Wanting a Dark Mode for Strava and not getting it is a bit of a running joke among the millions of athletes who use the platform on a daily basis. It’s been one of the most requested features for ages, and at this point, many people thought it might never become a reality.
Well, the wait is over: Strava announced that Dark Mode is indeed coming later this year, with an expected rollout scheduled for this summer.
Part of a huge update package revealed at Camp Strava, the brand’s annual flagship event, Dark Mode will improve the in-app experience, reducing eye strain and improving accessibility.
Another significant change coming to the app is—not surprisingly—a greater focus on AI. For example, the (Subscribers-only) Athlete Intelligence feature can turn your training data into an easily digestible summary that contextualises your accomplishments and fitness goals.
It uses machine learning to analyse the data from every ride, run, walk, and hike and offers guidance to help you get more out of your next workout.
Leaderboards are also getting an AI boost: scanning through workout data from the 125 million Strava users, AI-enabled Leaderboard Integrity will harness machine learning to automatically flag irregular, improbable, or impossible activities recorded to the platform.
Addressing another challenge, Strava aims to make the platform a safer space for women with the Night Heatmaps and the Quick Edit functions.
Night Heatmaps show only activities between sundown and sunrise – so athletes can get an idea of which roads, trails, and paths are well-trafficked after hours to avoid areas with little to no athletes around.
Once the activity is finished, Quick Edit makes applying the most common edits easier, such as changing the activity name and privacy settings to hide your start time, map, or other workout stats.
A small caveat is that although Quick Edit is available to everyone, Night Heatmaps is a premium feature for Strava subscribers only.
Speaking of Strava Subscription, some of the upcoming subscriber-only features and updates are Weekly Heatmaps, showing what roads/trails are most trafficked in the past seven days; Flyover updates, allowing for easier sharing on social media platforms; and Generative Routes, a new route recommendation engine offering personalised route guidance.
This last feature, another one of the AI-powered updates, can create custom route recommendations based on your distance, elevation and surface type preference. It also adapts to surrounding terrain and reflects actual routes uploaded by the Strava community.
But wait, there is more! Similarly to pro athletes or official clubs, Segments can now receive an 'official' verified badge. Verified Segments highlight the most well-known and sought-after segments for select running and cycling events.
The non-paying customer base isn't forgotten, either. Available to all, athletes can use filters to customise the Progress Summary Dashboard, viewing by sports type or time frame (Subscribers have additional filtering options, though).
Club Experience also gets a facelift, letting you send messages within the Club (group and 1:1), start different channels, or even create a Club Challenge via the Strava mobile app.
Last but not least, Strava is rolling out a Family Plan, allowing up to four other people to share the annual subscription, whether it's friends, family, teammates, or anyone in your fitness family.
Launching in select countries this summer with plans to roll out globally by the end of the year, Strava's newest annual subscription option is said to offer the best value for groups, with a discount off the regular subscription price for each member.
The features shared at Camp Strava 2024 will be released on a rolling basis through the end of the year. Visit Strava today to learn more about the updates.
