Strava’s new API agreement will destroy the app, users warn
The popular fitness app Strava is making changes to its API Agreement, which it says will impact less than 0.1% of third-party applications.
Image by Getty/Smith Collection/Gado
Follow us
The popular fitness app Strava is making changes to its API Agreement, which it says will impact less than 0.1% of third-party applications
In an updated blog post dated November 19th, 2024, Strava “provided some additional context” regarding changes to the API Agreement and how this will affect developers and Strava users.
The fitness social network said that “privacy and user control are at the forefront of (the) platform,” which prompted Strava to limit the amount of user data that is shared with third-party apps.
Strava said that it specifically wants to focus on situations where users connect to third-party apps and are unaware that their data may surface elsewhere.
The platform said in its initial blog post dated November 15th, 2024, that third-party apps may “only display a user’s Strava activity data to that specific user.”
While this seems sensible, some people aren’t happy with the change. Users seem to believe that this new API agreement will prevent them from using complimentary third-party apps alongside Strava.
One X user and premium Strava subscriber expressed their opinion surrounding the new API agreement, saying that the platform is “shooting both themselves, users, and third-party apps in the foot with this move.”
Strava's new changes clamp down on third-party apps, restricting data use and integrating their features in-house. I think they are shooting both themselves, users and 3rd party apps in the foot with this move.
undefined Lars Hansen (@larshansen) November 19, 2024
Bye bye as a data hub. Bye bye as a premium subscriber https://t.co/3FOvddJOe8 pic.twitter.com/UrLFCWoAXn
However, Strava claims that this will affect around 0.1% of applications on the platform and acknowledges that the fitness app is successful due to the “creativity and dedication of third-party developers” who craft these complimentary apps.
The platform said that the “overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed.” This includes coaching platforms and tools that help users decipher data and performance analytics.
Strava has also made its policy surrounding training artificial intelligence (AI) models on user data “more explicit.”
The platform believes that some third-party developers may be slapdash about their approach to training AI models. Therefore, the platform has forbidden the use of user data to train AI models.
Furthermore, the fitness app is protecting its “unique look and feel and functionality,” which will help users distinguish Strava from other apps.
This updated API Agreement went into effect on November 11th, and people have already been notified about the changes.
This decision comes after reports that Strava, used by 120 million people worldwide, was betraying the location of world leaders like Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron.
The French daily Le Monde found that some US Secret Service agents were active on Strava – including in the weeks after the two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump.
This means that at least some of the usually confidential movements of Trump, his rival, the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris, and the current US president Joe Biden can be easily tracked online, said Le Monde.