If you haven’t already noticed the new little speech bubble next to the alert notification on your Strava account, we’ve got news for you. When kudos and comments won’t suffice, runners can now communicate privately and directly on their favorite run tracking app—through Strava Messaging. The new feature, released on Monday morning, is available to all users, exclusively through the mobile app.
Sources at the company say the new feature is the result of Strava’s research, which reveals that “athletes perform better together.” It’s intended as a new platform for athletes to coordinate running and workout-related adventures, “connect for inspiration or tips, share their journey,” and whatever else you’d expect to use an inbox for.
Group messaging and direct messages are possible and can be accessed both via the speech bubble icon on the Strava Home and through the Group tab. You might need to refresh or update the app to see the new changes.
And I know what you’re thinking, yes, there’s a way to control who can suddenly start sliding into your DMs. Strava users are able to decide who can contact them, with message settings automatically defaulting to a profile’s privacy settings.
If you have your account set to “following,” anyone you follow will be able to message you, for “mutuals,” only people you follow and who follow you back will be allowed to message you, and if your settings are on “no one,” no one has the ability to initiate messages with you, but you can start chats with others. Of course, as always, you retain the option to block someone from following you and/or seeing your profile details.
As some run clubs transition from social platforms and other messaging services like Facebook, listservs, and Instagram or WhatsApp groups, Strava Messaging could be a new option for communicating about workouts, meetups, and events.
Strava plans to roll out premium options for DMs in the near future, and additional feature updates are scheduled for early 2024.
Abby Carney is a writer and journalist in New York. A former D1 college runner and current amateur track athlete, she's written about culture and characters in running and outdoor sports for Runner's World, Like the Wind Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets. She also writes about things that have nothing to do with running, and was previously the editor of a food magazine.
