On Thursday, Strava revealed a range of new features and updates at its annual Camp Strava event. This move underscores the San Francisco-based company’s commitment to enhancing the user experience for both free and premium members by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).
A longstanding issue within the Strava community is the manipulation of leaderboard scores, where users employ unfair means to achieve top positions on the app. Leaderboards, a fundamental aspect of Strava, are designed to encourage competition by allowing users to compete over predefined segments. Instances of cheating may include using a motorbike in place of a pedal bike to set a record.
Strava has already implemented several measures to address this issue, such as allowing users to flag dubious activities manually. In addition, last year, the company refined its algorithms to enhance the credibility of leaderboards. These updates involved withholding activities that were mislabeled (e.g., a run tagged as a bike ride) or where flawed GPS data was involved.
Going a step further, Strava announced it will employ advanced machine learning techniques to identify and automatically remove “questionable” activities upon upload. The company has trained its algorithms on millions of historical activities to accurately differentiate between legitimate and dubious performances.
This initiative addresses one of the most frequently requested features from Strava users, as evidenced by numerous discussions in the platform’s active online community, which has voiced various suggestions to combat “digital doping.”
During a recent inquiry into the specifics of Strava’s new technology, Chief Product Officer Matt Salazar described it as a significant advancement in the company’s application of AI, machine learning, and other technologies aimed at closing existing gaps. However, he did not provide further details, simply remarking that it is a considerable improvement over their existing automated leaderboard integrity tools.
“Last year, the team enhanced existing auto-flagging tools with new logic rules. Now, we are leveraging advanced technologies to deliver a highly requested feature for athletes,” Salazar elaborated in a statement to TechCrunch.
In related news, on Thursday, Strava announced the private beta launch of “athlete intelligence,” a feature that uses generative AI to analyze user data and provide summaries and guidance on performance and fitness goals. This feature will be available exclusively to premium subscribers.
While Salazar did not disclose whether the underlying engine is based on OpenAI’s GPT-X models or another platform, he stated that the company is experimenting with various technologies in preparation for a wider release.
“We’re assessing multiple models and tools, and have currently applied a model suitable for the beta phase,” Salazar explained. “Our ongoing evaluation aims to identify the best solution for our community.”
Strava is set to launch a dark mode, a feature that has garnered substantial support on the Strava Community Hub, ranking as the app’s second most requested enhancement by vote count.
While this update has been anticipated for quite some time, especially when compared to other leading applications—WhatsApp, for instance, recently introduced an enhanced dark mode—Strava’s approach underscores the principle that timing is secondary to execution quality.
Strava has announced that the dark mode feature will be rolled out “later this summer.” Users will have the option to either permanently enable dark mode or configure it to align with their device’s system settings. Importantly, this feature will be accessible to both premium and free users upon release.
It’s (not strictly) a family affair
In line with other online subscription platforms like Spotify, Strava has introduced a “family plan” aimed at encouraging bulk sign-ups through subscription discounts, thereby broadening its user base. This new offering allows up to four members, including the primary subscriber, to join under a single plan.
However, the term “family plan” is somewhat misleading in this instance, as it doesn’t necessarily require actual family members or even individuals residing at the same address. The plan can include anyone residing within the same country.
“This new annual subscription will foster more opportunities for Strava athletes to continue finding and experiencing motivation, while also being more cost-effective,” stated Salazar. “The best part about this plan is that you can choose who to include — be it friends, your running group, or teammates.”
Given that typical family consumption patterns on Netflix or Spotify differ from those on Strava, the broad interpretation of “family” in this context is logical. Nevertheless, the plan’s name might cause some confusion regarding eligibility. A term like “group subscription plan” might offer clearer understanding.
Strava has yet to disclose specific details on its new bulk discount, such as the exact amount of savings (which will vary by country), the process for sharing subscriptions, and the protocol for account retention in the event of a group dispute. For instance, clarity is needed on how an individual can maintain their account and data should they leave the group.
The new subscription plan is slated to launch in select countries this summer, beginning with Australia and Canada, with a broader international rollout expected later in the year.
This announcement comes during a period of significant change for Strava. Co-founder Michael Hovrath recently resigned as CEO for the second time, with former YouTube executive Michael Martin taking over the role in January. Additionally, the company appointed a new Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and welcomed Salazar from Epic Games as the Chief Product Officer.
The news follows the introduction of a controversial premium pricing structure last year, which faced backlash for its lack of transparency.
Strava appears to be enhancing its value proposition by adopting strategies from the broader social networking domain. The emphasis on Strava’s social features is vital for distinguishing it from other data-focused fitness tracking services such as Apple Fitness or Garmin. This focus led to the introduction of in-app messaging last year, designed to build communities within Strava without relying on third-party apps like WhatsApp for organizing events and outings.
These recent updates aim to elevate Strava’s platform, blending universally accessible features with premium options tailored for advanced users.
Demographics
One strategy Strava can employ to attract new users is by expanding its reach across diverse demographic groups. This effort is evident in an upcoming feature that extends its current global heatmaps, which identify the most frequented routes for running, cycling, and walking.
To further innovate, Strava plans to introduce “night heatmaps” later this year. This feature will specifically track activities occurring between sundown and sunrise, addressing safety concerns for individuals who may be wary of less-populated areas during these times. Strava aims to use this feature to encourage more women to join the platform, although it will likely appeal to anyone seeking safer routes after dark.
“Research indicates that women across all age groups participate in sports at significantly lower rates than men. Despite their desire to be active, women generally find less time to engage in an active lifestyle,” Strava detailed in a blog post announcing the new features. The company emphasized that focusing on creating a welcoming environment for women on the platform will benefit the entire Strava community.
Additionally, many users prefer not to share all their activity data publicly. To address this, Strava will release a “quick edit” feature, allowing users to easily hide specific details of their workouts, such as certain metrics, activity types, and locations.
While the “quick edit” feature will be available for free, access to night heatmaps will be reserved for premium subscribers, priced at $12 per month or $80 annually. This paywall means users will need to subscribe to view the safest routes after dark.
Strava has not disclosed how many of its 125 million members are active users or provided a gender breakdown. However, the company has previously noted that women are “23% less likely than men to record any type of activity before sunrise, and 8% less likely to do so after sunset.”
Despite this, Salazar, a spokesperson for Strava, highlighted positive trends within specific demographics.
“While we don’t share detailed statistics about the entire Strava community, we can report that both globally and in the U.S., our user base among Gen Z women has grown substantially, now doubling what it was at this time last year,” he said.
