Alert Athletes if Location services are turned off when starting a new activity

[DDLA]

If I could fill this space with all the profanity in all the languages of the world throughout all time, I would...

I'm on Android / Samsung.

(1) Strava requires that Precise Location permission be granted. As far as I can see, there is no way to record a new activity (walk, run, etc.) without allowing that permission setting.

(2) If Location is actually on, everything's cool. But if it's off, STRAVA WILL STILL ALLOW A NEW ACTIVITY TO START WITHOUT ALERTING, AND SO IT DOESN'T TRACK MOVEMENT! WTAF!

(3) I don't always keep Location on, for a variety of reasons. I usually remember to check that it's on before heading out for a walk or run.

But once in a while (like tonight), I was eager to get out, in a rush on my schedule, and simply hit Record / Start. I had a great jog—the best since my kidney transplant—and then got back to the door to realize that Location was off, and Strava hadn't recorded anything about distance/elevation. I wanted to burn the world down.

(4) Two things: 

- People who are in medical crisis or recovering from medical crisis (like me) often experience brain fog, forgetfulness, inattention to details, etc. at some moments, no matter how smart we are or how careful we're being (because medical crisis demands extra attention and carefulness).

- People who are neurodivergent (like me) often experience moments of missing details or already being mentally so many thoughts/decisions down the road (like me tonight) that it's easy to overlook a detail.

(5) So why in the world can't Strava notice that Location isn't actually turned on and simply notify users when they hit Start on a new activity? I can't think of an easier solution to any other problem.

Please make it so.

[Jane]

Hello @DDLA 

Thanks for posting about this.  We understand it's frustrating when data isn't recorded.  

The Strava Mobile Apps actually supports recording many indoor activities, for this reason, recording with location services turned off is supported on the App.  

One quick way to tell if location is turned off when you start a recording on the App, is by the map shown.  If location services are on, you'll see your Heatmap and a zoomed in map of where you are, with the blue dot in the middle (that blue dot shows your location has been located on a map).

If location services are off, the App won't know where you are and you may see not a map, or you may see something like the following:

I hope that's helpful.  

Your idea is now open to voting.  The idea title was edited so it will be easier for others to search and vote on. Thank you for your contribution.

 

[DDLA]

Thanks for the reply.

Whether the map is shown doesn't really solve the problem. It assumes that a user will always have a map displayed (either full or partial screen). I never have the map displayed.

Also, I can open the app and press Start before any map loads, so I'll never see a map. Plus, for anyone in the circumstances I mention above (in a hurry, dealing with health issues or neurodivergence, etc.), the appearance or non-appearance of a generic map v. a heatmap simply might not register.

Another example: A user goes for a walk or run, pauses the activity for whatever reason, happens to turn off Location while the activity is paused, and then wants to resume the activity. The app will not record distance for the second portion of the activity.

As for indoor activities, why couldn't the app send the same alert for all activities, whether indoors or out? Does indoor running or swimming not use location services to track distance? If users don't want to use location services for a particular activity, they can simply dismiss the notification.

It seems like a simple fix to help ensure that activity recording is more consistent and foolproof.

[Jan_Mantau]

It must be configurable,  else the users that record indoor would be annoyed quickly by this confirmation dialog. Some would even press start and not look at their phone again thinking the recording runs like always only to discover later that it never has started due to this new alert.

[DDLA]

@Jan_Mantau A clarification?

What do you mean by "configurable"?

The rest of your comment is actually making my point for me. It's just that the app annoys one group of people instead of another.

Someone running/walking/biking/hiking or doing anything else outside (which are most of the app's trackable activities), as well some indoor activities (as mentioned above), hits Start and assumes the app is recording like always, even if Location has been turned off for some reason.

This happened again to me tonight. I was out on a late-night jog. I needed to use my flashlight to help someone with an emergency but didn't have much battery, so I turned off Location and other apps for a moment. My battery ran out. I got home, recharged the phone a bit, and then headed out quickly to finish my jog. In the meantime, I had simply forgotten to turn Location back on as I dealt with a number of issues. So I didn't get the remainder recorded. Now I want to smash something. And I'm about as mild-mannered as it gets.

[Jan_Mantau]

Configurable means an option to turn this new feature on and off.

[DDLA]

@Jan_Mantau Absolutely. That would work for everyone. Right now, it's not optimally configurable for some users.