Strava has finally decided to stop pretending that Apple Watch users don’t like maps. With its latest update, the app now allows runners, walkers, and cyclists to follow pre-generated routes directly on the Apple Watch while recording a workout. In other words, a feature people have been asking for politely, loudly, and occasionally angrily for years has at last arrived.
The new functionality lets users select an existing Strava route and view it as a map on their wrist during activities like running, walking, or cycling. The goal is simple: follow the route, hit the intended distance, and avoid that awkward moment where you realise you’ve added an accidental kilometre because you took a wrong turn and were too stubborn to admit it. The map appears in dark mode and does the basic job of showing where you’re supposed to go, which already puts it ahead of Apple’s native Workout app in this specific area.
Until now, Apple Watch users wanting route guidance had to perform a small juggling act. The built-in Workout app doesn’t support on-wrist route navigation, so runners had to switch between apps or run Maps in the background like a badly organised stage play. The alternative was to install third-party apps such as WorkOutdoors or AllTrails, both of which solved the problem years ago with far less drama.
To be clear, this is not Strava suddenly leaping ahead of the competition. Garmin watches have offered full route navigation, breadcrumb trails, and rerouting for a long time, all neatly baked into devices synced with Garmin’s ecosystem and Garmin Connect. By comparison, Strava’s Apple Watch routing is functional but restrained. There’s no automatic rerouting if you go off course, no gentle digital nudge to tell you you’ve messed up, and no safety net if you decide to freestyle your way through unfamiliar streets.
Still, for regular Strava users, this update removes a layer of friction. Instead of recording a workout in one app, syncing it to another, then uploading it back to Strava anyway, you can now just record directly where the data is destined to live. It’s not revolutionary, but it is sensible, which is sometimes more impressive.
The timing is also interesting. Strava’s recent acquisitions, including FATMAP and Runna, suggest it’s quietly trying to become more than a social feed for sweaty selfies and personal best humblebrags. This route feature fits neatly into that broader ambition of becoming a more complete fitness platform.
For now, dedicated Garmin users are unlikely to jump ship, and power users of apps like WorkOutdoors won’t feel threatened. But for Apple Watch owners who just want to follow a route without turning their run into an app-switching exercise, this is a long-overdue improvement. It’s not groundbreaking. It’s just late. Very, very late.
