Live Segments brings the experience of competing on a ride or run segment directly to your Apple Watch. All Strava athletes receive real-time updates and haptic cues when entering a segment, keeping you motivated and engaged. Strava subscribers unlock additional advanced features.
Selecting Segments
Live Segments are a feature available for outdoor running and riding activities. There are two types of segments, popular and starred. Your location determines popular segments, while starred segments are those you've personally selected.
To "Star" a segment, tap the star icon next to its name. If you do this before your ride, the starred segment will be active during your activity. The Strava app does not prioritize starred segments over popular ones in the live experience; the closest segment, whether starred or popular, will enter live mode.
Please note that downhill segments are not synced to devices for Strava Live Segments. Our system recognizes even the slightest negative grade, so some segments displaying a 0% grade may still be considered downhill and will not sync to your device.
Competing in a Segment
You can switch back to the stats page during your Live Segment attempt by swiping up on the screen, and view the Live Segment progress in the top left corner.
When you are approaching a Starred Segment, your watch will vibrate and automatically display the Live Segment view. For popular segments, your watch will not vibrate or automatically transition; you can access the Live Segment view from the stats page by clicking the horseshoe icon.
As you approach the segment's start, your watch will show the “Go!” state. Once you begin the segment, you will see your progress in real-time. You can return to the stats page during a Live Segment attempt by swiping up, and monitor your progress in the top left corner.
FAQs
Can I turn Live Segments off?
Yes. Live Segment alerts are enabled by default. To disable them, open the Strava Apple Watch app, swipe left, tap Settings, scroll down, and toggle off Live Segments.
As a Strava Subscriber, what advanced capabilities will I see?
Strava subscribers receive several enhanced features for segments:
Live Segment Comparison: See your current time against your personal record in real-time.
Distance Countdown: Track the remaining distance in a segment.
Time/Countdown Toggle: Easily switch between viewing your time and the countdown by tapping.
Post-Segment Results: Compare your performance against your personal record immediately upon completing a segment.
Can I use Live Segments as a free athlete?
Yes, free athletes can use Live Segments. They will be able to see if they are ahead or behind their personal record (PR) time, indicated by an arrow and a green or red color, but the exact time difference will not be displayed.
What if I don’t have a personal record (PR) on a segment?
Subscribers on their first attempt will only see the distance countdown statistic.
Why is my segment time different on Apple Watch than after upload?
Preliminary times displayed on the watch app may differ from final times calculated after uploading to Strava. This is due to the watch app and Strava's leaderboard system using different algorithms to detect start and finish points. The final calculation ensures fairness and consistency for all athletes.