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Strava app adds Find Friends-style Beacon feature for Premium users [Video]

If you’re one of those people concerned that you may end up in a ditch with a broken leg while running or cycling, Strava has a new peace-of-mind feature for you. Known as Beacon, it effectively offers Find Friends type functionality to allow family or friends to track your location as you exercise.

When starting a run or ride, you can notify up to three contacts, telling them what time you expect to be back. They can then track your location, and check up on you if you’re not back on time.

Strava says that it developed the feature in response to user requests.

The concept for Beacon came from the Strava community. “We started by surveying our athletes to find out what types of features they would be most interested in and safety ranked highest,” said Rayleen Hsu, our Director of Product Marketing.

The friends, spouses and parents who will be using Beacon had input as well. They asked for the ability to view an athlete’s location without having to login to Strava or install the app.

The feature is designed to be ultra-accessible, without the need for a specific app or login. The app simply sends a text message to your contacts with a link to a website.

Strava’s motives are not entirely altruistic, however: the feature requires a premium Strava membership, which costs $6/month or $59/year.

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Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


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