Story by
Paul Sawers
Paul Sawers was a reporter with The Next Web in various roles from May 2011 to November 2014. Follow Paul on Twitter: @psawers or check h Paul Sawers was a reporter with The Next Web in various roles from May 2011 to November 2014. Follow Paul on Twitter: @psawers or check him out on Google+.
Late last year (the very last day, actually) we brought you news on RunKeeper’s new iOS app, as it strived to keep its 14 million users running. These updates? A fresh user interface and improving the ability to share photos of workouts.
Now, the RunKeeper Android app has received similar love with a major update, including a new UI, design, and slew of new features.
RunKeeper 3.0
First up, the app has been given a good makeover from the ground up “with Android design guidelines and best practices in mind,” the company says.
A new ‘Me’ tab also serves as a centralized repository that records your progress, personal records, and activity tally over time.
You can also now schedule your next workout just as you finish the previous one and receive workout reminders…just in case.
Interestingly, the app also now shows your pace per mile/km – or workout interval – throughout the activity. This is actually a key addition for those looking to beat personal bests, as it helps to know exactly how fast your moving in accordance with the pace you know you must maintain.
We’re told that the development of this latest Android incarnation was a “labor of love” by some serious in-house Android fanatics, and was built entirely with the operating system’s design principles in mind.
“During the development process, we took the opportunity to not only rethink how our app looks, but also to rethink how we deliver it to our users,” explains Adam Stroud Lead Android Developer at RunKeeper.
“An important trait of any quality app is providing the user with an experience that they are familiar with,” he continues. “While refreshing each and every screen in our app, we took special care to ensure that the RunKeeper experience is in line with the overall Android user experience. Ensuring that we comply with Android design principles allows us to give our app its unique identity while presenting a feel that is still intuitive to the user.”
This is actually a key point – many app developers are accused merely of porting their iOS app over to Android without due consideration of the different navigation, user interface and all-round expectations of the different mobile OS.
The last major update to RunKeeper’s Android app was back in November when it introduced leaderboards, Facebook integration and in-app messaging, which followed a month after a similar update for iOS.
RunKeeper v3.0 is available to download for free now.
Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock
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