Apple Watch’s operating system update, Watch OS 2 lets wearers break free of their phones and load apps right onto the device. Runkeeper took advantage of this new freedom by updating its mobile app. Now you don’t need to bring your phone along to track your runs — all you need is your Apple Watch and the latest version of the app.
The Runkeeper app on your Apple Watch will be able to keep track of your running metrics, such as distance run, speed, time, and heart rate. It’ll also track cycling, walking, yoga, and crossfit workouts — you can even switch between activities on the go. During your run, you can listen to music stored on your watch, and see what music motivates you the most with post-run analytics.
Obviously, being able to leave your phone behind is a huge bonus for Apple Watch wearers who use the app. Having to strap your phone into its usual holster or slip it in a pocket every time you go for a run is a real bummer. It also reduces your Apple Watch to little more than a remote control — one that costs $350+. The addition of support for native apps like Runkeeper is great, but it brings us to the unfortunate reality that, since Apple Watch doesn’t have GPS, it’s not quite up to the task of replacing your phone completely.
Along with speed, distance, and time, Runkeeper’s phone app shows a map of your route. Not so with the Apple Watch app. Since it doens’t have GPS, Runkeeper can’t show a map of the path you took or elevation data when you run without your phone. A few other features are also limited for the time being. Luckily, pace charting and split times will be coming to the Runkeeper’s Apple Watch app soon.
You can download the latest version of Runkeeper on the App Store.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.