Not planned

Mobile App should accept speed sensor data

Allow to show the sensor speed instead the GPS speed, is much more accurate and sensible to variation.



  • Official comment

    Sorry everyone, this feature request is not being considered for development at the moment. Please continue to leave your comments and we will do our best to accommodate speed sensor readings from mobile recordings in the future, if possible. 

  • This is even more relevant now since the new update shows current speed on display, gps current speed is too slow to react

  • Can we please make a request to allow a user to select a speed sensor vs the GPS for tracking? 

  • My GPS is often not very accurate, so I bought a speed and cadence sensor to fix the problem. After trying it out, I realised  that Strava does not support speed sensors, only the cadence component works. It would not be hard to automatically  calibrate the speed sensor to the GPS, for example on straight  roads, and use the sensor speed data to reduce GPS noise when showing speed and estimating power. For maintaining record lists, you would rely on GPS only - not a problem. So when do you intend to add speed sensor data? Thanks.

  • I would prefer if we were able to choose. The GPS works just fine for me out on the road, but when I am on my indoor bike trainer I would love to have my miles accounted for with a speed sensor.

  • Thanks for the feedback regarding speed sensor data vs GPS data on the Strava mobile app. I know that Garmin devices will retain the speed and distance data recorded with a sensor when uploaded to Strava.

    Currently we don't have plans to support speed sensor data in the mobile app, and it is a fairly extensive engineering project. However, know that we've heard your feedback and will do our best to consider this project in the future.

  • I'm having a hard time understanding how adding a speed sensor would be an extensive project.  Its got to be a similar to the cadence sensor.  Understand, most people just want an accurate real time reading of their speed and possibly a more accurate measurement of distance traveled but not asking that the sensor override the GPS data for mapping or segment times.

    On the Strava store, for the smart phone mounts, it says 

    • Coupled with Strava Live, it rivals any dedicated bike computer

    That's not close to being true if Strava does not use a speed sensor.

  • I would also like to reiterate what people have said it would be very nice to have an option to simply display the speed measured by a speed and cadence sensor rather than by GPS. A nice feature of this would be to originally calibrate the speed sensor based on GPS movement, however just starting with wheel size would be a great first step. This is enough of an issue to where I am thinking I will cancel my premium membership and switch to paying for another app and simply uploading my data to Strava.

  • Really?  well, that is unfortunate (read: bogus).

  • @Strava Community Moderator.
    Rofl Copter:support speed sensor data …is a fairly extensive engineering project. Sorry but sounds like an excuse for me. This is fairly no rocket since.
    A: The formula for speed is: v = s / t
    B: Standardized sensordata ant+ / Smart BLE

    If you need help please let me know :)

  • I also would strongly argue for speed sensor data in the app, For instant speed data and indoor use. I think it's confusing that one can selct speed/cadence sensor in the app-menu.

  • I support adding speed sensor data. GPS data is too slow to react and unreliable for indoor tracks, areas with heavy foliage, and in cities with tall buildings. I also agree that the current app-menu configuration is miss-leading. 

    Want to make Strava the best cycling computer app available? Add the speed sensor app support with automatic calibration using GPS data. 

    As it stands, Strava is a not a great cycling computer app. I often look to other app resources or manually log workouts. With this simple modification it would likely become the only app I would ever need to use.

  • guys..I guess the direction is all about bussiness. But for us, end users should have more options, both garmin and strava need to workout about this. please reconsider. thanks

  • I've bought the Garmin premium heart rate monitor and linked it to Strava without any problem, works great, thanks Strava!

    Now I also got the new Garmin Cadence and Speed sensors, and expected them to also run flawlessly.

    Unfurtunatelly, I ran into this thread :-) Cadence sensor works great, and of course, as many other cycling-geeks, I would like to use the speed sensor.

    To Strava team: Understood that it is a lot of work to actually use the speed sensor data in a sensible way to increase accuracy on the speed/distance readings. I can see that the extra data source could actually add more problems than it solves...  BUT: We don't need to use the data for calculations; it would be enough to see the speed sensor data in the "live" display when cycling. I.e. xx km/h. (and perhaps log data aswell).

    So, please add the option to show Speed Sensor data when cycling! (but don't use it for calculations).

    Thanks for a great app!


  • It would be most helpful if an available option would be to switch between GPS or the speed sensor to gather speed and distance traveled on trainer rides.

    My reasoning is because after multiple requests, Wahoo refuses to recognize my watch for heart rate data.  So if I capture my trainer ride in Wahoo's app, then import to Strava, I'm still missing heart rate data.  Therefore I get an incomplete picture of my trainer rides.  Strava recognizes my watch for heart rate and the Wahoo sensors for speed and cadence.  To capture only in Strava would be the most logical approach.

    Stava has been a fantastic resource for providing very holistic data around my rides.  To add the option to use the speed+cadence sensor for speed and distance data for trainer rides would maintain that holistic approach.

  • +1 paying user being frustrated with Strava not reading speed sensor data. I also haven't figured out the cadence sensor input yet from a parallel discussion.

  • So many things done well by Strava, yet a relatively simple request seems to be "not being considered for development"

    There are many ways this could be done simply for many people riding indoors - I am sure there are a few complexities around merging distance and gps data, but why not collect the data first and merge it later, or allow speed sensor for immediate readout.

    I am just happy I haven't bought a device yet.

  • You're charging people for premium service offering different features, you better improve core features - GPS is good only to save the route, not for speed recording.

  • Add me to the list of riders NEEDING the update to allow the use of speed sensors for the many reasons mentioned by so many others. It's especially important for indoor training for those with less flexible job schedules.

    It blows my mind that Strava developers can build an app so good in so many ways, yet ignore the need for the most basic functionality.  C'mon Strava, you're better than that!! Aren't you?!?!?

    *shakes head in bewilderment*

  • I'd like to add my vote to this too. I really am so excited to have Strava as my new cycle computer. I got an inexpensive BT cadence / speed sensor and was looking forward to having this data shown on Strava.

  • GPS speed recordings are nothing reliable in some scenarios (weather wise). Add me to the list of riders NEEDING this ASAP!...

    I love Strava (actually Im a premium member), but c'mon Strava, this is so basic.

  • I agree. I'm a Premium member and I also want the app to record from my speed sensor!


  • As a premium customer I too would also like the wahoo speed sensor supported. Having this and also the gps speed calculation would make it a formidable app on our mobiles. Can you let us know if it's in development now?

  • Seems like they could add it with not that much trouble if they use the existing speed estimation system to calibrate the wheel size. Could also help as a way to guard against using this feature to boost results.

  • Wow, this request has been out there for almost 1.5 years, and still no efforts from Strava to fix this? That's kind of disappointing really. I've started using Strava as a non-paying customer and am thinking about the upgrade to Premium, but I am rather hesitant about it since I've come across this. 

    Make it so Strava! 

  • Add my name to the list...indoor tracks, overcast days, all play havoc with GPS accuracy...the ability to choose a dedicated speed sensor should be an option. +1

  • Gee request 2014, now mid 2017 still not embedded what is this with strava...

  • Please make this option available. Why bother to have the app if you cant record heart, speed, and cadence from the Wahoo Sensor and Apple Watch?? GPS-only speed is unacceptable!

  • I think we need pitchforks. 

  • GPS accuracy in my city is so poor that it may as well not exist. The suggested feature would be useful for instantaneous speed (which as others point out need not be recorded). It could also be used in the algo that uses guess-work when the GPS signal sucks.  e.g. if we have a high correlation of GPS+sensor speed in general, then using the sensor speed as a best guess in blackspots, or for interpolation/smoothing, would improve route accuracy and (be extension) segment matches.

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