OK, so not before ALL of you ask them, since we have had a bunch of questions come up already, but we tried to pick off several of the questions that we anticipate people will want to know about and put them up here before (most of) you ask them! Some of these won’t be directly relevant until the app is published and you buy it, but most should be helpful both to enable you make an informed purchasing decision and to improve your experience with RunKeeper once you are using it. This is a living document, and will change over time as we conduct more testing, receive feedback from our future userbase (that is you), and continually evolve the product. Enjoy!
RunKeeper FAQ
What is RunKeeper?
RunKeeper is an application built for the new 3G iPhones that uses the built-in GPS to enable fitness tracking (duration, time, pace, speed, route on a map)
When will RunKeeper be available in Apple’s online App Store?
The application has been submitted for approval, and while it is out of our hands, we expect that it should be approved any day now. In the meantime, you can sign up on our website to be notified when it is live.
Can RunKeeper be used for any other activities besides running?
While it was built primarily with running in mind, some of our testing has involved additional activities such as walking, cycling, and even driving. It appears to work fine for these other activities as well, although the majority of our testing has been running-specific. If you have suggestions for additional activities to target, email us atinfo@runkeeper.com.
How much will RunKeeper cost?
The RunKeeper iPhone application will be a one-time download of $9.99 USD and will be available exclusively through Apple’s online App Store. The web dashboard that displays all of the runs that the RunKeeper iPhone application collects will be free to use and can be accessed at www.runkeeper.com once the iPhone application is launched.
Will RunKeeper work with an original first generation iPhone?
No. RunKeeper needs a GPS signal to determine accurate speed, pace and distance. The RunKeeper application will not work properly on a first generation iPhone.
Can I see my route on a map?
Yes, you can see all of the routes you run on a map that will be displayed on your personal web dashboard at www.runkeeper.com. You cannot see your route displayed on the RunKeeper iPhone app initially, but we are evaluating including this functionality in future releases. You will be able to see the route through the device’s web browser at www.runkeeper.com.
What are the recommended operating procedures for best results?
- Wear the device on your arm in a sport armband with the RunKeeper logo on top for best results.
- The GPS is more accurate in areas with direct line of sight to the sky. If possible, avoid heavy tree coverage or tall buildings. The GPS will not be accurate at all inside buildings.
- The GPS is most accurate if you run relatively straight routes as opposed to zigging and zagging or making lots of sharp turns. The device will be less accurate, for example, doing laps around a small track than it will doing a long, relatively straight route or a longer loop.
- When you first start the application, it will say ‘Determining location’ at the bottom of the screen. It usually takes between 30 seconds and a minute to get a ‘lock’ on a satellite if you are in an area with a direct line to the sky (away from tall buildings and trees for best results). When the ‘Determining location’ indicator goes away it means you are ready to start tracking your run.
Can I listen to my music while using RunKeeper?
Yes, you will be able to listen to the iPod in the background while you run, as well as change songs. You will not, however, be able to use any third party apps like AOL Radio, as Apple prevents you from running two third party applications at once. This is a current limitation of the iPhone platform and something we hope Apple will address in the future. We recommend you start the iPod application before RunKeeper so that the music plays in the background. You will be able to change tracks by either double clicking the headphone button or double tapping the home button on the iPhone.
What happens if I exit out of RunKeeper while tracking my route?
Your route will be automatically be paused the moment you exit RunKeeper, and when you return, you will have the option to resume where you left off. Any distance accumulated while the application is paused is not added to your total distance.
What happens if I receive a call while I am running?
If you ignore the call or dismiss it, RunKeeper continues tracking. If you answer it, RunKeeper automatically pauses your route and you have the option to resume it when your call is completed.
Will I be able to export my data to other sites?
Not in our first release, however we know this feature is important to many of our potential users and we are closely evaluating including it in future versions of RunKeeper.
Will RunKeeper be available in my country?
We submitted RunKeeper to be available through the App Store worldwide, so it should be. Our first release will be English-only, however we are evaluating localizing future versions of RunKeeper around the world.
Do I need to disable the iPhone auto-lock to use RunKeeper?
While auto-lock does need to be disabled for the GPS to track your activity uninterrupted, RunKeeper handles this automatically, including re-enabling the auto-lock once you are done using RunKeeper. Make sure not to lock the phone via the top lock button on the device during your run, as this has the same effect as auto-lock.
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Excellent FAQ! That answers all my questions.
Since it’s possibile to set the application to send automatically its data to your website to see, for example, the track, I think it would be good if you could add a button to open runkeeper.com in Safari at the end of the run. How long it takes to display the track after iPhone has sent data?
Concering battery life, since I don’t like to be “disturbed” during a run (that’s one of the lonely moments during a day), I think that while I run I will set iPhone in the Airplane mode
That turns-off the wireless features: cell phone, wifi and bluetooth (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1644)
We will look at adding a button to open RK in safari, good suggestion. The track should show up almost instantly when your run is completed. Concerning battery life, the first warning won’t come on until your phone is at 20% battery life (appx. 2.5 hrs into your run on a full charge), and even then you can ignore it and the device will continue tracking. You don’t want to set the iPhone in airplane mode, because it will turn off the GPS tracking as well!
Jason
Doh!
The GPS being turned off in airplane mode Apple support document is: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1355
It would be nice if RunKeeper would use the accelerometer as a pedometer.
It seems possible to set the application to automatically switch off the auto-lock as soon as you open it. I’ve seen it in other gps application (but I want RunKeeper!!!)
Valter,
Which applications have you seen that have done this? We have not seen this behavior on the iPhone.
Jason
Based on the description on their website, iTrail is able to override the auto-lock functionality.
Thanks Bob. As of last night, we are too! We just submitted that revision to Apple this morning in our latest release. Look out for a blog post shortly catching everybody up on our status.
Jason
Hi Jason. I have a couple of other thing I’d like to see in RK.
The first is related with calories burned. You know that very often people run to loose weight, and for this reason they want to say how many calories they consumes during thier activity. Do you think could be possible to put somewhere data about calories?
I hope my english is good enough to explain this.
Well, I know that for running there is a formula that says that are consumed 0,9-1.04 kcal per kg per km, but also depends on age, genere, efforts, etc., so a good guess is 1.0.
http://fitnesslogs.com/calories2.htm (uses 1.03)
http://www.runtheplanet.com/resources/tools/calculators/caloriecounter.asp (uses 0.9)
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/caloriecalculator/ (uses 1.036).
When you walk you consum 0.45-0.5 calories per kg of weight and per km walked.
In both walking and running speed doesn’t modify the amount of calories.
Unfortunately the amount of calories consumed during cycling depends to speed (because the body is supported by the bike, and it becomes important the wind resintance). So it becomes hard, but not impossible, to calculate it. You could give a look at http://www.nutristrategy.com/fitness/cycling.htm
or http://draco.acs.uci.edu/rbfaq/FAQ/9.23.html or… google it.
Valter (forgot the other thing I would talk about…)
Great product, hope to see soon:
- calories burned
- export data on external site (other than runkeeper)
- maps data on iPhone
- export saved data when wifi connection is avaible
Is it possible to use runkeeper with phone off ?
Jason,
I have used the top lock button on my iPhone on several of runs to save battery life and found that it does not turn off the GPS. Can you please confirm if this feature has been fix with the new iPhone firmware 2.2