One month after Apple unveiled a new version of its smartwatch that integrates more fluidly with a training app called MySwimPro, swimsuit maker Speedo has unveiled a rival platform in hopes of leveraging its already established community of swimmers.
Speedo U.K. in recent weeks has rolled out a beta version of a platform called Speedo On, which enables swimmers to track their workouts through an integration with waterproof fitness trackers. The beta is currently only compatible with Garmin and Misfit, but Speedo plans to add more devices soon. It’s also a web-only platform at the moment — not an app.
Speedo On is not much different than Strava or Fitbit in that it offers a social component that enables swimmers to connect with likeminded athletes to share notes of encouragement. It also offers virtual coaching in the form of swim workouts.
However, the app does benefit from an already established community of athletes in an industry, swimming, that has gone largely ignored in the realm of fitness tracking until recently. Devices only recently became waterproof enough to withstand it.
In June, Apple unveiled a new Workout app as part of a refreshed version of the waterproof Apple Watch Series 2 that included auto-sets for pool swim workouts that automatically can sense when a swimmer takes a brief rest at the edge of the pool.
The watch can track each set of swim separately with information about distance for each stroke type and pace for each set. The first swimming watch to partner with Apple Watch was MySwimPro in October 2016, which logs their swims and provides pool and open water workouts.
Speedo On similarly offers training plans that it says are designed by some of the world’s top coaches and athletes as well as analysis for all swims. That includes drill videos, training tips, and articles that are created to help swimmers improve the technique and stamina in the water.
A premium version of the platform that Speedo is offering for £5.99 per month(~$7.75), or an annual fee of £39.99 (~$51.50), includes deeper analysis, such as access to stroke, pace graphs and SWOLF score (a measure of a swimmer’s number of strokes versus the time they spent in the pool).
The Speedo On platform also has a component of gamification, allowing athletes to earn badges based on their progress.
