their personal activity history to access personalized trail-specific insights. This includes elevation-based performance metrics, climbing and descending ability analysis, personalized athlete performance profiles to identify individual strengths and weaknesses, and detailed post-race analysis to better understand their performance.
The platform also provides trail race preparation tools, including pacing assistance based on course characteristics and historical race performance data, helping athletes build a race strategy adapted to their goals and the specific demands of each course.
All Strava data is used to provide insights and personalized analytics to the authenticated athlete within their own account. Our objective is to complement the Strava ecosystem by delivering specialized trail running analytics and race preparation tools that help endurance athletes better understand their capabilities, optimize their strategies, and improve their overall trail running experience.
The platform is currently in its final development phase, with a public launch planned for the end of July. Since the review process can take some time, I submitted the Standard Tier request in advance so that production API access would ideally be available when the platform is launched.
The production API application currently has 10 authenticated users, but no API activity beyond user authentication because most development and testing were performed in a separate development environment. The production client has mainly been used for authentication and final validation before launch.
Similarly, the support URL currently points to an older beta version of the platform, while the final version is still being completed. The screenshots submitted with the request were based on our current design mockups, which are much closer to the final product than the current public website.
My questions are:
- For applications that are preparing for a public launch, is it generally acceptable for the production API client to have no API activity beyond user authentication, or do reviewers expect to see meaningful production usage before granting Standard Tier access?
- How important is the current state of the support website during the review? If the public website is still an older beta while the production version is nearing completion, could that typically influence the outcome of a Standard Tier request?
I'm simply trying to better understand the expectations for pre-launch applications so I can improve my next submission.
Thank you very much for any advice or guidance.