Strava has finally broken its silence on the ongoing feud with Garmin, and it’s not great news for Strava users who also own Garmin devices. After reaching out for comment, Strava provided a statement to TechRadar that, while diplomatic, hints at capitulating to some of Garmin’s demands.
What’s the beef?
In case you’ve been living under a rock, here’s a quick recap. Strava sued Garmin, alleging patent infringement over segments and heatmaps, and asked for a halt on Garmin watch sales. Meanwhile, Garmin wants more prominent attribution (including a logo) when a Strava user uploads data from a Garmin watch. This change is set to happen on November 1.
Strava’s statement
Strava told us, “While we don’t agree with the extensive branding Garmin is forcing, uninterrupted connectivity for our Garmin-using community is our top priority. We’ll give similar attribution to all our device partners going forward, to be fair.”
What does this mean?
In plain English, Strava is giving in to Garmin’s demands. Expect to see Garmin logos on Strava posts from Garmin devices. Strava’s doing this to keep the data flowing, as a lot of its data comes from Garmin devices. Plus, they’re reportedly considering an IPO, so they want to keep things smooth.
Strava also plans to apply this expanded attribution to data from other devices like Apple Watches and Samsung watches. So, get ready to see more logos on your Strava feed.
Legal stuff
Neither side is commenting on the patent infringement lawsuit yet. But now that one issue seems to be resolving, maybe Strava will withdraw or settle out of court. Either way, Garmin’s watches aren’t going anywhere, especially not before Black Friday.
Stay tuned for more updates on this ongoing saga!
