Strava sent a message to its users this week announcing that third-party applications will no longer be allowed to display customers' data to other users. The note sparked an uproar on social media, with users of the popular fitness-tracking app accusing the company of trying to kill off third-party apps such as those used for coaching services or comparisons.
Strava posted an update one day after the message went out, trying to reassure users that the changes will have "no impact to most developers" and will affect only a "small fraction (less than 0.1%)" of customers.
The announcement stated, "If you have granted a third-party app access to your activity data, they will no longer be able to display it within their surfaces to any user other than yourself. This update to our API Agreement went into effect recently and partners will have a month to update their apps to comply with these new standards."
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Developers of Intervals.icu confirmed that Strava have informed them that their app is "in conflict with the updated terms" and have been told to make Strava data only visible to the authenticated user who provides the data for both future and past activities.
Strava sought to reassure users that they will still be able to access their data through connected apps, stating the changes were necessary to ensure privacy.
"We want to thoughtfully address situations where users connect to a third-party app and are unaware that their data is being surfaced not just for their own use and visibility, but also to other users (for example, in a public feed or heatmap)," the update stated. "The latest API changes address this scenario and provide a more consistent framework for Strava user data."
The popular third-party app VeloViewer posted to BlueSky that they are working with Strava.
"Thank you for all the comments and concerns around the recent changes to Strava API use. We have always had a really strong relationship with Strava, and are currently working our way through these changes with them," the post read. "We will let you know more when our position is confirmed - this is likely to be in a couple more weeks."
Strava insisted they are not trying to end third-party applications.
"We recognize that our platform thrives because of the creativity and dedication of third-party developers who build tools to complement and extend Strava's capabilities. We are steadfast in our commitment to fostering this ecosystem.
"We anticipate that these changes will affect only a small fraction (less than .1%) of the applications on the Strava platform–the overwhelming majority of existing use cases are still allowed, including coaching platforms focused on providing feedback to users and tools that help users understand their data and performance."
Strava also updated the terms to "explicitly prohibit third parties from using any data obtained via Strava's API in artificial intelligence models or other similar applications", and have asked developers of third-party apps to "maintain a design that complements Strava's distinctive look and feel, rather than replicating it".
They clarified that restrictions on using Strava data for AI model training was to "prioritize user control and the ability to opt out".
"Third-party developers may not take such a deliberate approach to training AI models and as a result, we believe the best decision for the platform and for users is to prohibit the use of data extracted from Strava users in this manner. Our previous terms already disallowed the use of Strava user data in model training and development but we've made this more explicit in light of the increasing activity in this space."
