I thought I had been pretty open about what I was working on but I have posted many, many times so it's easy to have missed things.
Each year I try to release a major version, which I generally work on between January and the summer. This year version 7.0 will have the following major enhancements which have been joint top of the requests list for a while:
- 100+ activity types plus the ability to create custom types;
- improved interval schedules, including nested repeats, a calendar, and the ability to import from FIT files;
This version has been ready to go into beta testing for a while but I have been holding fire because of the hardware releases next week. Apple's TestFlight system does not allow for multiple versions to be tested and I will definitely need to release a minor version (v6.5) or two in order to support the folding iPhone (and any new watch screen sizes).
While I have been waiting I have also added a couple of other smaller but useful features to v7.0:
- it now stores the values from the barometer, the altimeter and GPS so you can choose which to use either during or after a workout;
- added the ability to create a route back to the start from your trail. This allows you to get turn directions (albeit from detected bends) and off route alerts when returning to the start.
For the minor v6.5 I don't expect to be able to make the app fully utilise the widescreen interior of the folding phone straight away but I will make sure that it works on the exterior screen (which is rumoured to be shorter and wider than other iPhones).
After the minor version(s) are stable then the beta testing of v7.0 can start. Hopefully it will be released before Xmas.
At the moment my plans for next year's major version are to support live workout information on the iPhone during a workout. This has been requested a few times over the years by cyclists who mount their iPhones. One guy recently was strangely very angry about the app not having it!
It wouldn't benefit as many people as the features included in previous major versions but it has risen to the top of the request list. I may make it so that the app runs on an iPhone without the need for a watch (which would really widen the app's audience) but I will see how it goes.
At the same time as this I will look into making the most of the interior screen of the folding iPhone. So next year's version will be focussed on the iPhone aspect of the app.
The last major feature on my list is language support. I get a LOT of complaints and bad reviews about the app only supporting English. I have experience of translating a previous app into several languages and it is a lot of work, not only when you do the initial translation but every time you add new features. So I have been leaving it until after all the major features have been added.
Live workouts on the iPhone is probably the last such major feature (at the moment) so my guess is that the major version for 2028 will focus on languages. Hopefully by then AI will make such a translation much easier than it would have been in the past, which is another reason that I have been holding fire on translating.
Obviously nothing is set in stone, and the 2028 plans in particular are complete guesswork. Apple could also stop supporting some technology that the app relies on, which could necessitate a major rewrite (as happened with the always on display a couple of years ago).
I hope that answers your question.
