https://communityhub.strava.com/insider-journal-9/an-update-to-our-developer-program-13428
The gist of it is that Strava just killed its free API, and will now require developers to have a subscription.
At Strava, we care deeply about developers, and the health of the developer ecosystem. There are now 241,000 Strava API developers, up from 185,000 last year. Starting today, all current and future applications will automatically receive access to the Standard developer tier. This allows you to serve up to 10 athletes and start building immediately, completely eliminating the previous queue.
This essentially kills thousands of tools people build using the free API.
If you’re looking to move away from Strava, so far I’ve found two open source alternatives:
Build a product -> make it free or very affordable -> create dependency -> collect user data to improve product resulting in more dependency -> create a near market monopoly if possible -> make it paid only or make the free version a lot worse so users have to pay -> cross fingers that no alternative emerges or just buy it and shut it down if you can.
Always the same pattern.
Another great alternative is Geoactivity Playground if you use Strava to get overall statistics for your rides. You can import a Strava export or simply put some GPX files in a folder. It’s great:
Whether it’s a back-alley transaction or a multinational corporation transaction “the first one is free” is a marketing tactic that seems to work time and time again.
I was a happy user of Endomondo before underarmour killed it.
I want it back. I hate using strava.
Who?
And the garbage takes itself out.
I missed this one. Was it like Heroku used to be or something?
It says all apps will have automatic access to the standard tier. How is that killing anything? It sounds more like they’re removing an approval process.
Edit: ok but further down it also says “subscription required”. I’m confused.
Starting today, all current and future applications will automatically receive access to the Standard developer tier. This allows you to serve up to 10 athletes and start building immediately, completely eliminating the previous queue.
Then on june 30th
Subscription required for existing Standard Tier developers. A Strava subscription will be required to access the API as a Standard Tier developer. Active developers* without a current subscription are entitled to 3-months free. If you’re eligible, you will have received a code via email. Extended Access Tier developers are not affected.
So do all future applications automatically receive access or is a subscription required??? Repeating what it says does not provide any clarifying information!
next sentence
Starting today, all current and future applications will automatically receive access to the Standard developer tier. This allows you to serve up to 10 athletes
Yeah that’s why I’m confused. It says it’s automatic, then later says a subscription is required.
“10 athletes” seems to be the bit you’re missing.
I guess the automatic has the 10 user limit. and the subscription is needed for a proper app that people use.
How many people are personally operating more than 10 athletes? Are there that many enormous super-athlete families that all rely on Strava?
It’s for the API, meaning when you code an app and use strava you have a maximun of 10 users, everything else is just gone.
10 users using your app isn’t much.
So each person gets their own API key when installing some custom app. This is normal procedure. I’m not seeing an issue with that part.
normal procedure? where exactly have you seen that be done? for that every user would have to register a developer account and fumble with an API key
That is absolutely not normal procedure. Apps generally use one universal API key per API surface, not unique keys per user.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I’ve seen in this thread:
Fewer Letters More Letters AP WiFi Access Point CA (SSL) Certificate Authority SSL Secure Sockets Layer, for transparent encryption
[Thread #332 for this comm, first seen 3rd Jun 2026, 14:10] [FAQ] [Full list] [Contact] [Source code]
Yeah, I mean, that was inevitable.
I just saw an AP alternative launched a couple days ago: https://fitpub.social/
Thanks ! I was searching for an alternative.
How does this compare to Endurain? Endurain isn’t ActivityPub, however curious about other features.
Definitely a +1 to FitPub that they’re on codeberg vs GitHub 🤣Endurain migrated to Codeberg and I’m just blind. Github is just a mirrorI mean there’s zero information about Endurain on their site so…I have no idea.
I was a paying customer for over 10 years and it just got worse and worse. I quit several years ago and haven’t looked back.
As it turns out, I love and I have always loved cycling and don’t need anyone else to see that.
I’m not saying that anyone else should behave the same way, you do you, but it was so freeing to just ride for the love of riding. No more “600m of circles” to make it to 200k, no more kudos to every workday commute, just the open road (or trails) and the freedom it provides.
Yes, I no longer race, but I do privately keep a record of my efforts and rides, but they’re now a side effect of the thing I love - not part of the focus.
Well said
Eh the social aspect never was the point for me. It was more tracking progress. That said this was a good reminder to cancel my sub as I haven’t used it enough in the last year to justify it. If anyone has self hosted options I’d love to see those.
Yeah, I recently got Strava, but I’m about at the point of ditching it. I run alone. Garmin keeps any stats just fine, and doesn’t inject any social media into it. I have a couple friends on Garmin, but I have to actively look for their stuff, and they for mine, which is exactly how I like it. Otherwise, I run, and then I can go see how things look, and it gets added to the archive.
I use endurain since day one and it’s growing fast and good. Dev is very dedicated and progress is significant and solid.
Said so, I always despised Strava and never used it. But I use Garmin platform since I own many garmin devices for run bike and more … And after all these years Garmin stuff, also on software side, keeps being non enshittified
It will be even better once gadgetbridge finishes support for sending to endurain. Then we won’t even need Garmin!
Sorry to say that most sport devices are not supported by gadget bridge
Its FOSS. Be the change you want to see in the world.
Well, due to hardware encryption keys and such, it’s not that easy… Also many devices supported only works after sniffing the keys from the official apps. Which is not a viable approach in my opinion…
Unfortunately, it’s not that easy. Garmin is still one of the most open brands, you can always copy activities from USB cable if you don’t want to use the proprietary Garmin app.
once gadgetbridge finishes support
You do realize gadgetbridge is entirely volunteer-driven, right?
Yeah that’s true. However it is being worked on, with a PR open from one of the core devs. https://codeberg.org/Freeyourgadget/Gadgetbridge/pulls/5809
Looks like it might get merged soon? Since the WIP tag got removed 5d ago.
Once this goes in and hits nightly, I’m immediately setting up Endurain.
As is most FOSS software. I’m not sure what point you are trying to make. GadgetBridge is actively working on the feature and I’m genuinely excited about it.
Hey guys, just so you know. In the future
If private company = company will fuck you over to your and their own detriment.
Public companies are almost more likely to do this, no? They have shareholders to appease instead of just private interests.
Pretty sure he meant something like “not a nonprofit or government entity.”
Nonprofits and government entities are just as happy to fuck you over, in my and relatives’ experience.
Huh? Are we not all trying to promote Lemmy and reduce Reddit’s power? What examples do you have? Being nonprofit and especially FOSS is a huge factor.
NGOs advertising themselves as offering legal help to vulnerable people promise help and later do nothing but saying in the media how helpful they are, or refuse said help. Playing bureaucratic football when the person is question is member of multiple vulnerable groups: why you go here for help, go there. Other NGOs trying to take control of grassroots youth movements after offering to help with some resources. More NGOs serving as PR vehicles of their solo leaders while pretending to advance human rights. Names: Insight, KyivPride, LGBT Military, EcoAction, many of them tbh, because it’s all the same “community”.
Regarding government entities, there are constant attempts, for years, by state companies providing water, to write generated or fake values for previous month so that you can’t report correct lower values and have to pay more. Do we consider police a government entity? Haven’t helped a single time, but harassed more than once.
About Reddit, I haven’t used it much and I can’t say anything about it besides it not very interesting. Lemmy developers are notorious assholes when it comes to anything about my country, so I’m not trying to promote it. I use other fedi tech because I like it and contribute.
“Just as” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, IMO. Can they be subverted against the people they are supposed to serve? Of course. Is it as likely as a for-profit corporation doing it? Hell no, I’d say.
Depends on how they’re organized. If they’re accountable to their community, organized with as little hierarchy as possible, and have rotation of leadership while filling its roles from the members, they’re good. But it’s very rare. If the heads are appointed top-down by the government or self-selected, which is more common, there arise same issues as with companies.
It seems watches like Garmin Watches are not affected by this:
Two things that aren’t changing: every Strava athlete can still access and download their data for free, at any time – and wearable and device integrations are not affected .
Yeah, until they need to squeeze more blood from the stone
They tried to pick a fight with Garmin and backed down real fast.
