Strava improves routes and promises turn-by-turn navigation

Spending time outdoors can immediately improve how you feel. Unless, of course, you end up somewhere that’s unexpectedly unfamiliar or unsafe and those good vibes are replaced by panic. That’s why lots of people who enjoy exploring and exercising outdoors choose the fitness app Strava, which has safety-enhancing features like a map that shows how well-traveled routes are and terrain visualizations. Strava is now announcing that it’s adding to those features with three route-focused improvements and a better offline experience.

Previously, a search for routes and points of interest in the Maps tab was limited to specific keywords. Now, you can use plain language to describe what you’re looking for, like “a bike path near a lake.” The route selection itself has also been expanded and, according to Strava, is “better curated.” A final improvement to routes involves a change to route cards. Strava users can start getting a better picture of what to expect before they head out with route cards that show real photos and activity data from other users.

Strava also added two features for when you lose signal. To continue navigation when offline, saved routes will appear on the home screen. And for those concerned that their workout data will be lost along with a connection, it will still be recorded and show up in Strava when signal returns.

The company says that there are three additional features that are “coming soon,” though it doesn’t share a specific date. Route details will be powered by community data to highlight more details on a route, like what wildlife has been spotted in the area. You’ll also be able to view Maps on the web so that you can get a bigger picture of what to expect.

The last update is the only one in the announcement that Strava specifies is for subscribers only, and it’s a much-anticipated one in the community: hands-free navigation. This will give users turn-by-turn audio guidance for hikes, walks, and runs along a set route.

Android Authority has reached out to Strava about whether any of the other announced features require a subscription. We’ll update this story if we hear back.