I don't get the new Strava Waypoints feature.

Also, I should add that when a route is exported (e.g. to GPX), waypoints aren't included there either.
This feature has zero utility for me as a trail runner.

What I'd really like to see is managing used defined waypoints for specific places on the map (and not just every anchor point that click on the map) and producing them in the generated route. For example, when syncing to Garmin waypoints should appear as Garmin course points. Think about the following case: defining checkpoints or aid stations on a race course.

Hey @nicky11, I appreciate your reply. I am curious about how you are going to implement exporting waypoints to Garmin. Here is the potential problem. Making a route on a complicated trail network would require a lot of these anchor points. It isn't enough to simply connect two waypoints in an arbitrary way based on popularity or shortest distance. Often the route has to go the exact way, for example when following a race course or when there is a plan to go through certain Strava segments. However most of these anchor points don't need and should not be waypoints that are exported to Garmin - only selected ones need to be included. In other words, there certainly has to be a distinction between an anchor point and a waypoint - they serve different purposes. Hopefully you can solve that in an elegant and usable way.

Another thing to consider that almost every route editor (including Garmin one) doesn't get right, is that often a route may roundtrip or loop on itself and go through some of these waypoints more than once at different distances into the route. That would require two or more waypoints at the same location but at different distances into the route. For example, consider the race course for Miwok 100K race (https://miwok100k.com/course/). It would be awesome if I could create routes like that in Strava route editor, have them synced to my Garmin device, and have all the waypoints show up during navigation on my Garmin device on the Up Ahead screen (https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=lQMibRoY2I5Y4pP8EXgxv7). If done right, that would be an enormous value for many users like me.

Hey @Silentvoyager thanks for all this additional detail! We've been thinking a lot about exactly what you're discussing. Another way to say it is, every "course point" is a waypoint, but not every waypoint is a "course point." We are building the feature to account for this. 

Only the waypoints that you indicate (imagine a "send to device" toggle or check box) will be sent to your Garmin as "course points" that appear in the "up ahead menu." 

Thanks also for mentioning the course points that are on both the out and the back sections of a route. This is definitely not an easy problem to solve because there are two strings of GPS data that sit on top of one another but are separate. We can do some thinking about that as we build the nitty gritty parts of the feature. 

Really appreciate your thorough responses. The feature is on it's way! 

Hi @Silentvoyager - just wanted to provide you with an update on this ongoing project since we had a great conversation about it a month ago! Waypoint names should now stick. Example: if you search for "Arsicault Bakery" as a waypoint, that named entity will remain as the name of the waypoint, even if you save the route and reload it. It will also be visible if you share a route with another user and they make a copy & edit it. Let us know what you think.

We're working on syncing custom waypoints to Garmin as "Course Points" next. This is coming soon! Thanks for being a part of the feature's journey to market! 

Hi Nicky,

This doesn't seem to be working for me - can you confirm that when we rename a waypoint and save the route, the new waypoint name should stick?

Hey @Johnny_runs thanks for the question! The current functionality: you search for a named entity in the waypoint menu, example "Hawk Hill," that will stick so long as you don't move the waypoint. Future functionality: (coming very soon) you'll be able to customize any waypoint's name, description, and type then send those waypoints to certain GPS devices. 

Lots of good stuff coming soon - always appreciate any feedback! 

Hi Nicky, 

I'm looking forward to the Waypoint sync to garmin which you mentioned is planned for late this summer and was wondering whether it is likely to be available in the next month ? Reason i ask is that i'm planning a 1,100 mile touring trip and wanted to add water fountains to the route (i love this feature on Strava by the way) so I can see it on my Garmin while navigating. It would take a lot longer to do outside of Strava so i'm happy to wait and do it on Strava if it is ready before I leave.  

Hey @Atoz first of all, that sounds like an incredible tour! We expect this feature to be live for garmin before the end of September. You will definitely be able to add water fountains as well as many other route features then have them flow though to your garmin at that point! We'll do our best to get it live as fast as possible. Thanks for writing in!

Thanks Nicky. I'll hold out for the update and look forward to it.

Here's a preview screen recording  of how the functionality will work: https://recordit.co/y82bRQ3KP6  Thanks for the enthusiasm! Excited to get this feature to you ASAP!

wow thanks for the recording @nicky11 . that's something i look forward to having. my guess is it would work on Wahoo devices too? and do you have an estimated time that this would be released? just wondering if i should subscribe to RideWithGPS monthly or yearly since they have that feature already.

Hey @sebastianlee We expect this feature to be live for Garmin before the end of September! 

Hi Nicky, that feature looks perfect. Any luck getting it rolled out before the end of September? If not are you looking for a tester ?

Hi @Atoz launch date is October 12th. Apologies for the few week delay! 

Hi @nicky11 

Thanks for the update. Any chance I can get early access (happy to test and give feedback)? I have a 1,100 mile tour (you can probably see it on my Strava routes already mapped out) starting before the launch date and wanted to add in water points (as course points so they are visible on my head unit) along the route. 

Hey @Silentvoyager @Atoz @sebastianlee thanks for your patience on this feature. Custom waypoints are now available for you to try. Click any waypoint, customize it, it will be visible on the web route page and will sync to Garmin connect if you use garmin devices. Please give the feature a try and let us know what you think. We'll be improving it and would love to incorporate your feedback. Happy route building. 

Thanks! I saw this new feature was mentioned on DesFit YouTube channel who is a fairly prominent YouTuber who often collaborates with DC Rainmaker. Great job!

The video is here: https://youtu.be/XS0E9S9Ws_Q?si=6HhqZ8WY7gpDWoTP

Somehow I didn't receive notification about this post; otherwise I'd have tried it earlier. 

We were happy to see that video! Let us know what you think of the experience! 

Hi Nicky, I passed my feedback onto Ben in support but have just finished my tour of Italy (as you will be able to see) and must say that this new feature was incredibly useful. Still feels a little hidden given how useful it is but that might just be down to the value I place on it. Thank you to you and the team for your continued hard work.

AWESOME! So glad to hear it. The feature has come a long way since your original post in June, so I'm really glad we got it to a point where it can be useful for your adventures. Really appreciate you writing in. As always please feel free to pass along any more feedback whenever you have it. 

thanks for the update @nicky11 ! i just tried this on my Wahoo but it doesn't seem to be working there. is this a Garmin-only feature at the moment?

Yes thanks for checking in on that. We are working to expand to more devices but I don't have an exact timeline for that. Coming soon! Sorry to have you wait longer!

Is there any way to turn this feature off? It is driving me absolutely crazy.

Hi - thanks for writing in and sorry for the frustrating experience. I'm not sure I understand what you mean. In order for custom waypoints to flow through to your device, you have to create the custom waypoints. If you'd prefer the waypoints don't go to your device, simply create a route which contains no custom waypoints. Am I misunderstanding the nature of the issue?