Runnur is an Android app for the active folk out there that was a fully-featured, yet simple app to track all of their runs, hikes, walks and cycle routes with nothing but their phones. We say nothing but their phones, because Runnur will continue to work without a data signal. With route planning ahead of time, – including turn-by-turn navigation for new routes – a detailed history of your routes and your times, Runnur has everything that a budding runner or cyclist might need and want on their Android phone completely free. By leveraging technologies that every Android user has access to, like GPS and Google Maps, Runnur is completely free for everyone with no pesky ads or any in-app purchases of any kind. Perfect for those looking to document their routes and their times, without wanting to spend anything extra, as well as those looking for a simplified, more straightforward approach. With support for BLE heart rate monitors, manual workout entries after the fact and automatic activity detection there’s certainly a lot on offer here.
Just like other Android apps, users can download Runnur from the Play Store. To get started, all you’ll need to do is to launch the app.
Users only need to log in with their Google account, even if you don’t have a Google+ account you will be able to log in with the same Google account used for the Play Store and other services. This makes setting everything up really nice and easy. To make things easier for new users, there are some pointers and introductions to key features of the app once they log in.
Despite the fact that Runnur is a completely free app, it’s easy to see that there’s a lot on offer here right from the get-go. The statistics side of things is one area that is particularly useful for people as well, and it can help keep a track of how well you’re doing. Runnur provides stats from the past four weeks’ worth of workouts and includes info on your distances, calories, speed, and total duration of workouts.
Getting started with Runnur is real-easy, there’s a pull-out menu from the side that has all the different types of activities and such listed.
Here, users can access all the different features of Runnur, accessing their stats as well as their history of runs, hikes and cycle routes. There is a profile system with Runnur, but it’s very simple, but then that’s mostly the point of Runnur. Users can become more social by sharing their workouts once finished on Facebook if they like.
One of the main draws – at least as I see it – for something like Runnur is the ability to plan a route ahead of time. This allows you to plan ahead, thinking about how much time you have for a run during a lunch break or in the morning before work, for instance. All you need to do is to drop pins on a Google Maps view, and Runnur takes care of things for you. Users aren’t limited to creating routes that they know, either, as Runnur will use turn-by-turn navigation to tell runners or cyclists where they’re going. This is great for trying something new without the fear of getting lost, and for those that have just moved to an area.
This is just a short example of course, but it shows how Runnur plots the turns and route for you, you just need to drop pins where you want and Runnur will take care of the rest. You’re given the option of going out and running, cycling or walking that route, or save it for later. When you do get going, Runnur has a display filled with lots of info on speed, calories burned and more. It doesn’t matter whether or not you’re running, walking or cycling – Runnur automatically detects which activity you’re doing and starts to track it accordingly, along most other running apps.
Not everyone will keep staring at their screens while running or cycling, and so when you’ve completed your route and returned home, there’s lots of detail to go over then, including a map of your route complete with stops and so on. From here, users can share their run, hike or cycle route on Facebook.
For those that want even more detail, there is in fact a built-in heart rate monitor, which works using the LED and camera on your device, and it does indeed work quite well. Runnur does support the ability to sync to any BLE heart rate monitor as well, which will relay continuous feedback to the user.
Rounding things up is a detailed history of all your different activities, easily-distinguished from one another with all of the detail and information that you’d be looking for.
Runnur is a refreshing take on a fitness app for Android. There are no annoying adverts or in-app purchases in here, it’s just a free app, completely free. How the developer can do this is by leveraging classic pieces of Android’s ecosystem, such as Google Maps and hardware that every phone has. Using the standard Material Design guidelines will have no doubt made this app easier to develop, but also makes it the sort of app that effortlessly blends in on any type of Android phone. If Google Fit isn’t good enough for you, then this is the sort of app that might be to your liking. A come and go as you please approach to exercise, this doesn’t ask for any further hardware, it’s completely free, and will log all of your runs with Duration, Distance, Pace and you can even plan ahead and save routes for another time.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Runnur runs nice and speedily, and everything is straight forward and quick to get started with.
- Features (5/5) – For a completely free app, sans ads, it’s hard to argue with what Runnur has to offer users looking for a near-complete package. Automatic activity detection and turn-by-turn navigation definitely help set this apart from the rest.
- Theme (4/5) – Some might find the standard Material Design look and feel a little bland, but we like the approach, and it will fit in well with pretty much any Android phone out there.
- Overall (4.5/5) – For users that want to track their activities without spending any extra cash or needing any extra hardware, this will definitely get the job done and then some.
Pros
- Allows athletes to create their own tracks for running and cycling as well as get turn-by-turn directions for new routes.
- Tracks running, walking, hiking and cycling all with the same detail and accuracy, making this great for all users no matter their ability.
- Automatically detects whether the user is running, walking or cycling taking one step out of the process to starting a workout.
- Heart rate monitor is a nice addition to check your heart rate after a session to see how you’re doing or continuously should you have a BLE heart rate monitor to hand.
Cons
- No Android Wear app, but it looks as though one is on its way.
- Support for smartwatch heart rate monitors would be helpful for real-time HR monitoring.
All-in-all, Runnur is an Android app that has a whole lot going for it, and it’s something that a lot of users will really enjoy. As it tracks not just running, but hiking, walking and cycling it’s a good app for all users no matter their ability. Runnur is incredibly smart as well, automatically detecting whether or not someone is walking or running, even automatically tracking a bike ride. Users don’t need to tell Runnur exactly what they’re doing, and if they’re trying out a new route, it will give them turn-by-turn guidance as well. A perfect app for those in need of something free, without the need for extra hardware or pesky ads, Runnur is definitely the fitness tracking app to look into.