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New STRAVA API UPDATE, what the message means

  • June 1, 2026
  • 3 replies
  • 553 views
abrego
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You probably have received THE EMAIL. 

Little summary:

Good news everyone: Strava just sent an official update and it looks like they were listening.

Here's what's changing and what it means for those of us stuck on the athlete limit:

The immediate fix: Standard Tier developers can now self-upgrade to 10 athletes directly from the API settings dashboard, no form, no queue, no waiting for a response from developers@strava.com, I have emailed them 10 times in the last 2 weeks, so they will be happy as well I think. Go do it now, I would.

The new tier structure:

  • Standard Tier: up to 10 athletes, self-managed, no formal review
  • Extended Access Tier: higher rate limits, greater user capacity, prioritized developer support, access to Partner APIs, and no Strava subscription required

Go to strava.com/settings/api to see what TIER you’re in.

Key dates to have on your radar:

  • June 1, 2026: changes are live. New tiers active, self-upgrade available now
  • June 30, 2026: Standard Tier developers will need a Strava subscription to keep API access. Extended Access Tier is not affected. They just made the API a paid one, I personally like this.
  • September 1, 2026: Club Activities, Club Admins, Club Members and Segments Explore endpoints deprecated
  • June 1, 2027 — technical changes required: new API base URL (https://www.api-v3.strava.com) and authorization tokens must go in request headers, not form params

Also launching: an official Strava MCP for athletes who want to interact with their own data through AI tools, included with a Strava subscription. This will kill a lot of apps that used AI to analyze data, I think.

It's not a perfect solution for everyone, the subscription requirement for Standard Tier will sting for some, but the direction is right and the silence is finally broken. Credit where it's due.

    3 replies

    Michal11
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    • Michal11
    • Hub Explorer
    • June 1, 2026

    I am alone coder and rider, i just upload my rides via api and now i am so destructive to pay for this modest api usage when I use 100 request in a month. Way to go strava. Bye.

      T
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      • ThaYoung1
      • Hub Rookie
      • June 2, 2026

      I'm in the same situation as @Michal11. Based on the official Strava communication, I find it unclear what will be the exact impact for my situation. 

      I created an application for a third party platform and have hundreds of installs (each user creates his/her own API Application in Strava for this). If the API moves behind a paywall, I see no other solution than to stop and retract the application. Coping with my frustration will then be done by canceling my Strava Premium subscription. If that’s the case it's also a ‘So long Strava’ from my side.

      Michal11
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      • Michal11
      • Hub Explorer
      • June 2, 2026

      I'm in the same situation as @Michal11. Based on the official Strava communication, I find it unclear what will be the exact impact for my situation. 

      I created an application for a third party platform and have hundreds of installs (each user creates his/her own API Application in Strava for this). If the API moves behind a paywall, I see no other solution than to stop and retract the application. Coping with my frustration will then be done by canceling my Strava Premium subscription. If that’s the case it's also a ‘So long Strava’ from my side.

      I  am not that angry, just feel disrespected. But anyway, I am stuck with 3 month free sub now, and I will decide at a later term. I really do not want to lose 4 years of my work and hours of fun with strava.But if you already have a premium subscription you’re not affected, just the users using your app besides you - which is not my case, so I cannot tell too much. Anyway this move should have been more clear and communicated more before (or it was and i am not aware) 

       

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