iMapMyRun review

Damien McFerran

We review iMapMyRun, an app with a sporty focus and some neat features for health fanatics

Rating:

Verdict: iMapMyRun offers a brilliant way of planning jogging routes and keeping track of your performance, and it manages to work around some of the iPhone's more annoying limitations in the process.

Platform: iPhone and iPod Touch

Pros: The interface cleverly works around Apple's policy of only having one app running at any one time, premium features are worth the money

Cons: You have to be a fitness freak to really get the most out of this

Version Reviewed: 3.0

Publisher: iMapMyFitness

Price: £2.99 (free version available)

More Info: App Store or iMapMy website

They say that exercise is its own reward but from our personal experience we’ve always been a little perturbed that we can’t actually see in solid figures the amount of effort we’ve put into our strenuous fitness regime.

Thank God for iMapMyRun. This app allows you to quantify your regular daily sprint and show just how much ground you’ve covered, so you can feel justifiably proud when you collapse in a sweaty heap on your couch at the end of the activity.

To get the most out of iMapMyRun you need to register a MapMyFitness account. This is a painless procedure and can be done through the application itself. Having this account means you can store your favourite routes for consultation later on.

iMapMyRun uses a GPS connection to ascertain your location and uses the same facility to track your progress as you go. Whilst you’re en route you can also see what kind of speed you’re running (or walking) at.

Because Apple doesn’t currently allow more than one iPhone/iPod Touch third-party application to run at any one time, iMapMyRun needs to be left open when it’s in use. This obviously means that the iPhone’s automatic screen lock feature is disabled, but thankfully iMapMyRun has its own in-app screen lock which prevents you from accidently cancelling the tracking facility in mid-run.

iMapMyFitness comes in two flavours – a free version and a paid-for edition. The free version has adverts but offers pretty much the same functionality as its premium sibling. However, iMapMyRun+ does offer some significant additions if you’re willing to hand over the cash.

Ads are obviously disabled but the biggest bonus from our viewpoint is the ability to access your music from within the application itself. Another neat touch – although not quite as essential – is the opportunity to take photos during your sprint, again using a special interface within the program itself which means you don’t have to exit the app and load up the iPhone’s camera option.

Whether or not you deem these extras worthy of your £2.99 is down to personal preference, but considering how useful iMapMyRun is, we certainly don’t begrudge the cost of the premium version. If fitness is your thing and you’re a keen runner, then this app is a must.