Skip to main content
This guide will walk you through the initial setup process and help you view your first GitHub-style activity heatmap.

​
Connect your Strava account

1

Launch Stratiles

Open the Stratiles app on your iOS device. You’ll see a welcome screen with:
  • A preview heatmap animation
  • The Stratiles logo and name
  • A tagline: “Your Strava activity heatmap, right on your Home Screen.”
  • A “Connect with Strava” button
2

Tap 'Connect with Strava'

Tap the orange “Connect with Strava” button. This will open an authentication session in a secure web view.
Stratiles uses OAuth for secure authentication. You’re redirected to Strava’s official login page—Stratiles never sees your Strava password.
3

Authorize Stratiles

On the Strava authorization page:
  1. Log in to your Strava account if you’re not already signed in
  2. Review the permissions requested by Stratiles
  3. Tap “Authorize” to grant access
Permission requested: activity:read_allThis read-only permission allows Stratiles to fetch your activity data without the ability to modify or delete anything.
4

Return to Stratiles

After authorizing, you’ll be automatically redirected back to Stratiles. The app will:
  1. Exchange the authorization code for an access token
  2. Securely store the token in your device’s keychain
  3. Navigate to the main stats view
If you see an error message about STRAVA_CLIENT_ID or STRAVA_CLIENT_SECRET, this indicates a configuration issue on the developer side. This should not occur in production builds.

​
View your activity heatmap

Once authenticated, Stratiles automatically loads your activity data from the past 365 days.

​
Stats tab

The main Stats screen displays: KPI header
  • Total activities
  • Total miles covered
  • Total moving hours
  • Total elevation gain
  • Current activity streak
  • Longest activity streak
  • Total kudos received
Calendar heatmap
  • A GitHub-style grid showing up to 52 weeks of activity
  • Each cell represents one day
  • Color intensity reflects distance covered that day
  • Darker colors = more miles
Training rhythm heatmap
  • A 24-hour by 7-day grid
  • Shows when you typically work out during the week
  • Helps identify your most active training times
Charts and insights
  • Weekly mileage chart
  • Pace trend analysis
  • Effort timeline (based on Strava’s suffer score)
  • Top activities by distance

​
Pull to refresh

Swipe down on the Stats screen to fetch the latest activities from Strava. This is useful when you’ve completed a new workout and want to see it reflected in your heatmap.
Stratiles caches your activity data locally for offline viewing. The app displays a “Cached” indicator when showing offline data.

​
Customize activity types

1

Open Settings

Tap the “Settings” tab at the bottom of the screen (gear icon).
2

Select activity types

Scroll through the categorized list of activity types:
  • Foot Sports: Run, Trail Run, Walk, Hike, Wheelchair, Virtual Run
  • Cycling: Ride, Mountain Bike Ride, Gravel Ride, E-Bike Ride, and more
  • Water Sports: Swim, Rowing, Kayaking, Stand Up Paddling, and more
  • Winter Sports: Alpine Ski, Nordic Ski, Snowboard, Ice Skate, and more
  • Other Sports: Tennis, Basketball, Soccer, Golf, Dance, and more
Toggle each activity type on or off based on what you want to include in your heatmap.
3

View updated stats

After changing your activity type selection:
  1. The app automatically saves your preferences
  2. Your widget updates to reflect the new selection
  3. The Stats tab refreshes with filtered data
By default, Stratiles includes: Run, Ride, Walk, Trail Run, Hike, and Wheelchair activities.

​
Add a Home Screen widget

One of Stratiles’ most popular features is the ability to add your activity heatmap directly to your iPhone Home Screen.
1

Enter Home Screen edit mode

Long-press on an empty area of your Home Screen until the app icons start jiggling.
2

Add a widget

Tap the ”+” button in the top-left corner of the screen.
3

Search for Stratiles

Use the search bar to find “Stratiles” or scroll through the widget list.
4

Choose a widget size

Stratiles offers two widget sizes:
  • Small: Compact heatmap with minimal labels
  • Medium: Larger heatmap with month labels for easier reading
Select your preferred size and tap “Add Widget.”
5

Position the widget

Drag the widget to your desired location on the Home Screen, then tap “Done” in the top-right corner.
Widgets automatically update throughout the day to show your latest activities. The heatmap refreshes when you open Stratiles or when iOS updates widget timelines.

​
Understanding the heatmap colors

Stratiles uses a color scale to represent activity intensity:
  • Empty/gray cells: No activity that day
  • Light orange: Low mileage day
  • Medium orange: Moderate mileage day
  • Dark orange: High mileage day
The exact color thresholds are calculated based on your maximum daily mileage, creating a personalized scale that adapts to your training volume.

​
Next steps

Now that you’ve connected your Strava account and viewed your first heatmap, explore more features:

Activity heatmap

Learn more about the GitHub-style activity heatmap

Configuration

Customize activity types and settings

​
Common questions

How often does Stratiles sync with Strava? Stratiles fetches your activities when you:
  • Open the app
  • Pull to refresh on the Stats screen
  • Change your activity type selection
  • iOS automatically refreshes widget timelines (typically a few times per day)
Why are some activities missing? Ensure the activity type is enabled in Settings. Stratiles only displays activities that match your selected types. Can I view activities older than 365 days? Currently, Stratiles displays the past 365 days of activity data. This covers 52 weeks of history in the heatmap visualization. What happens if I sign out? Signing out removes your access token and clears all locally cached activity data. You’ll need to reconnect your Strava account to use Stratiles again.

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get started for freeTalk to us