So....

[Curlygurly2]

Who uses Strava on a phone to record their runs and walks? I am going to be without my Garmin watch for a few days while it goes back to the manufacturer, so I've downloaded Strava to see if it will stop me losing any data while that happens.

In fact, I've downloaded it on two different phones, and tried it out while still wearing my Garmin. Not impressed so far! On walks of around 4KM, one phone recorded 6K, the other 5K...

I tend to trust my Garmin, I've worn it on routes where I'm certain of the distance, like parkrun. The route maps on the Strava look accurate, but the distance less so....

Any suggestions?

[Cmoi Graduate]

I thought Strava used your phone's GPS? If so, it'll only be as as reliable or accurate as that.

If I'm recording runs - I make a point of not recording everything I do, I find it stress-inducing and unhelpful - I generally use both Garmin and Strava, with pretty similar overall results.

I find Garmin tends to slightly overestimate elevation gain, and often struggles to find GPS at the start of my run.

For me Strava tends to be more accurate on elevation gain (I use IGN paper maps if I want to check) but can produce nonsensical straight lines, or overestimate distance, though not nearly as much as the examples you give.

You could always download another app e.g. Runkeeper or MapMyRun, though I've never used either. Personally I'm not bothered about having full and accurate data. I just like putting photos on Strava and using it to track shoe mileage (roughly), and confusing the Garmin algorithm!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

I like to have all my data in one place, so I can compare to last year or whatever. Yes, you're right, it's only as good as the phone GPS. I wonder if it would be better if I ran rather than walked? I'm going to try that today. As far as elevation is concerned, Cambridge is flat as a pancake, I normally clock up about 20 MTs on my runs!

[PeggySusi Graduate]

I like Strava. I use both, but because I don’t like carrying my phone I have Garmin set up to send the data automatically to Strava so I can’t answer your question on relative accuracy. If I’m somewhere I don’t know well, I do find Strava very useful though - then I will take my phone and set Strava going separately, so that I can look at the whole route map if I get lost. I do like to go off track exploring if I see a path that looks interesting, (especially in the woods) so it has got me back in the right direction quite a few times!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to PeggySusi]

Ah, I guess you are using Strava online? I was using the off line version, I don't have a contract on my phone so have to pay for any data I use outside the house. I would never go out without my phone, I've had too many trips and falls to be disconnected from help!

[PeggySusi Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

Yes.. and having Strava on eats up the phone battery, so it can be worse than useless.. there was a memorable occasion where I confidently said to my OH.. we’re only half a kilometre from our holiday cottage now, looking at the Strava map.. we were surrounded by impenetrable Kielder forest and we turned a corner to see that the path ended in a high locked gate that said Keep Out! The phone then died.. We had no idea about the area so we had to return the way we came.. all 8kms.

And yes, I definitely take my phone if I’m going out alone!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to PeggySusi]

Oh goodness, what a horrible shock! And a looonngg way home!

[PeggySusi Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

Ah.., well, thereby hangs a longer tale, with a happy ending, which I didn’t have time for yesterday.. We were actually really struggling that day.. because my leg/stump had become very sore in the course of the walk, as it was a very hot day.. which was why I had been trying to get back to our holiday cottage by a shorter route. Also, in the heat we had stupidly not carried enough water and we were running out, and my OH has a real phobia about that. We retraced our steps a little way back to the corner then I said, I’m just going to have to sit down for five minutes, and give my leg a rest.. Bearing in mind that this was a narrow forest track leading nowhere and we had seen nobody at all during our walk.. we certainly didn’t expect what happened next - which was a car coming towards us! It stopped and the driver asked if we knew where the track led to.. we explained that it was a dead end. He was also on holiday, but a few miles away, and out with his daughter and their very old sheepdog just exploring.. although his car was a tiny hatchback and definitely not equipped for going off road.. We explained our predicament and this wonderful samaritan crammed us (with our two dogs) into his tiny hatchback and drove, bumping and jolting his suspension, all the way back to our cottage - at least three quarters of the route definitely not intended for cars! We really felt blessed that day!

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to PeggySusi]

That was lucky! And kind of him xx

[misswobble Graduate in reply to PeggySusi]

Fabulous ! What a fortunate turn of events 😀👍

[CBDB Ambassador]

I use Runkeeper for my runs, and I find it excact. Then I have a “Zapier” set up to send some stats (selected ones) over to Strava, as Strava is the place where I pool all my workouts together. So I don’t use Strava on the runs, but rather to keep track of all activities.

Not sure this helps, but I find the free version of Runkeeper is excellent.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to CBDB]

I used Runkeeper when I first started running, but that was 100 years ago, and my phone wasn't very good. Maybe I'll try it again.

[linda9389 Graduate]

I too send data from Garmin to Strava so don't have a discrepancy. There is a degree of inaccuracy in all these things though,: garmin and/or phone GPS will never be wholly correct ( my garmin watch never agrees with my garmin cycle computer). You can double check the GPS/location settings on your phone - on older phones it was possible to increase the accuracy, though I'm not sure that applies any more. For a few days use though, just relax and accept it may be a little different 😊

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to linda9389]

I too send the data from Garmin to Strava, but I'm hoping to use it to record runs for a few days. I thought 50% inaccuracy was rubbish!

I guess most people these days use a watch, I suppose they are far more accurate. If I really need to know I could always measure my route on Google maps!

[linda9389 Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

Do see if you can improve the phone GPS accuracy: samsung.com/uk/support/mobi... or

ridewithgps.com/help/improv...

Yep, you could always plot your route in Komoot or any route planning tool and see what measurement it gives you ...

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to linda9389]

Thanks, I'll try that xx

[Neverhare Graduate]

Do you tend to do the same routes over and over with perhaps a bit of variation? You could use walklakes.co.uk to plot and save your routes (as gpx files). It uses OS maps software and is accurate on distance and elevation. I used that to measure until I got round to buying a Garmin watch.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to Neverhare]

Not really, to doing the same routes, I walk a lot and that can vary, although I do tend to run shorter or longer distances along the river...maybe I'll save the interval runs until I get the watch back, I like to see those in detail!

I'll have a look at that website, thanks.

[nowster Graduate]

Phone GPS accuracy is very much dependent on where you stow the phone during your run. One of the best places is in a bum bag, screen inwards, with the phone behind you. One of the worst places is where I have mine, in a front tummy pocket, screen outwards (to stop it getting activated by my tummy).

The GPS aerial is usually on the back of the phone. If your phone's case has metal in it it can interfere with reception (both GPS and mobile).

There are apps to force the phone to download AGPS data (eg. GPS Status). This improves accuracy and speeds up how quickly it locks on to a signal. You're best doing that when you have data, at most an hour before setting off.

I have used Strava to record when my phone's GPS was more accurate than my watch at the time. (At parkrun with heavy tree cover and lots of right angle corners, where the vivoactive3 was struggling.) If you have a heart rate strap it's often possible to pair it with the phone and have Strava record that too.

[Curlygurly2 Graduate in reply to nowster]

Thank you Nowster, that's interesting. I had the phone in a front pocket, screen inwards yesterday, and it missed the first half of my 12K run, but once I'd set it going again it seemed more accurate than when walking.

I guess I've just got used to my watch recording pretty well where I run. Hopefully, I will get my replacement watch in a few days, I know Garmin are pretty fast...

[nowster Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

It depends on whether the GPS chip has enough data to get fix. If it's starting from cold and only relying on the data stream from the satellites that can take over ten minutes.

What I'd suggest as a quick fix is to open your mapping app (eg. Google Maps) when you are outside but still have a WiFi signal, then wait for the blue dot to show your correct location. That should take less than a minute and will prime the GPS chip for a few hours.