Sing when you’re spinning: Strava announces “first of its kind” in-app integration with Spotify

Strava has announced that it is partnering with streaming giant Spotify in a deal which will enable users of the popular ride-tracking platform to access and stream music, podcasts, and audiobooks while recording activities on Strava.

Gone are the days, it seems, of heading out for a meandering, leisurely morning ride, with no indication whatsoever of how many miles you’ve covered, before heading home to listen to your favourite LPs (well, actually, that was my Monday – but I’m stubbornly old-school).

Instead, starting from today, Strava users can play, pause, and browse their favourite songs and podcasts – with the road.cc Podcast, naturally, sitting at the top of the list – without leaving the Strava record screen.

According to Strava, the new in-app integration with Spotify removes the need for users of the streaming service to switch between apps, with their ride and workout playlists now available at the tap of a button at the bottom of the screen.

“Over time, the consumption of music has evolved dramatically from CDs to streaming, which has opened the door for audio to inspire us in ways it couldn’t before,” Mateo Ortega, Strava’s Vice President of Connected Partnerships, said in a statement.

“We're excited to partner with a global leader like Spotify to seamlessly integrate music and movement on the platform. This new feature further solidifies Strava’s position at the centre of connected fitness and continues to demonstrate the power of the global community of active people on Strava.”

Ian Geller, VP of Business Development at Spotify, added: “One of our biggest goals at Spotify is to be everywhere our listeners are – whether that’s on a run, in the gym, or anyplace in between. This integration with Strava is another way we’re moving with our listeners and allowing them to seamlessly connect to the music and audio they love.”

Unfortunately, the partnership for the moment does not allow users to share the tracks or playlists they’ve been listening to during an activity, though Strava has told us that today’s announcement marks the first phase of what will be an ongoing partnership between the ride-sharing app and Spotify.

So, we may not have to wait too long to find out what horrible techno tunes Mathieu van der Poel bops along to during training rides.

> "Our intention was not to hide these changes": Strava apologises for price hike controversy

The new integrated relationship between Strava and Spotify may also go some way to placating those users unhappy at the company’s decision in January to increase the cost of the app’s premium service by almost 30 percent.

The price of the company’s subscription service, which provides users with additional features unavailable on the app’s free version, such as route planning, segment competition, effort analysis, and a training dashboard, increased at the start of this year for monthly subscribers from £6.99 to £8.99 for 2023 – a jump of over 28 percent – while the annual subscription rose from £47.99 to £54.99.

Strava later apologised to its users for “not providing enough information directly to our community” about the controversial price rise and insisted the “intention was not to hide these pricing changes”.

The company also admitted its messaging had been “very confusing”, saying everything “just moved too fast” and it was “unacceptable” that subscribers learnt of changes through news reports.