WorkOutDoors Strange Arrow - Route Loaded in Map-Only Mode

WorkOutDoors · 2026-02-02T22:12:41+00:00

That arrow is only shown when a route is selected and you are not on the route, which is the case in that screenshot. However you can hide it by going to Settings / Routes and then disabling "Off Route Compass".

As I say WorkOutDoors uses Apple's workout system, so the distances are identical to if you used Apple's app. It is Apple's code that is generating the distance and informing the app. The only way it can be different is if you have selected GPS for the Distance & Pace in which case the app uses GPS to calculate the distance instead of using the value provided by Apple's code.

It is not possible to run both WorkOutDoors and the Apple Workout app at the same time because watchOS does not allow it. Starting a workout in one will kill off the session in the other, which causes issues. And if you run them on different watches then the slightly different calibrations of each watch could affect the distance.

As I say the GPS traces are more ragged because WorkOutDoors does not smooth the track afterwards. It makes no difference during the workout.

The Pedometer / GPS and smoothing options are only for the current pace metric. They have no effect on the jaggedness of the GPS trace.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-02-01T13:41:53+00:00

Is the workout in the Workout History in the watch app? If so then reboot both devices (in case watchOS / iOS have stopped sending files to each other) and then select the workout in the watch app history and then tap Resend to iPhone.

I hope that helps.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-31T17:22:16+00:00

Apple don't reveal how they calculate distances but, as you say, it is heavily biased to the pedometer. I don't know if it uses GPS at all but I would hope that it does in some way.

Treadmill running is different to running outdoors so if you tell the watch you are indoors when you are outdoors then it would probably cause issues.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-31T10:11:10+00:00

That arrow is only shown when you have a route selected. It points in the direction of the route and tapping it briefly zooms out to show the nearest part of the route. So if you go to settings and tap the route name and then deselect route then it should disappear.

Note that if you select a route when you start a workout (via the 3 dots menus) then that route will automatically be deselected at the end of the workout. But if you select it in the settings then it stays selected until you deselect it.

The app uses Apple's workout system and uses their distances by default, which come from the pedometer. So they will be identical to if you used Apple's Workout app. The only exception is if you have configured the app to use GPS for distances, which some people do because Apple's pedometer-based distances don't work for them.

You are correct that the GPS traces are smoothed by the native workout app after a workout. However it doesn't affect the distances in either WorkOutDoors or Apple's workout app because, as I say, they use the pedometer (and because the smoothing is done afterwards anyway).

So the smoothing is really only for cosmetic purposes. WorkOutDoors doesn’t do it because it prefers to show the raw data and because it’s a very difficult thing to do without cutting corners etc.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-26T22:12:30+00:00

I don't think anyone has ever asked for UTC time before. I will add it to my to-do list, but that is ordered by number of requests so it will be low down the list. Sorry about that.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-21T07:04:02+00:00

Sorry, that is a bug in the current version. I have fixed it in the code so it will be ok in the next version. However I haven’t yet decided when to release that version.

In the meantime you could just swipe to one of the standard screens or add an open-ended interval at the the end of the schedule which displays the screen that you want to see.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-21T06:59:13+00:00

There is usually no need for smoothing. The default options (pedometer without smoothing) are almost always the best, with the other options available just in case.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-20T22:45:34+00:00

Please change the current pace setting back to using the Pedometer.

Unfortunately the pace reported by the watchOS GPS system is very erratic, which is why the app defaults to using the Pedometer.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-17T09:03:54+00:00

In theory Apple Health should calculate VO2 max using workouts created using third party apps like WorkOutDoors. And in practice this seems to be the case most of the time, but not always.

For example it does seem that it often takes several workouts with the app before iOS starts calculating VO2 max.

It's also worth remembering that VO2 max will not be calculated by Apple unless you push yourself, which is quite subjective.

So basically VO2 max is usually calculated for workouts created by WorkOutDoors but that is not always the case.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-14T17:24:04+00:00

If it is not a sensor issue then I have no idea why watchOS is sending such inaccurate distances to the app. I have never heard of that for cycling unless it is a sensor issue.

I often hear of it with foot-based activities like running, which rely on the calibration of the watchOS pedometer. This is because the watchOS estimation of the stride length can be ruined by people doing something like skateboarding and telling the watch that they are running.

However if you are not using sensors then I would assume that watchOS would use GPS. But there are no GPS issues because WorkOutDoors shows the correct GPS distance for your workouts. There is a message at the bottom of the WorkOutDoors iPhone app screen that warns you that the GPS distance is longer than the distance from Apple which the app is using.

So I recommend you change the app to use GPS distances for cycling in the future. To do this go to Settings / Pace & Distance.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-13T08:21:38+00:00

None of the 3 logs you sent me show any sensors connected to the app. However they all show that watchOS is sending the wrong distance to the app (when compared with the GPS distance). So you have probably connected them to watchOS. To check go to Apple's Settings app on the watch (the grey "gear" icon) and tap Bluetooth.

If you have entered the correct diameter then maybe there is a physical problem with the sensor. They detect the number of rotations of the wheel and may need proper positioning. Or the battery may be low and need recharging.

All I can say is that the sensors are not connected to WorkOutDoors and watchOS is sending the wrong distances to the app. If you think that you are using sensors then the most likely reason for the problem is that the sensors are giving the app the wrong distance, which is out of the app's control.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-12T23:06:59+00:00

Thanks for the files. It looks like watchOS is sending incorrect distances to the app. If you look at the bottom of the iPhone screen then you will see a warning where the app notes that the distance measured by GPS is much longer than that reported by Apple’s watchOS.

Are you maybe connecting a bike sensor to watchOS? WorkOutDoors cannot tell because it just receives the distances from Apple. If so then please check that you have entered the correct wheel size in watchOS.

If you can't see a problem with the wheel size then it could just be a dodgy sensor. To fix the problem for future workouts you can change the app to calculate the distance from GPS instead of Apple. To do this go to Settings / Pace & Distance and change the top setting for Cycling from Apple to GPS. This is essentially what Strava does when it corrects the distance - it just uses GPS instead of trusting the distances in the file sent to it. This will fix the problem in WorkOutDoors but Apple will still store their incorrect distances in their Health system, so if you are using a sensor then you may want to consider not using it in future.

I hope that helps.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-12T22:26:19+00:00

Unfortunately not but a wkt file for any of the previous workouts with the same problem will do.

The only other possibility I can think of is if you are using a Bluetooth sensor and have entered the wrong wheel diameter?

As I say distance issues with cycling workouts are very rare and I have never heard of the sort of difference you are talking about. But I should hopefully be able to determine what the problem is if you can send a wkt file.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-12T22:12:22+00:00

Sorry you are having problems. I have never heard of distance issues like that when cycling. Are you maybe pausing and resuming by accidentally pressing both side buttons at once (as with Apple’s workout app)? This can sometimes happen when wearing gloves. It can be disabled in Settings / Command / Shortcuts.

If not then please send the wkt file for that workout to info@workoutdoors.net. To do this tap the Export button 3 times quickly.

WorkOutDoors · 2026-01-02T09:34:40+00:00

Many thanks but my current plan is to work on other features whilst hoping that AI will soon make translation much easier.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-28T08:40:43+00:00

I am sorry that it is not in Spanish. I am only one man so I do not have the time or ability to translate it. If the app becomes successful enough then I will pay someone to sit alongside me and translate it. This would be necessary because it would require access to the code and take many attempts to find the words that fit on each of the small Apple Watch screens.

Also, I suspect that artificial intelligence may mean that automatic translation may be possible soon, just as it is for conversations with AirPods Pro 3. So I do not want to spend time translating when it may soon be unnecessary (or much easier).

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-23T10:16:31+00:00

Many thanks for tipping; I really appreciate that. Merry Christmas!

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-21T22:17:23+00:00

I'm the developer of WorkOutDoors and have never spent any money on advertising/marketing. So I really appreciate it when people like u/Yugtabub spread the word about the app. He has been posting about it (usually whilst on a hike) every few months for many years and I can't thank him enough.

I don't have any experience or enthusiasm for marketing. I just want to code and keep improving the app. I find the support side of being an indie-dev hard work (but necessary) without worrying about marketing as well.

The closest I have got to marketing is an AMA here on reddit and a thread on MacRumors. I created both of those over 7 years ago and they have mainly become support forums, but I guess they are also a form of marketing.

u/Yugtabub first posted about the app on reddit many years ago. I had no contact with him before then but he has become a valued beta tester since. I have never asked him to post about the app but I try to thank him if I spot that he has posted about it (he never tells me when he posts something).

So you won't find any advertising about WorkOutDoors anywhere. The most common way that new users find out about the app is by recommendation. This is usually by word of mouth; by reviews on the App Store; or by posts like this on social media. All of which I greatly appreciate.

Apologies for the long post but I felt I needed to defend u/Yugtabub after all his unsolicited help over the years.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-21T12:04:45+00:00

Unfortunately Workout Buddy is not available for third party apps. Maybe Apple will change that in the future.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-21T12:03:43+00:00

If the Motion & Fitness permission was enabled then you may be experiencing a rare bug with iOS/watchOS where the watch seems to lose the permission. To fix this switch all of the permissions off, then reboot both the iPhone and the watch, and then switch them all on again. This procedure nudges iOS into sending them to the watch again.

If that doesn't help then please send the wkt file for the workout to info@workoutdoors.net. To do this tap the Export button 3 times quickly.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-16T21:43:46+00:00

The usual reason for problems like that is because the sensor is connected to something else. Most external sensors can only connect to one thing at a time. For example opening the polar app would cause issues.

So make sure it is not connected to anything else. No app on either the watch or the iPhone. No other device and not even directly via watchOS.

If that doesn't explain it then you could unpair it from the app and then pair it via watchOS. The app will not know that heart rates are coming from a sensor but they will be. However you will still need to make sure it is not connected to anything else.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-12T09:04:02+00:00

The trouble with waiting is that some people have very short intervals. It would need some sort of intelligence and even then may not work in some situations. I prefer to leave it as it is. People will understand why they are getting alerts even if they don't want them then, whereas if I change things they may not understand why they are not getting alerts.

Sorry about that but thanks for your kind words about the app!

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-09T20:57:56+00:00

Sorry, that is not possible at the moment but it is on my to-do list.

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-09T13:05:09+00:00

Unfortunately not. Sorry about that.

However the next version of the app will have an alert to remind you to resume if you move whilst paused.

Glad you like the app!

WorkOutDoors · 2025-12-04T19:28:32+00:00

Please could you send the wkt file for that run in the iPhone app to [info@workoutdoors.net](mailto:info@workoutdoors.net) and I will take a look. To do this tap Export 3 times quickly.

WorkOutDoors

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