Strava has introduced a feature called Beacon. It’s a new safety feature available now for Strava Premium members.

UPDATE 14/11/16: Beacon now available on Garmins

Strava Premium members who use most popular models of Garmin can now may set up Strava Beacon on Garmin’s LiveTrack via Garmin Connect Mobile.

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Beacon allows riders to share their real-time location information with selected safety contacts. So they’ll know exactly which ditch they need to come and haul you out of.

“Every athlete wants to be safe, and we felt we could help,” says Aaron Forth, Strava’s Chief Product Officer. “We’re so proud to introduce Beacon, not only because our community and their loved ones have been asking for it, but also because Beacon adds a new dimension to Strava Premium. Whether you are training regularly, commuting back and forth, or heading out for the occasional workout, we’re confident that all types of athletes will find Beacon valuable.”

The concept for Beacon came from Strava users. “We started by surveying our athletes to find out what types of features they would be most interested in and safety ranked highest,” said Rayleen Hsu, our Director of Product Marketing.

How do you Beacon?

1. Open up the app and go to start a new run or ride.

2. Tap the Beacon icon in the lower right.

3. Pick up to three safety contacts who will receive your location.

4. An orange dot will indicate when Beacon is active, letting you know your contacts can see where you’re going. Remember you’ll need to send a text every time you start a new activity to keep your Beacon up to date. Texts will have with a unique URL when the activity begins. Safety contacts can click the URL to track the athlete on a map in real time, as well as view the rider’s remaining battery power.

Contacts do not need a Strava account to view real-time information. Beacon also saves previous contact settings to save time, allowing athletes to use Beacon during future activities with one tap.

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Strava Premium is available to all Strava athletes for £3.99/month or £39.99/year.