If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen...

It’s rare to have all of your professional and personal interests collide so spectacularly all at once, but here we are!

To sum up, here are a few snippets from the run club group chat this morning:

Yep, Strava is suing Garmin and claiming that Garmin is infringing on two US patents. One patent relates to segments, and another is for heatmapping, and Strava alleges not only has Garmin copied these patents but is putting the technology in its devices - like my watch which tells me whether I’ll have a good day (productive) or a bad day (maintaining) - IYKYK.

But these patent lawsuits are not just about patents. Strava and Garmin have been working in step for a long time, and Garmin even considered acquiring the app before deciding they were better as separate entities. Garmin focused on devices that feed Strava data; Strava focused on keeping Garmin users engaged and hooked on kudos.

Now, the pair are fighting over data control and platform power – a fight Strava might wish they hadn’t picked…

Everything was seemingly business as usual, until Garmin issued new API developer guidelines in July 2025. The new guidelines require all “Garmin device-sourced data within dashboards, activity feeds, overview cards or summary views” to include a “Garmin [device model] attribution” by 1 November 2025.

Strava’s Chief Product Officer, Matt Salazar took to Reddit to make a couple of points on the guidelines in light of the lawsuits:

• Garmin’s attribution requirement is “blatant advertising” that will erode the user experience; and
• Strava argues that the data belongs to the user, not Garmin.

To that end, Strava says users should be able to “freely transfer or upload that data without requiring logos to be displayed alongside it or have that data be used as an advertisement to sell more watches”.

Public sentiment, however, seems to be siding with Garmin. Many users are calling Strava out for hypocrisy, given their own rules prevent content being reshared without a Strava logo, and that they’re biting the hand that feeds them with the huge market crossover between the companies.

Whatever happens, the real winners (or losers) might just be the weekend warriors caught in the middle. If the integration breaks, we’ll all have to pick a side — our watches or our kudos. Until then, I’ll be watching this one unfold with the same energy I bring to Friday morning run club: slightly too invested.