The major update lands just days before Apple's next-gen smartwatches are expected
Strava has launched a major redesign of its Apple Watch app, and with it comes the one feature its users have been requesting for years: Live Segments.
The update brings real-time, on-wrist competition to the world’s most popular smartwatch for the first time, transforming any run or ride into a game-like experience.
The launch, the brand says, is a direct response to the Apple Watch’s surging popularity within its community. The company noted that, in 2024, it saw a nearly 20% year-over-year increase in athletes uploading from an Apple Watch, with the device holding the top two spots for preferred hardware among runners in its annual report.
For those unfamiliar with Segments, these are defined stretches of road or trail that allow users to compete against others based on their recorded time. Live Segments, then, enable you to tackle these in real-time, rather than just simply analyzing your performance post-workout.
How will Live Segments work on the Apple Watch?
In the new Apple Watch implementation, Strava says a banner will appear on the device when users approach a starred or popular Segment.
Once in the segment, the display will show a real-time progress indicator, giving the user a clear visual of whether they’re ahead of or behind their PB. The Apple Watch will then display the final results instantly upon completion.
While all users will get the basic experience, Strava subscribers will unlock more detailed performance tracking, including a comparison against their PR and a countdown showing the remaining distance.
A fresh lick of paint
Beyond the headline feature, the entire app has been rebuilt with a cleaner, ‘performance-focused’ interface.
Strava says the redesign makes it easier to start an activity and provides clearer, more glanceable in-workout stats, such as pace, distance, and heart rate.
The update also promises more reliable and streamlined automatic syncing directly from the watch to the Strava platform.
The Wareable take
This is a significant and long-overdue update for the massive community of Apple Watch-using Strava athletes. Live Segments has been a killer feature on Garmin devices, and its absence on watchOS was a glaring hole in the experience. Its arrival finally brings the Apple Watch to feature parity for Strava’s most competitive users.
The timing of this release is also no coincidence, we suspect. Launching just days before Apple’s ‘Awe Dropping’ 9 September event ensures that the fitness platform app will be a top-tier, feature-complete experience for the rumored Series 11, SE 3, and Ultra 3.
We’ll be delivering a thorough run-through of the feature and the redesign once we’ve had a chance to get to grips with the new subscriber-only benefit. Stay tuned for that over the coming couple of months.
