So I think an issue is that Apple is not transparent (i.e., no documentation) of how Race Routes are created and how they appear. If it's instantaneous, they don't need to say anything. But if there can be a lag due to, say for example, battery preservation (e.g., won't calculate if there is Race Route until Watch is on charger), or Apple server delay, or something related to iPhone or whatnot, they need to come out and say it.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
WatchOS 9 beta... anyone try the new running features?
- Thread starter canyonblue737
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Apple is not being known as a transparent company. So good point, but will not happen. ;-)
Just checked my outdoor cycling routes where I had exactly one until this lunch although I regularly commute and the routes are all slightly different but did them multiple times each. Now I have plenty of them available. So clearly something happened this afternoon and my watch was not on the charger.
Just checked my outdoor cycling routes where I had exactly one until this lunch although I regularly commute and the routes are all slightly different but did them multiple times each. Now I have plenty of them available. So clearly something happened this afternoon and my watch was not on the charger.
And also, have they fixed the Music bug where there are visual issues on the Watch app with displaying what is and isn't downloaded to the Watch.
Somewhere I read that "race route" looks back in the past for about two months.
Today I ran a route I ran last time at the beginning of December last year. Was not available as a "race route" and did a normal "Outdoor run".
About two hours later, I have a new "race route" which is good. Looking at the PR, this is from a run I did at the end of 2019, more than three years ago. So Apple is really digging deep in the history of Apple Health. ;-)
Today I ran a route I ran last time at the beginning of December last year. Was not available as a "race route" and did a normal "Outdoor run".
About two hours later, I have a new "race route" which is good. Looking at the PR, this is from a run I did at the end of 2019, more than three years ago. So Apple is really digging deep in the history of Apple Health. ;-)
Wow that’s a long history to digest for the software 😁
Im not on the beta and don’t get any new routes at the moment
I switched from Garmin to Apple in autumn 2019 so that makes sense.
Interestingly, I get no runs from 2020 or 2021. Also, 2022 seems to start in November for the algorithm ;-).
as an update, even if my AirPods are connected specifically to the watch (in the Watch's Bluetooth settings), audio feedback announcing splits only plays through the watch speaker itself. disappointing af.
Is this related to the beta? If regarding WatchOS 9.2, that has not been my experience. I hear all audio feedback through my Watch when the AirPods Pro is connected to my Watch. Could it be that your pods re-connected to the phone accidentally?
If you start music from your iPhone you won’t hear updates from your watch. If you run without your phone and start music from the watch, you will get updates on split times
even if i have my phone, but start music from my Watch and ensure the AirPods are connected in the Watch's Bluetooth Settings, still no split times in the AirPods. so annoying. i'm not running without my phone, and this is infuriating. i either have to use the clunky Strava app or give up, ig.
Are you playing music from your Watch or accidentally from your phone? Do an experiment. The music app on the Watch can play music on the Watch and on the phone.
Looks like the 16.3 / 9.3 (now both as RC in the public beta testing - so the release is round the corner) mean a great change. I now have perhaps 40 (!) race routes going back to 2020, it’s like… too many options 😂 My guess is that the version will be available through a regular update next week.
Another update -- got a 5th route to appear as Race Route!
I was in the midst of trying to get a particular route run a number to times to have it appear as a Race Route, but the weather in the past weeks has foiled my plans. This route goes through a floodplain so it's been muddy for a while.
So I decided to run another route in the past week and after running it 3 separate times on different days, it is now recognized as a Race Route! I ran this route early evening yesterday for the third time. After dinner, I checked the watch which has been charging and no new Race Route appeared. My watch and phone charged through the night. This morning, I go to work, arrive at the office and when I looked at my watch, this route is now appearing as a Race Route!
I thought Apple said that a route has to be run 2 times for it to appear as a Race Route. That so far has not been my experience. Looks to me that I need to run a route 3 times before it is recognized.
Let's see if this weekend I can attempt that route I have in mind -- looks like the weather is again not cooperating. But at least I now have 5 Race Routes which is awesome
I was in the midst of trying to get a particular route run a number to times to have it appear as a Race Route, but the weather in the past weeks has foiled my plans. This route goes through a floodplain so it's been muddy for a while.
So I decided to run another route in the past week and after running it 3 separate times on different days, it is now recognized as a Race Route! I ran this route early evening yesterday for the third time. After dinner, I checked the watch which has been charging and no new Race Route appeared. My watch and phone charged through the night. This morning, I go to work, arrive at the office and when I looked at my watch, this route is now appearing as a Race Route!
I thought Apple said that a route has to be run 2 times for it to appear as a Race Route. That so far has not been my experience. Looks to me that I need to run a route 3 times before it is recognized.
Let's see if this weekend I can attempt that route I have in mind -- looks like the weather is again not cooperating. But at least I now have 5 Race Routes which is awesome
@Jana_CZ , I may be misreading, but are you saying that with the latest beta WatchOS, it is now recognizing around 40 routes as Race Routes for you?
Yes, well I’ve carefully counted them now and it’s exactly 38 😀 And they don’t seem as duplicates (I’m usually running a similar route along the river but often change the distance, direction and/or bridges to cross, so that’s creating more variance). When I have time I will do a little bit of a cleanup in the list - as it’s getting difficult to find a particular route among so many. I would appreciate an option to look at the routes from my phone though, it’s not very convenient on the watch only.
WOW! That is a lot of Race Routes!
Yes, I agree that it would be much better to provide the option of looking at routes from the phone. I would also say it would be a good option that workouts can be entered in the phone rather than Watch only. I have some track workouts that have so many inputs that it's just faster entered on a bigger screen.
Edit: Oh wait! Oh I'm so dumb. I just realized that there is a workaround for both our situations, I think. You can use your iPhone to control the Watch. On your phone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Apple Watch Mirroring, and turn on. The Apple Watch screen face will appear on your phone and you can make inputs there. It's not exactly what we are hoping for, but it is potentially better.
Ha, thanks for sharing this idea! It’s a little larger than on the watch itself indeed but it’s a bit laggy tbh, not as smooth as directly. So… still would like the phone option. 😀 But I’ll definitely keep that feature in mind, it can be useful! 👍
My first two runs with watchOS 9.3 RC and I notice an improvement in battery usage. Not too big, but noticeable. Could be some coincidence, but will keep an eye on.
Weird I have feedback every single time I run
Have you been messing with the voice feedback in the run settings? You can select what feedback to get (Distance, pace, heart rate etc.)
how would i do this experiment beyond seeing my AirPods are connected to my Watch and i can swipe right during a run to see my music that's playing (and using the crown to volume up/down)?
it's consistently on "Distance: 1.00 mi"
When you use the music app from your watch, make sure you’re using music that’s in the Download folder and not the other ones.
See this: https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/play-music-apd70768b20b/watchos
If you find this confusing, just totally turn off your phone and that way you can’t accidentally be playing music from your phone through your watch to your AirPods.
Is anyone confused by setting a target Pace range alert?
I certainly am. I tried to set a pace range yesterday for my easy run, with goal that the lowest average pace being would be 8:30min/mil and the highest average pace being 8:00min/mil. When I tried to set this, the options available for "lower limit" (which I assume means slowest pace) I could set at 8:30min/mil, but the only options available for "Upper limit" is either 3:00min/mil or 3:10min/mil. I don't get it. Is this a bug? If so, this is a totally glaring one that passed beta testing!
I ultimately didn't use a page range alert.
I certainly am. I tried to set a pace range yesterday for my easy run, with goal that the lowest average pace being would be 8:30min/mil and the highest average pace being 8:00min/mil. When I tried to set this, the options available for "lower limit" (which I assume means slowest pace) I could set at 8:30min/mil, but the only options available for "Upper limit" is either 3:00min/mil or 3:10min/mil. I don't get it. Is this a bug? If so, this is a totally glaring one that passed beta testing!
I ultimately didn't use a page range alert.
This was broken in watchOS 9.2 and was fixed in the betas of 9.3.
What annoys me a little more is the inflexibility on the ranges. Would at least expect to be able to set them with a precision of 5 seconds instead of only 10.