Live Segments

Live Segments brings the experience of competing on a ride or run segment to your mobile phone. All athletes can use Live Segments, however, Strava subscribers will see additional screens with comparison metrics.

• Selecting Segments
• On your device
• Live Segment settings
• FAQ's
• Leave us Feedback

Selecting Segments

• Live Segments are only available for running and riding activities.
• Two types of segments will be used during your Live Segments experience: popular and starred. Popular segments will be determined by your location and starred segments are selected by you.
• To star a segment, tap the star icon next to a segment's name. As long as you do this before your ride, the starred segment will be used during that activity. The app does not prioritize starred segments over popular segments in the live experience. Whichever starred or popular segment is the closest to you is the one that will enter live mode.
• We do not sync downhill segments to devices for Strava Live Segments. Please keep in mind that our system recognizes even the slightest negative grade so there may be segments that display a 0% grade that is considered downhill and therefore will not sync to devices.

On your device

Strava Subscribers:

• When approaching a starred or popular segment, you will be transitioned from your recording screen to a Live Segment notification. You will hear an audible cue (if enabled) and see the segment name and your position relative to that segment.
• When you pass into a segment, you'll be shown a bird's eye view where you can follow your avatar as well as the avatars for your PR (if one exists for this segment) and KOM/QOM/CR progress. 
  • Red: the avatar is ahead of you, you will be shown your time behind
  • Green: the avatar is behind you, you will be shown your time ahead
  • Gray: the avatar will turn gray if they are offscreen 
  • A halfway mark will be displayed when you are halfway through the segment
• When you complete the segment, you will be shown your final performance results and will be transitioned back into the normal recording experience.

Free Athletes:

• When approaching a starred or popular segment, you will hear an audible cue (a chime) if enabled, and see a banner displaying the segment name. 
• When you pass into a segment, you will see your current progress on a map, but will not see comparison metrics (PR or KOM/QOM/CR).
• When you complete the segment, you will be shown your final performance results and will be transitioned back into the normal recording experience. 

Live Segment Settings

• To enable or disable Live Segments, select Record from the bottom navigation menu and open Settings from the upper left-hand corner. Select Live to toggle Live Segments on or off.
• To access audio settings for Live Segments, go to Record > Settings > Audio Cues > Live Segment Performance. You have three options for announcements: off, voice, or chimes.
• You can dismiss the current Live Segment, allowing a subsequent (overlapping or nearby) segment to enter into live mode by tapping the map icon, or the back button on Android. Dismissing a segment will prevent the app from entering Live Mode for that segment for the rest of the activity.

FAQs

What are starred vs popular segments?

Starred segments are the segments that you choose to follow by tapping the star icon next to the segment name. Popular segments for your activity are determined by a popularity score (based on a variety of factors like stars and views) and proximity to your activity location. Popular segments may change from activity to activity depending on the location in which you're active. Keep in mind that you can star a segment shortly before an activity in order to use that segment on that same activity. Unstarring a segment will, however, take up to 24 hours to get removed. 

How do I leave the Live Segment screen?

If you do not want to see the Live Segment comparison screen, tap the arrow next to the distance remaining bar. Hiding the comparison will not cancel the segment.

How do I dismiss or exit a Live Segment?

When approaching a segment, or after entering into Live Segment mode, you can dismiss the segment and go back to the map or recording screen. Dismissing a segment will ignore that segment for the rest of the recording. To dismiss, tap the back button to return to the map view. Note that if you have audio announcements enabled, audio announcements may continue for that segment even if it has been dismissed.

Why did I get an announcement for a segment that ran in the opposite direction?

Unfortunately, announcements for segments in the wrong direction are due to an outstanding bug.

Why is my segment time different after I upload?

The mobile app uses a different algorithm for determining when an athlete starts and finishes a segment than Strava uses for its leaderboard matches, which can affect the elapsed time reported for the segment. To ensure consistency between users, the times shown during an activity are preliminary, and the times shown on Strava after uploading are final.