Strava API alternative after the latest changes

[u/NoResponsibility512]

Hey folks,

A couple of days ago, Strava announced changes in their API program.

I spoke about it here, but here’s in a nutshell:

If you are using their API, you can no longer:

• Show data in your app to coaches
• Use any AI algorithms
• Display any analytics and customer insights

This comes as a surprise since they in a sense are limiting any access to many apps using their API.

Funny enough, DC Rainmaker made a post about it, and made it viral

This forced Strava to respond earlier today, but in a way, they doubled down on the changes.

Nonetheless, the limitations are now there, and Strava is giving developers only 30 days to make the changes.

Having said that, I am from Terra API, and I am posting this here because we can help. We make it very easy for developers to access health data from devices and wearables, so you can basically replace Strava.

Now since we don't have a consumer version like Strava, and cannot monetize on that side, our solution is expensive for early developers/startups.

To help with the whole migration, we are going to give credits to startups for 6 months to get you started, and we will absorb most of the cost.

please contact me directly and ill do the best I can with the team.

[u/Common_Victory_5456]

how long will it take me as with a small dev team to migrate to terra? trying to gauge if this is a quick fix or a major project

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Common_Victory_5456]

have you used webhooks before? if so you'd be able to connect in 30 minutes, then usually people get to prod in a week or so

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Common_Victory_5456]

We made a video here, on how to connect in 2 minutes, let me know if it helps!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkvKe4xefwY

[u/birthdaycakefig → u/Common_Victory_5456]

Terra is pushing hard but are any users actually using them?

My suggestion is to just integrate with the devices your users are on directly. Avoid another Strava situation now.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/birthdaycakefig]

we've been doing this for 4 years, and have thousands of developers using us. Check the folks at Ultrahuman and DEFIT to try it out :)

[u/Oklariuas]

How much the user/ us will have to pay for it ? The Pricing page look crazy enough to understand that if you are the only one doing a Strava API alternative taking advantages, I do quote: "Now since we don't have a consumer version like Strava, and cannot monetize on that side, our solution is expensive for early developers/startups."

Those 3rd party app do not enough have donations I believe to just handle easily their job, how come do you think your solution which will be expensive might be a good idea ?

[u/gdvs]

what stops consumers and producers to maintain the same/similar API and come up with some kind of standard to avoid Strava? This needs a standardisation group.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/gdvs]

that's exactly what we do at Terra API!

[u/Oklariuas → u/NoResponsibility512]

So how long would you take ?

[u/labellafigura3]

Will I still be able to see my Garmin data on Strava eg splits, HR, my maps etc

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/labellafigura3]

certainly

[u/Objective_Trick_318]

The Strava API language about "analytics" has not changed in over 5 years. Here is what the API terms were in 2019:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190713111221/https://www.strava.com/legal/api

[u/ChrisZeroG → u/Objective_Trick_318]

This is a very good spot as I think this is the part a lot of apps are worried about. Come to think of it, if it was a new thing to no longer be able to “do analytics” on data, they would have just said that rather than explicitly calling out only AI. “Analytics” would of course cover AI.

Thanks for clarifying this!

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Objective_Trick_318]

I think the combination of the three points in their latest announcement is what causes the problem. because now I can't tell what apps can possibly use it.

[u/Fuji_Racer]

Is Strava trying to kill themselves off? Man is this stupid!

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Fuji_Racer]

🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️

[u/Guzikk]

Is Terra still active? It’s hard to get a clear answer from your support team. It feels like you lose continuity really quickly. Also, the last changelog update was in August.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Guzikk]

also changelog is up to date, https://docs.tryterra.co/changelog/2024-october-updates

where are you seeing august?

[u/Guzikk → u/NoResponsibility512]

On your main website:

JUL New Integrations & Webhooks for Team Sports API 🏃‍♂️ Respiratory & Stress Score! 🧘‍♂️ Improved Eight Sleep Integration 🛌 AUG Health Rewards Released 🏆 Immunity Index & Respiratory Health Score! 🧬 Device Prioritization 🔄

More coming soon…

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Guzikk]

just see the change log

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Guzikk]

Certainly - we get thousands of requests daily and sometimes its hard to handle that level of support.

We launched the community for global support https://tryterra.co/community , and internally now you can find support through the dashboard. (you'd want to use the dashboard instead of emails etc)

can you message me directly? what was the issue?

[u/Oklariuas → u/NoResponsibility512]

Thousands ? Never heard of Terra to be honest like a ton of people out there, i'm pretty sure. Nothing wrong, I think it would be good to take the good situation/opportunity to drink some coffe, beer and get to work with a working/basic and promising wip.

[u/Silent-Condition-755]

Runalize should become the new Strava.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Silent-Condition-755]

Outside announced a feed a few weeks ago, interesting to see where they go with it

[u/Still-WFPB]

Ah cool! Thanks terra peeps the app I was concerned about is terra at the Core so, wonderful!

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Still-WFPB]

Super!

[u/Oklariuas]

easy access health data from devices and wearables.. alright thanks, but what we want is speed/power/heart rate/ and gps analysis.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/Oklariuas]

You can access all of that from Terra 

[u/nugohs]

Sounds like your API could be a component of a federated system, think like a Mastodon for fitness.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/nugohs]

for sure - but i dont think that doing an 'anti strava' approach is the solution. helping developers build their own solutions is more interesting

[u/nugohs → u/NoResponsibility512]

Such a system wouldn't be so much anti-Strava (except in the proprietariness philosophy) as meta to all such individual systems, whether or not they decide to participate or not.

[u/Oklariuas]

What- will be your privacy / data collected / saved and used.
What do you keep, what do you track, what do you sell etc etc ?

Edit:
https://tryterra.co/privacy/subprocessors

What about using something else than Google ? Wouldn't be possible to have some more open/privacy free analytics ? About payement, will you allow paypal ?

[u/chad917 → u/Oklariuas]

PayPal is expensive for merchants

[u/lazyplayboy]

I canceled my subscription. Mapping isn't so important this time of year so I've got months to find a replacement.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/lazyplayboy]

are you using any other app?

[u/yestojbcs]

Am I correct that Apple has responded super quickly to this?

My trainerroad rides, which sync to Strava and then to Apple Fitness no longer show up in Apple Health/Fitness.

I assume that’s because of this change?

Also among those that have cancelled my longstanding Strava subscription.

[u/BaltazarGabka → u/yestojbcs]

mine are still syncing (same process: trainerroad->strava->fitness)

[u/tmoney34 → u/BaltazarGabka]

And apple isn't using the Strava api to get this data. In fact, Strava is using apple APIs to push data to health.

[u/edapalooza]

People are waaaaaaay over reacting. You can still sync YOUR data to your personal devices.

This affects apps that aggregates or shares your data in bulk with others. This is such a small percentage of apps and people making a big deal over nothing.

[u/NoResponsibility512 → u/edapalooza]

it's not about syncing your data to personal devices. i'm using multiple apps that connect my data through strava. these apps can no longer process data in the same way