Automatic uploads to Map My Tracks from a Wahoo ELEMNT is now available. This makes it super simple to upload your workout to Map My Tracks.
The step-by-step guide below should help get everyone set up. You’ll need to make sure you have the updated Wahoo ELEMNT app to use it. The setup takes only a few seconds and once done any workouts recorded on the ELEMNT will automatically upload to Map My Tracks.
If you have any questions about getting this set up then contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and we’ll help get you all set up.
Today we would like to welcome the RunGap app to the Map My Tracks family.
RunGap is a third-party iOS app that uses the Map My Tracks API to sync workouts between services. Using this app make it super simple to keep your Map My Tracks in step with all your other apps and services.
RunGap can be downloaded free from the App Store and it includes options to upgrade unlock all features.
If you are a developer and wish to use the Map My Tracks API for your project then please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We've been busy behind the scenes updating the Map My Tracks Android app which, we are thrilled to announce, is live and available to download from Google Play.
So what’s new in this update - v4.1.2?
Cleaner, clearer high resolution maps - It’s now a lot easier to see street names and other features with the new Street map style. High resolution map tiles also make each map clean, clearer and sharp. As before, you can set your preferred map style in the app’s Settings > Display section.
Optimisation - The app has been upgraded and converted to work great on Android 9. As a result of these changes the app is now more responsive with faster page loading all round.
Data validation - Due to various changes in recent versions of Android some, but not all, devices need to allow Map My Tracks to run in the background. We’ve added in data checks to detect if your activity has been recorded fully. In the event that the app detects irregular data it will now suggest that Map My Tracks is allowed to run fully when used in the background.
Various layout improvements - The app now makes use of your device’s full screen to provide a great experience on all pages. A host of other small refinements are dotted around the app.
We hope you like the updated Android app which can be downloaded from Google Play.
With your privacy as one of our top priorities today we have launched automatic privacy zones detection.
Starting today, all new activities will be scanned to check if you regularly start or finish in the same location. If we detect that you do often start or finish in the same place a new privacy zone will be created for you. The privacy zone will mask the exact start or end location so anyone viewing your public activities is not able to determine where you home or place of work might be.
Privacy zones can be edited, or created on the website at Settings > Privacy. You can choose to disable auto-detection altogether, or choose to ignore any zones that have been automatically created for you. Likewise, privacy zones can be deleted.
Privacy first
Our default set up for new users is all offline. This means that users have to choose to share their activities publicly when they wish to. We wanted to make sure that when our users do share their activities publicly that their privacy is protected by default. Automatic privacy zones will work in the background without users needing to configure their account to protect their privacy. Automatic privacy zones will help to do that for you.
We hope you like this new feature. If you have any feedback about this or any other features then please do get in touch at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We’re thrilled to welcome HealthFit app to the Map My Tracks family.
From today, anyone that uses an Apple Watch to record their outdoor pursuits can sync it automatically to Map My Tracks through the HealthFit app.
HealthFit is a third-party app that uses the Map My Tracks API to seamlessly sync Apple Watch workouts over to Map My Tracks. It’s easy to set up and get started and once configured the HealthFit app will take over and do work in the background keeping your Map My Tracks account up to date.
All activities synced across using HealthFit will be set to Private but if you would prefer to share them with followers on Map My Tracks then you can edit each one on Map My Tracks.
The HealthFit app is available to download from the App Store for $2.99.
It’s great to see our API being using for really useful tools like HealthFit. If you are a developer and wish to use the Map My Tracks API for your project then please contact us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We’re thrilled to welcome Polar to the Map My Tracks family. From today, anyone that uses a Polar watch to record their outdoor pursuits can sync it automatically to Map My Tracks. Polar joins the existing set of services, that includes Garmin Connect and Fitbit, that makes is easy for anyone that enjoys getting outdoors to keep all their records in one place.
It’s simple to set up
To get started first connect your Map My Tracks account with your Polar Flow account. On the website go to Upload > Connect to devices. On the app go to Settings > Services to complete the connection. Once connected, your Polar activities will be synced across to Map My Tracks. After that, all new activities synced to Polar Flow will also be synced to Map My Tracks. It will not sync historical activities. If these are needed on Map My Tracks then they can be upload manually.
By default, any activity synced from Polar will be made private. It’s possible to alter this by editing the connection settings on the website at Upload > Connect to devices.
As ever, we are keen to hear from our community on what other services would be good to integrate with. Get in touch to let us know.
Regular users of Map My Tracks may have noticed some odd things going on over the past few days. We thought an explanation was in order.
First things first, we’re sorry for the glitches that presented themselves this week. We know that a lot of people rely on Map My Tracks and depend on it running smoothly. We can’t apologise enough for the hassle that is caused when things don’t work as expected.
So what happened?
We have some ambitious plans for Map My Tracks and to deliver these we have needed to upgrade the underlying infrastructure that Map My Tracks is built on. This has meant that a complete set of server upgrades has been completed this week. They’re bigger, faster and better!
We have spent the past few months planning this change and, we thought, we had everything covered for when the migration took place. That said, some unexpected side-effects presented themselves once the new system was under a full load of regular users.
We’ve been working through these issues over the past few days and I’m pleased to say that the apps and website are now back to normal with the added benefit of being on new infrastructure.
Once again, please accept my apologies for the inconvenience that this has caused. If you spot anything odd that we have not picked up then please do get in touch - .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
We’ve been busy making sure that the app in general is much faster to use when browsing around. You’ll notice that maps load faster and that pages now include an infinite scroll that means you can easily browse more of your history or your friend’s activities. Some subtle changes to the page layouts mean everything is clearer and easier to read.
We’ve also made sure that the app stays in sync your website history. Now, if you upload activities to the website your phone stays in sync without needing to manually download it. This works great if you have connected your account to Garmin Connect or Fitbit. All the activities synced from these services automatically appear in the app on your phone keeping everything in one place.
Photos take center stage. When you pin a photo to an activity it will show in your profile and activity feed instead of the route map.
Other all round improvements make this version faster and even easier to use.
Not so long ago the web was buzzing with privacy scandals from Facebook and the changes brought about by the GDPR. Now, it seems like the dust has settled and, in this quieter time, we wanted to review some of the recent changes we have made and to highlight the principles behind what we do here at Map My Tracks.
Let’s get some context
At Map My Tracks we have a global community of people that love getting outdoors for fitness or just for fun. Behind the scenes at Map My Tracks HQ we are a small team of three people who are passionate about making sure our community of users trusts us with their data and love using our service.
We take this responsibility very seriously and work as hard as we can to make sure that Map My Tracks is the product, not our users. It’s true that a lot of the service is free to use which suggests that user data is what we want to sell to advertisers, but this cannot be further from the truth. To that end, we recently removed all third-party adverts from the site and also removed third-party tracking code from services that don’t need to know what you do on Map My Tracks.
Why the change?
The tipping point for us was when it became clear that some third-party services might not be handling data harvested from our users in their best interest. Gone are the adverts that track you around the web and give advertisers more insight into your web usage. Gone are tracking pixels from other services that they use to build a picture of user behaviour. Gone are erroneous cookies from third-party services that really don’t need to know what you do on Map My Tracks.
You are not the product
Map My Tracks was launched way back in 2007. Back then, the iPhone had just been launched and the notion of tracking, and sharing, your outdoor activities was a distant dream. Roll forward eleven years and in that time Map My Tracks has grown, and evolved, into the global service it is today. During that time, we introduced premium features under a PLUS subscription for users and event organisers. This represents the product, and our revenue stream, and provides us with resources to continue growing the service. No user data is sold to third-parties. It’s your data, not ours, so why would we sell it?
Privacy first
Given the nature of the service, we understand that not everyone wants to have their current location broadcast all over the web. Since its inception, the Map My Tracks app has always had the default tracking state as offline. Unlike most other sports tracking apps, we don’t force users to share their activities or upload them online. These are options that each user can choose to use when they wish but the default is private.
It’s important that when users do choose to make their activities public that we handle their data carefully. Privacy zones can be set around areas that users wish to mask from the public. Homes, workplaces or frequently visited locations are typical places to set up zones around. We recently upgraded how privacy zones work in response to some research into their set up. If you haven’t set them up yet, you can do so here.
Map My Tracks also stops search engine robots from indexing your activity pages so that it is intentionally difficult for search engines to build a profile of your data on Map My Tracks. This means that Map My Tracks pages don’t regularly appear in search engine results, but we think that the trade-off is worth it to provide a safe service for people to use.
What next?
We have always responded to requests from our users. We’d love to hear from you to find out what privacy concerns you may have and any ideas that would make you feel even safer when using Map My Tracks. Get in touch at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
Your very own personalised heat map on Map My Tracks is now available to explore.
The Map My Tracks heat map provides an overview of all your activities to show where you’ve been in the past. It’s a great way to explore your history of activities and remind your of the places you have been.
We’ve included options for you to explore your heat map by year and each activity type you do.
Your heat map can only be seen by you as they include both public and private activities that you have uploaded to Map My Tracks. By default, the heat map will not include any activities that start or finish within any privacy zone but there are options to override this to see all your activities. Keep in mind, that if you choose to share a screenshot of your heat map with your privacy zone data visible then it may disclose sensitive locations.
To view your own heat map login to Map My Tracks then choose Heat map from the main dropdown menu.
Heat maps are available for PLUS members. If you would like to view your own heat map then please upgrade to PLUS and your heat map will be available immediately.
Upgrade to PLUS to access this feature. Map My Tracks PLUS is an affordable way to better understand your performance and organise your workouts. Try PLUS free for 30 days.
