Caitlin Cimino/Android Authority
TL; PhD
- Strava has released Beacon to non-paying users.
- Athletes can choose who and when to share their location.
- The integration of particularly complex equipment still requires payment for this function.
Solo riding has become safer. Strava is a popular fitness app among runners and cyclists, and it has provided one of its main features for free to non-paying users. Whether you are a subscriber or not, Strava’s Beacon can give you peace of mind.
Beacon is now free for all users
Caitlin Cimino/Android Authority
Behind many remote training athletes, some people want to know when they will go home for dinner. With Beacon, users can share real-time location updates with trusted contacts, making ETA accessible and helping athletes stay safe. Before today, this feature was only available to paying subscribers.Now any of the 90 million athletes use Strava You can use Beacon on the mobile app for free.
As a safety measure, it seems natural that Beacon will be universally available, and we are happy to see Strava agree. This news was released after the latest update of Strava’s “Edit Activity” and “Edit Map Visibility” features, all of which emphasize Strava’s commitment to athlete safety.
We are not excited about how Strava has managed its membership functions in the past, but this is definitely a step in the right direction.
How Strava Beacon location sharing works
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Beacon allows athletes to let their loved ones know that they are safe and sound during training. The idea is simple. The selected safety contact will check in at the location of the cyclist or runner and make sure that there are no problems. For example, if the exercise time is longer than expected, they can use Beacon to determine if they need to reach out. You may be injured, or are you just pitting at the drugstore? Does your location indicate that you are parked in a strange place, or that you are almost home?
Beacon eliminates guesswork. It generates a random URL that can be run on any web browser and allows loved ones to keep the tag. Strava users can choose up to three secure contacts, and they will be notified automatically every time they record, or they can choose to send the URL manually via SMS. Either way, the beauty is that the recipient does not need to log in to Strava or install an app. They can immediately access real-time location sharing by simply opening the link. This means that even your least tech-savvy friend may be able to manage it.
According to the mobile phone service, your location will be updated every 15 seconds or so to let your friends or family members know where you are and the progress of your activities.
Please also read: The best fitness tracker
Who needs to pay?
There are still some exceptions for freebies. Although Strava’s Beacon location sharing is now free for all users on the mobile app, it will still be a paid feature on devices such as Apple Watch or Garmin bicycle computers. If you want to use Beacon but are committed to exercising without a mobile phone, you may still need to prepare for Strava subscription.