There I was - researching how on Earth can I track my workouts with an Ultra (before I pull the trigger) and Mark provided the solution. It is great to get the information from someone you trust. I love my Fenix but after a crash resulting in surgery - I really want the safety of a cellular enabled watch when I get back on the bike. Thank you, Mark - btw if my wife sees the receipt - you are getting thrown under the bus.
I really like your comment because most people look at the Apple Watch as a fit tracking. However, you mention that it is a cellular phone watch you will not find other watches out here like Apples. other watches you have to have your Phone with you at all times. with Apple it allow you to leave your iPhone at home there have been times that I was out exercising and I did not have my iPhone and my wife had to get in contact with me because of a emergency
This App is great (apart from the name!), just spent way to long fiddling with it - proud of my alteration to Mark’s final screen we’re I’ve got the the big stop button but switched the pause out for a big time display.
Apple makes the hardware that securely captures the data, you have people more capable and knowledgeable around the world developing apps that do more than what Garmin and Apple can provide. Apple also provides the platform for those developers to properly get paid for their work. Apple also provides a way to communicate with the developers to help improve the app.
Just found out the functionality of the “Action” button is practically limitless when you program its behavior through Shortcuts. It’s not limited to just the actions listed in settings. Many people find shortcuts too complicated but you spent two hours configuring an app.
@@MarkLewisfitness oh, ok. I was thinking more like setting up a shortcut to eliminate accidental presses that stop or start a new/different activity by creating a shortcut to ask first. I thought that “prompt to ask first” would originate from the activity app not a third party.
There’s a bit of flexibility and customisation available with the apple workout app. Click the three dots on the open run , then click the pencil on the next screen, then workout views, edit views, then pencil again to edit the metrics and screens. It’s fairly limited but for most runs it’s more than enough
I’ve had my Ultra for less then a week and I love it so far, probably because I just upgraded from a series 6 and the Ultra is a great upgrade. Another reason I really like the Apple Watch is because I’m not a serious athlete or hardcore adventurer, I work out 3-4 times a week and I really enjoy trail running. If I were a more serious athlete I probably would have kept my Fenix 5 but the display was horrible for a $700 Watch. I also like having the ability to leave my phone at home and still get calls or messages when I need to. These watches are just for different types of people.
Runner, swimmer and martial arts person here. Garmin fenix 6 pro couldn't handle my training swim sessions and charging for that matter.... it did well throughout XC season competing in all southerns, nationals and chilterns. But the Ultra offers the ability to record my swim kicks with a kickboard, it automatically detects it. Which is great cos it's still a bloody hard workout that Garmin cannot pick up. ...and Ultra doesn't have that damn pin charger that garmin does which keeps dropping out. Great review, I hope you kept it and still using the Ultra. We need more guys and gals like yourself serious about sport to push it forward and break the mould abit! Great content and wicked medal too🔥💪🏼.
Great review of a fabulous app. I’ve been using it on my Apple Watches for a few years now and it has come on in leaps and bounds over time. The developer Ian is amazingly responsive - ask him a question and you get an almost immediate response (he is UK based too which is a benefit). He’s also very receptive to development requests if you have any ideas. The app even syncs with the Stryd footpod for super accuracy and real-time power estimates. Not sure if you’re aware of Stryd but definitely check it out if you want to really dial in your running potential Mark
That little dog, with his little legs, is able to run 21K. I wonder what his heart rate is and what the equivalent of watts would be if we factored in the size of his legs vs yours. Outstanding.
For me it‘s pretty simple: If you‘re looking for a watch with the specifics of a Garmin, take the Garmin. You seem to be fixed to its specialized functions. The others who are more open for the variety of the Apple Watch take the Ultra. So everyone gets what he/she needs.
Easily my favorite RU-vidr. I like this watch way more than I thought I would. I like rugged watches too but also living the look here. I’m just a lifter, ruck, day hike guy and it’s perfect for that.
Were it not for all the footage of Nixon running, I would have been easily convinced that he was a taxidermied pet. If he's not running he's positively rigid 😂
I’ve got mine on order as I wanted the black trail loop strap. After looking at one in store I much prefer it in the flesh. Not supporting gps or maps without an app such as a WorkOutdoors means I won’t be retiring my Fenix 6x pro for a while though but given the configurability of the app you may have convinced me.
If I didn’t already have the Epix 2, I’d absolutely get the ultra. Much better improvement over previous apple watch. But as much as miss talking on the watch when my hands were busy, or texting from the watch, I can’t honestly justify switching from the Epix to the ultra. Battery life on the epix alone is enough reason for me to stick with it. The Epix just looks much better, amazing battery life, enough data to make a data analysis blush, and lots of useful features that I actually having taking advantage of like running coaching plans, and workout plans with video introductions. Again. Apple did a great job with the ultra, I would absolutely get it since it can do pretty much everything data wise (jogging, cycling, strength training) that I need, and the battery life is just amazing compared to my old Apple Watch 5, but I already have the Epix 2, so I see no reason to jump on it, maybe if my Epix 2 dies a tragic death or something, then I’d consider it.
You can use the action button to start your workout by going to workout in settings and turning on precision start. It even lets you know when you have GPS lock. You can also pause the workout by pressing the action button and the power button at the same time.
@@titou4982 that’s for WOD to implement which they will…. They just need to expose the features in shortcuts app and then you can do whatever you want with them.
I coincidentally bought this app just yesterday after someone mentioned it on reddit. I just wanted the map on watch feature. When I saw it was $5.99 ONE TIME, with no subscriptions, no in app purchases, and ZERO data collected, I bought it immediately. After watching your video, I realize it was worth so much more than 6 bucks.
I tried out this app, looked super awesome, set some screens up, so many great features...And then I hit the inexplicable missing feature, it doesn't support the always on display so it just goes to a white background with a clock until you raise your wrist. Apple released the ability for apps to use the always on display at least a year ago (I think it was for the Series 7), almost all major fitness apps have since updated to support it. To see an app this feature rich missing that core functionality is just mind boggling and one not notably not missing on the stock workout app. This app is a no-go for me until they (please please please!) update the app to use the always on display.
Thought video was awesome! Regarding buttons: Just wanted to mention by default you can pause and resume workouts on all apps by pressing the crown and side button at the same time (on all watches, not the new activity button only on ultra).
Also all if you have the ultra you can set up a shortcut on the phone to use the action button on the Watch to open the app. Really simple and when you go on the watch to assign an action to the button click on shortcuts and it will be in there. So to active the app all you need to do is click on the action button and away you go. Hope that makes sense. Great vid
@@MarkLewisfitness No, this workaround is for any app...Create a shortcut to start workoutdoors in the ios Shortcuts app on your phone. Make sure to make this new shortcut available for the Apple watch (you'll find this option if you click the three dots on the shortcut button, then click the i button at the bottom of the next screen). Then assign the action button to shortcuts and select your newly created shortcut. This way workoutdoors will always be available by clicking the action button. I'm sure apps like workoutdoors soon will be available directly in the action button settings, but until then this works great.
Thanks for the review! I just purchased the WorkOutdoors App - it's a no-brainer at it's price point... But for more casual use it might be worthwhile mentioning that the Apple Fitness App that comes with iOS 9 allows you to include/exclude a number of different metric screens and also allows you to configure these screens. So you can actually chose which metrics you want to see on which screen. WorkOutDoors is still quite a bit more flexible there and certainly wins me over with the map displays. Also, the integration of the Action button into WorkOutDoors has nothing to do with iOS (the firmware as you said). Apple exposed it to app developers, so it's now up to the developer of WorkOutDoors to integrate it's use into their app.
Not trying to blow up the comments here, but somehow an comment from a couple days ago was deleted...Its super useful information so thought id share: The Action button is actually super powerful and capable of way more things than it seems on the surface because of one option in the list: Launch a Shortcut. Siri Shortcuts are great, you can do really basic things like launch _any_ app, and you can do more complicated things like make a launcher. I have one that first prompts me to pick my workout playlist from one of my predefined favs, then it asks me which workout I want do. Cool thing about that, is I can launch any app I want for each workout, so if you have one app that works better for strength training and another that works better for running, boom! you can do that. Highly recommend learning how to use them, they are so useful, you can use them all over the Apple ecosystem too, can have them as complications, on your phone's "desktop", can summon them Siri obviously, etc.
Apple has always been about the App Store. That's why overall I think the ultra watch is the best allrounder. Its a watch for everything. Apple want you to use the App Store and that is the sole reason why the proprietary fitness app isn't all singing and dancing. Once you understand this the ultra makes sense.
I was ready to buy a Garmin watch. Wanted water depth sensor as I'm also a casual free-diver... The only option with Garmin was not what I wanted. It seems that like the iphone displaced vendors thanks to the app-store, it will be the same for the smart watches. I'm not pulling the trigger because it is expensive and the series8 battery is a no go... but I'm thinking about it.
I only run on occasion (mostly a cyclist) but recently I’ve found all my workout tracking options to be insufficient. I instantly purchased this app, thanks for sharing!
You can start or pause the activity just fine with the buttons. You just have to actually press them. Also you can customize what screens and what metrics to show on the watch with the regular workouts app. 90% of the people using it would be just fine without a third party app
Gpx studio is a game changer. Just for mapping my own runs locally to see elevation changes. Not got an apple device, but now im gonna research how to add it into my garmin
It would be cool to see you wear both watches in a race, to see which watch coincides closest with the race markings. Since the garmin has frequently been far different too your recent 100kms, it would be interesting to see if the race markers were just completely out or if it was infact the garmin misjudging.
As a new Apple Watch user and starting out on my fitness journey after going from a lean, fit, active, youth to the entire opposite as an adult, this is a game changer, thank you.
WatchOS9 on your Ultra and any watch, has a load of extra Running Metrics that give all you wanted apart from a map. Im not saying the WorkOutdoors app isn't great...Ive heard the same...but the watch did most of what you wanted before but all of it now (apart from maps that I don't need)....HRM works as soon as you put it on....I use a Polar Pro one and its instantly working when I put it on. Ther is one tiny difference...when I hit a workout...so my usual is running...it then has a 3 second countdown to start....other than that its fine...you also get multiple screens now.....with a ton of running data...h and you can pause a workout by pressing crown and side button together..that's been there forever
I've been using the Workoutdoors app on my watch for almost two years now. It's fantastic! Maybe the only feature I'd love they included was to be able to specify which shoes you used on a run so it can keep track of the total mileage my different shoes have.
Pushing Digital Crown and side button pauses the workout. It can also be configured to stop the workout in settings. Not sure I'd have a stop workout button on screen. It's way too easy for it to be 'pressed' by rain / jacket etc
Thanks for the video. Just bought the app. I'm 66 years old and I decided to improve my health by walking so I bought the apple watch ultra . I'm enjoying it very much.
This app is awesome and the reason I sold my Garmin. I’m a mountain biker, and this app not only shows info better, but it also connects to the power and cadence meter on my bike - something Apple doesn’t do or other mainstream third party apps. It really is a bargain.
It makes you look really cute ! The one fact alone, that absolutely could make me switch from 20 years Garmin use, to Apple, is the fact that GOLF is not an anoying mandatory menu-item in the app.
Thanks for the Workoutdoors app plug. After watching your video I downloaded it and i love it. I have an Apple Watch, Garmin and Wahoo and the Apple watch/app for shorter workouts is my favorite. VERY customizable!!
Thanks. I did find that you can add stride and other run specific info by hitting the three dots and adding an additional workout screen that you can scroll up to see during a run.
Didn’t realized this watch app is so useful and lets say, not many bugs, never seen such complicated app on a watch and synced perfect with phone and Mac! Thanks for this indeed review and recommendation
I don't even have an AW yet, but I might purchase WOD anyway based on your review. Thanks for showing how the WOD screens are configured, gpx import, and real world usage. I haven't come across anyone that has showed how the WOD screens are configured. Usability seems excellent. The off-course notification that you showed also would be very useful to me as I'm navigationally challenged. I don't explore new routes simply because I get off-course so easy and it ruins my day. Your review is going to help me decide on whether to get a Garmin 830 or a AW Ultra for cycling. I know that the AW Ultra and WOD will be a compromise compared to a Garmin 830 cycling specific device. You just can't easily/safely look down and see all of your metrics (speed, hr, avg speed, ...) when you are cruising along. But, the AW Ultra + WOD seems to have all the metrics and maps/navigation features I need plus a lot more and can be used for many other activities.
i got my Apple Watch Ultra and installed WOD. It is a watch and app combo that just delights in sometimes surprising ways. I don't think I'm going to miss the Garmin 830. One of my reasons that I used to justify myself to purchase the watch, (it's a lot of money) was the safety feature of fall detection. I don't think I ever really expected to use it. Well, as fate would have it, my Look clipless pedals failed to release coming to an intersection on my first day with the watch and I fell over (I was a little dizzy from my COVID vaccine the day before). I haven't fallen in like 15 years on a road ride. About 10-15 secs after falling the watch made a few audible alerts and asked me if I had fallen and if I was OK. I was. Getting back to WOD it is on another level. I love the display, maps, and mile marker notifications (which also surprised me). Integration/syncing with Strava is flawless. The workout information displayed after a ride on the watch is very detailed and useful.
Some features you can use, action button to do an interval, action and normal button is pause or resume and then hold on screen gives you the option to end the workout. You can also change the swipe to be a double tap to change screen. Theres almost too many features.
I have just switched over from my Garmin 935 to the Ultra and really glad I have made the switch. The one thing I don't like about WOD is that you can't have the display always on when running. You have to turn on the screen by moving your wrist up and then after a few seconds it turns off again. From what I understand there isn't any way around this yet? The Ultra has AOD capabilities but it would need the WOD app to be completely recoded. Apparently the developer will do that in time...
Also just in case you missed it while working out you can press the crown and the right side back button at the same time to end your workout... Thanks for the motivational videos as they truly work for a lot of us... Even those of us across the pond!
Great review indeed. I currently use the first gen tactix delta and love the button-based workout selection. Your review sheds light on the possibilities for the ultra when paired with the workoutdoors app. One day, Apple might end up buying that company and integrating with the Apple ecosystem. Kudos to the developers of the workoutdoors app for creating a superb app.
I downloaded the app but the first problem I have with it and you didn’t mention it, is that the display dosnt stay on so you have to raise your hand instead of a quick glance, I’ve contacted the app maker Ian and it’s something there working on
WorkOutDoors app has been updated for a little while now, including the functionality of action button and running power. You can also extend battery life significantly by turning on airplane mode, which turns off cellular and other comms. I’m seeing less than 6% battery loss per hour at full gps and HR sampling rates on watch only, no phone around (I prefer to run/trail run without phone). Hope this helps someone.
I am happy that i used this app for 7 days on trial mode. The reason i dont like to use this app is that it cannot read the heartrate data from a workout created in Strava (cycling with a Garmin Edge 1040 cycling computer with heartrate strap) and therefor the exertion info is not usable at all! This issue is not an issue from the app but from Apple that does not allow to transfer heartrate workout data from e.g. Strava to the Apple Health. So this app Athlytic does not see exertion as it relies on the heartrate data. You can however overcome this issue to track ALL your workouts with the apple watch. I dont use my apple watch when cycling so this does not work for me and i do not want to use the watch when cycling i have a Garmin cycling computer with maps and navigation for that.
Huh, been able to use the buttons to start/stop/pause activities on AW forever? WorkOutDoors app is ace though especially having on board mapping and guidance that you don’t even need to connected to the internet for if you download the areas beforehand. Just wish they’d update it to utilise the Always On Display. 3rd party apps have been able to use that for over a year now so no excuses.
Excellent stuff! I’m a watch guy too and what I keep reminding myself about my Apple Watch is that it’s not a watch, but instead is a watch AND many other very useful tools as well.
You can actually program the action button do almost anything by adding a shortcut sir. You seem pretty smart with your technology, so it shouldn't be an issue for you to create a shortcut to your liking.
Always been a Fenix fan however the Ultra does have a new setting which lets you start a run on demand (without the timer) and tells you when the GPS is locked in.
Edit your data screens, and remove any time data field. At the end you have the option of saving the activity or not, as the Apple Watch does when you finish the activity to and stop the watch.So they’re identical is that sence. It’s only a timed activity if you have the timer visible and when the activity is completed , and it gives you a report, which you would want
Great review Mark. I’m just in the process of ditching my Garmin Fenix 6 and going all in on the Apple Watch Ultra. I’d had enough of being a “two watch wanker” at the start line. I desperately wanted to just settle on the Garmin but the lack of Cellular and the other stuff it does day to day kept bringing me back to the Apple Watch 6. Some other apps I’m using in addition to WorkOutDoors are Athlytics (for recovery stats) and HealthFit (for synching to 3rd party services and some really nice analytics and visualisations).
In the setting you can change the scroll function when a map is visible and not visible. I set double and triple tap on screen to zoom in a map an the scroll wheel for changing screens
I was on the opposite side of the apple vs garmin dilemma.. i really wanted to swap my AW7 to a fenix 6 pro but after a week or two convincing myself i loved the garmin, i just missed the ease of the AW to much. Music, apple pay and cellular (hate running with my phone!) are just too nice luxury to miss.
Brilliant, just brilliant. Been looking for an app for my Apple Watch for ages to do exactly this. After watching your video I downloaded the WorkOutDoors app and it’s brilliant. I still wouldn’t use it on an ultra, due to the poor battery life, but for training runs it excellent and great navigation in new areas. Thanks 👍🏻
Pretty sure the ultra you can edit the work out screens to include what you want. I can’t say for sure as I don’t have one yet. And perhaps if your a pro athlete you might need a different app but for someone like me that works out casually I Sure what the watch has is plenty. My issue is the gps native app. I have downloaded others so I can use it as a proper gps not just track back
Awesome video. I’ve used Komoot for GPX files for a long time on apple watch and my wahoo bolt and it works great. This workoutdoors app looks solid. Thats the one good thing about the apple watch and ultra, lots of awesome 3rd party apps that make the watches so much better with infinite possibilities
unfortunately I can't put this app on the action button. but it's a great app. I bought it yesterday and tried it only one time during jogging. I only have to get used to. Great video bro. thank you so much. just subscribed to your channel.😅
Thanks Mark. You just saved me $6000. I was about to throw out my 16 inch MacBook as the standard apple apps wouldn’t do what photoshop would do. After watching your video I realised that computers can be loaded with apps that work for me. Can’t figure out why they don’t just install every app that anyone would need when you buy it. Phew !
Always a pleasure to watch your reviews, Marc. Thx for the tips. It is indeed an usefull app. BTW, your dog is also in a good shape. My french bulldog is already exhausted after a trip in the garden.
Cheers Mark. You put a lot of effort into making these informative videos pal. It shows. From an old overweight middle aged guy trying to get back into running and relive his youth; any tech could prove useful on what the ticker is doing. Keep up the good work mate. It’s superb quality. 👍
Buying this app now. Strange that it never showed even though i've searched for running apps a number of times. Even considered writing my own since the best i found (Strava, for what i need) wants a ridiculous monthly free for doing anything beyond basics. Thanks
For £849 I shouldn't have to then go buy another app to get it to be functional. And what happens if an apple firmware blocks or breaks the app working or the app creater gets bored and doesn't update it
@@paulcox7503 yeah I do . But dont need to buy a calculator app cuase calc.exe isnt included. There is a difference between paying for apps that add additional functionality but not for core functionality of the system.
@@Digitalbath570 ah cool. That’s where we probably differ then. I’d happily install WhatsApp to replace core messaging and calling apps. I’d install Word and 3rd party email clients to replace the native apps too. For me the core functionality comes from the hardware, the app just leveraged it.
@@paulcox7503 I'm not saying I wouldn't install better apps. I'm just saying the product should function out the box with key core functionality. If o didn't like it yes then I would go pay more for better apps. Here someone is having to pay for an app just to get it to work like another actual sports watch in 2022.
Thanks for the great video! I really like the fact that apple finally made a watch for men, however, I still consider buying it. So, my question is if the watch could be properly set to log: tennis, emtb, mtb and backcountry ski? I really try to find some real info about it but I don't find it. Especially for Tennis!
The fact that you can choose the App that is most suitable for what you need is the beauty of the Ultra. If you’re into multiple sporting activities you’ll need a 1K watch for each with competitors. Furthermore, for most even the casual purist won’t be climbing Mount Everest more than once in a lifetime if at all. The battery life seems to be a legitimate argument however you can still deal with that quite easily with a charging pack most would have with them anyway as a backup. A nice sports watch for masses is Apple’s goal and even guys like you when you’re being realistic can appreciate that.
@@donbarnard82 Mr. Donald, really - are you actually qualified to make such comments on Sports watches? There are hundreds but I’ll roll off more than a few. 1. Garmin MARQ - Driver - $2500 2. Garmin Taxtix 7 - Pro Ballistics - $1600 3. Garmin D2 Mach 1 - Aviator $1200 4. Garmin Epic Athlete $1000 5. Omega - Seamaster - $3500+ 6. Rolex Submariner - $5000+ 7. Breitling Aviator - $5000+ 8. Breilting EndurancePro Ironman $3500+ GET THE POINT now Sir?
@@JayHughesCream I confess I had to look up the higher end watches you listed because I never heard of them, but I don't think they really apply. They don't really have any features like we're talking about with garmin or apple watches. They seem to just be fancy hardware with little more on the feature front than perhaps two time zones and glow in the dark dials. Put another way, there's no app you can install on an apple watch that would turn it into a $19000 watch. Feature wise, the apple watch would still do the job and much much more, but an app isn't going change the hardware into a $19000 watch. My point of view was that I don't think someone is buying a watch for cycling, another watch for running, another watch for hiking. I mean they might if that's their thing, but a garmin fenix series or its derivatives (e.g. tactix, Marq) comes with all the software and hardware needed to support all those activities. I do use a bike computer for cycling rather than my watch, but that has more to do with the hardware (larger display mostly, though garmin does put in more cycling specific software features in their cycling head units, to your point). In summary, you don't have to buy different watches for different activities because these watches support all those activities. Apple just doesn't do it out of the box, but that's fine since it supports 3rd party apps. It's possible that you might have to compromise on something with a do it all single device. In other words, garmin for instance, might stick some feature you like in there taxtix watch that you want on your fenix and vice versa, but that is also the case if you're trying to decide between the fenix, taxtix, and apple watch.
I’d rather use my Fenix 6 and cellular SE 2022 (in my pocket while wearing the the Fenix) as the ultra is a ‘posers’ fitness watch, I agree with what you said turn up to a competition with a Garmin and people know! Do love the ultra but do I need it? Best combo so far is as above and current UK prices buying both still comes in less than the Ultra.
Just recorded my walk home from work. Need to play about with it as I’m seeing some potential bugs. My walking overview screen just shows blanks (- - -) for Pace, Cadence and Steps even though my pace flags up on screen upon each complete Kilometre notification. Pretty strange. I’ll run it alongside Strava on my 10km run tomorrow morning and compare the outputs. I’m a software testers so I absolutely love breaking these things looking for bugs.
This also might be because whilst I specified Pace, Steps and Cadence at a high-level I didn’t tell it specifically what metric to display for this measures.
i have my workoutdoors app configured in a way where i can pause by pushing both the home en second buton. at the same time Maybe thats usefull its somewhere in the settings
I bought an apple watch at the start of the year and had the exact same opinion. Looked online and foudn the same App which worked perfectly, but the battery life was so terrible. I then learnt about the Fenix line and got myself a Fenix 7, and won't look back again.
All the advantages other than battery life that the top of the line Garmins have over the Apple Watch can be negated with apps. Need offline maps? App. Need better run management functionality? App. Need to connect to an external sensor? App. But the Garmin can never take a phone call or send an emergency SMS.
