Strava is one of the world's most popular workout apps, and now it's added a much-needed feature that could give your workout motivation an extra boost – in-app Spotify integration.
Until now, fitness fans who use both Strava and Spotify have had to clunkily switch between the apps during workouts. But the new integration between the services, which is rolling out now, will let you browse and select Spotify songs and playlists from within Strava's iOS and Android apps.
The extra good news is that you'll get this functionality even if you're on the free tiers for both Strava and Spotify, which means no subscription is needed. While Strava hiked the pricing for its paid version last year, the free tier still lets you record and share your workouts.
So what does Strava's new Spotify integration look like? As you can see below, you get more than just basic playback controls. The Spotify integration appears in Strava's Record section – once you tap that to start a workout, you'll see a new music icon that lets you connect your Spotify account and choose your music, podcast or audiobook.
Once you've connected your Spotify account, you'll get a new menu in the Strava Record section showing some of the most popular workout mixes or your most recently played tracks.
Below that menu you'll also get the option to play, pause, resume or skip songs, which theoretically means you should rarely need to delve into the Spotify smartphone app while you're working out.
This new integration is naturally aimed at Strava users who mainly rely on the service's iOS or Android app. Many Strava users instead sync their data to the service from some of the best fitness trackers, while we also rate Strava as being one of the best Apple Watch apps around.
Still, while using Spotify with Strava on a smartwatch will remain a more fiddly experience, this new smartphone app integration will be a good quality-of-life boost for anyone who regularly uses both on their iOS or Android phone.
Analysis: Spotify works hard on its social game
Spotify's new Strava integration shows that it's continuing to bill itself as an audio all-rounder that wants to live wherever you listen to music, podcasts or audiobooks. And while there's sadly no integration with Strava's Apple Watch app yet, this is a helpful (if slightly belated) new feature for fans of Strava's smartphone app.
Spotify's more music-focused fans may prefer the streaming service to focus on features like the long-awaited Spotify HiFi, but that high-res tier remains a long way off – even if Spotify did recently suggest that Spotify HiFi is still in the works.
Still, we've recently argued that even if Spotify HiFi is never coming, that's just fine, because it's clearly now a different kind of music service. Its recent homepage redesign delivered strong hints of TikTok, while the new Spotify Niche Mixes feature is another example of its desire to move towards more social-friendly features.
That's also the case for Strava, which hit over 100 million active users last year and has built a strong following thanks to features like its Community Hub, which is like a forum for fans to discuss new features and ideas. Even if we've argued that Garmin Connect is at least the equal of Strava Premium, the addition of features like Spotify integration to its free tier will only help boost Strava's popularity.
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