PaddlePal.

What’s new.

Every update, from launch to your next paddle.
New features, improvements and fixes for iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.

2026.25

Latest release Release page
14 changes in this release

Improvements

  • Browsing nearby paddle spots, opening workout maps and reviewing a paddle before you save it all feel smoother.
  • Heart rate graphs respond faster when you drag across them.
  • The End button on Apple Watch is easier to read.
  • The app does less work when it wakes up in the background, which helps save battery.
  • VoiceOver descriptions are clearer on the Home screen, Glide rankings and shared workout cards.

Bug Fixes

  • Kayak, canoe, rowing and sailing sessions now upload to Strava with the correct activity type instead of always as stand-up paddleboarding.
  • Paddles recorded on Apple Watch now show their stroke rate chart in your Log Book.
  • Ending a workout while it is paused now records the correct moving and paused time.
  • Photos taken on one paddle no longer appear on the next paddle you record.
  • The live route on the map no longer leaves a stray line behind after you pause or finish.
  • Starting a new paddle straight after a very short one is cleared no longer risks losing the new paddle's crash backup.
  • Retrying a workout that failed to save is more reliable.
  • Challenge session counts now use the correct singular and plural wording.
  • Corrected a wind wording mismatch in Dutch (Belgium).

2026.24

Release page
22 changes in this release

Improvements

  • The app is faster and more responsive, with fewer freezes when you open it, switch tabs, or finish a paddle.
  • The live map updates more smoothly while you record a paddle.
  • Maps and shared workout images load more smoothly throughout the app.
  • Heart rate graphs now scroll more smoothly.
  • When you end a paddle shorter than a minute, the app offers to discard it first.

Bug Fixes

  • Workouts you delete now stay deleted and no longer reappear in your Log Book.
  • Challenges no longer briefly disappear while they refresh.
  • A prepared emergency SOS is no longer lost if you leave the app before it is sent.
  • Auto-pause now works reliably, even while you are scrolling.
  • Importing workouts from Apple Health no longer creates duplicates.
  • Trimming a workout no longer loses its calorie total.
  • Distance and live split feedback are more accurate during races.
  • Race setup again shows your current personal best before you start.
  • Exported workout files now show the correct activity type instead of always Stand-Up Paddleboarding.
  • The Motion-Based GPS Control setting now correctly turns motion-based GPS switching on and off.
  • Corrected wind condition wording that was mistranslated in around 25 languages.
  • Corrected the French label for pace.
  • Empty days in the calendar heatmap are visible again.
  • Challenge progress now appears only after you join the challenge.
  • Starting and finishing workouts on Apple Watch is more reliable.
  • Buttons now fit correctly on smaller screens and with larger text sizes.
  • SOS banners now respect the Reduce Motion setting, and charts have clearer VoiceOver descriptions.

2026.23

Release page
14 changes in this release

Improvements

  • A saving screen now appears while your workout finishes on iPhone, so you know your paddle is being stored.
  • Your full data export now includes your planned routes.
  • The export now tells you when a resumed export had to start again from the beginning.
  • Exporting your data no longer slows the app down while it runs.
  • Your workout history is better protected when you update from older versions of the app.
  • Workouts sent from your Apple Watch keep any edits you have made to them since.

Bug Fixes

  • An emergency alert sent from your Apple Watch no longer sends a second message from your iPhone.
  • A workout now saves normally even if its GPS route cannot be saved.
  • Challenge celebrations now wait until your workout has been saved successfully.
  • The Off and Done buttons are back in Race Mode setup on Apple Watch.
  • Opening the app while a race is ready to start now takes you back to the race instead of the Log Book.
  • Resuming an interrupted export no longer adds the same files twice.
  • Tapping a route editor toolbar button twice in quick succession no longer causes problems.
  • Workouts that appear more than once in your history now always open the same copy.

2026.22

Release page
23 changes in this release

New Features

  • You can now export all of your PaddlePal data including photos, notes and GPX files. Find it in settings.
  • A redesigned forecast gives you a clear go or no-go verdict, the best time to paddle, and an hour-by-hour timeline.
  • Workouts can pause automatically when you stop paddling, on both iPhone and Apple Watch.
  • You can colour your route map by heart rate zone to see where you worked hardest.
  • Completing a challenge now brings a celebration and a shareable achievement card showing the route you paddled.
  • You can plan and follow routes straight from the Home screen.
  • A new Feedback and Ideas page lets you suggest features, vote on ideas, and follow the roadmap.
  • A new setting lets you choose the quality of the animated weather backgrounds.

Improvements

  • Route planning happens right on the map: tap to add waypoints, drag to move them, and undo any change.
  • Race Mode on iPhone has a simpler setup and shows the distance remaining while you race.
  • Severe weather alerts now appear alongside a spot's difficulty rating.
  • The Home screen now shows a summary of current conditions.
  • Choosing equipment and adding photos when saving a workout is quicker and clearer.
  • The safety hub has a clearer emergency quick reference and shows which contact will receive your alerts.
  • Maps and route previews load faster.

Bug Fixes

  • Workout routes now save to Apple Health reliably from both iPhone and Apple Watch.
  • A workout recovered after the app closes unexpectedly now keeps its distance and route.
  • Cropping a workout no longer loses its thumbnail, heart rate chart, or the workout itself.
  • Interval splits are recorded accurately again.
  • Weather backgrounds now display correctly.
  • Route edits are saved safely if you leave the editor unexpectedly.
  • Chart averages always sit within the range shown, and VoiceOver reads the correct dates on time-based charts.
  • Recording a workout uses much less storage on your phone.

2026.21

Release page
25 changes in this release

New Features

  • The Apple Watch app has been redesigned from first run to finish, with a clearer permissions primer, a GO button that responds to your touch, your loaded route shown on the home screen, and a new workout summary with your distance front and centre
  • Race Mode on Apple Watch can now be cancelled during preparation and the countdown, and remembers your last race distance
  • A refreshed welcome on iPhone introduces PaddlePal, asks about your craft and goals, and shows the plans that fit
  • VoiceOver users can now explore every chart point by point with Audio Graphs

Improvements

  • While you paddle, the watch shows GPS status, a Water Lock reminder, your current speed, and a hold-to-end hint so a stray tap never ends your session
  • The watch taps your wrist at each split and when a session starts or ends
  • The watch weather screen shows when conditions were last updated and explains clearly when location permission is missing
  • Watch Settings now has Workout, Permissions, and About sections
  • The emergency beacon on Apple Watch now shows sending, queued, sent, and failed states with a retry option
  • Layouts adapt better on small iPhones, iPad, and at larger accessibility text sizes, with photo zoom controls and stronger button contrast
  • Live Activities and widgets now distinguish paused and stale sessions and can speak a summary
  • Spoken VoiceOver labels are now translated in every supported language
  • Home screen weather loads faster and iPad now supports pull to refresh
  • Notifications on the watch are only requested when a route arrives from your iPhone, not at launch

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed watch workouts arriving on iPhone showing zero distance and speed
  • Fixed iPhone workout totals, pause timing, and calorie estimates being inconsistent, and recovery after a failed save now keeps your route
  • Fixed cropping a workout leaving the detail screen pointing at the deleted version or leaving duplicates in your logbook
  • Fixed the watch opening the session screen before a workout had actually started; a failed start now shows an error
  • Fixed a second race on the watch sometimes not recording a workout after the first
  • Fixed cancelling a race on the watch leaving a live workout with no way back to it
  • Fixed the location permission prompt appearing unexpectedly when the watch app opened
  • Fixed premium access checks reporting a spurious error on flaky connections
  • Fixed cancelled paddle spot requests reporting success and invalid birth dates being silently accepted
  • Fixed waypoint fields in the route editor keeping a previous point's coordinates when adding a new one
  • Fixed the pace and remaining distance row wrapping onto two lines during a race

2026.20

Release page
17 changes in this release

Improvements

  • Workout routes in your logbook now load much faster, especially for long paddles
  • Sharing a very short paddle now works, with a tidy placeholder image instead of a failed map
  • Home screen weather now refreshes when you arrive somewhere new
  • Less battery used while recording: the app pauses background location checks it does not need
  • Clearer labels across the app: route waypoints, activity counts, and missing-location messages now read naturally
  • VoiceOver users can now activate the upgrade prompt on locked feature cards, with clearer spoken hints
  • Updated translations across all supported languages

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed short workouts sometimes losing their entire route from the map
  • Fixed routes showing as empty while a workout was still syncing from Apple Watch
  • Fixed the pace chart so it reflects how your pace actually changed, with the average line matching your workout totals
  • Splits now line up exactly with your workout's total distance, and pace differences show as clear plus or minus times
  • Distances and speeds now follow your chosen units consistently, including route lists and the full-screen speed summary
  • The tide ribbon and forecast detail now agree on the current height, clearly labelled Now
  • The UV summary now recognises moderate peaks and the Peak reading always shows a value
  • Fixed a rare problem that could make your workout history temporarily unavailable: the app now repairs itself and recovers your data automatically
  • Fixed workouts saved after an interruption not always reappearing correctly in your logbook
  • Fixed an error that could occur when saving a workout with no GPS points

2026.19

Release page
22 changes in this release

New Features

  • A new pace chart in every workout detail shows how your pace changed across the session
  • Live pace now appears on the iPhone recording screen, in the Live Activity, and on the Dynamic Island
  • Challenge reminders: turn on notifications and PaddlePal will tell you about new challenges and remind you before they end
  • Reviews from other paddlers now appear near the top of every paddle spot, with a one-time tip pointing them out

Improvements

  • Apple Watch widgets now respect your distance unit and show live, always-current timestamps
  • The iPhone stats widget now honours your speed unit preference
  • The statistics calendar keeps a stable five-week layout and its loading placeholder matches the real grid
  • Smoother, more responsive app: several causes of brief freezes while scrolling and viewing weather have been removed
  • Apple Watch uses less battery during GPS tracking
  • Clearer VoiceOver descriptions and better contrast in many places, including when Reduce Transparency is on
  • A friendly message now appears if saving a route fails

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed workouts stuck showing "Locating..." in the logbook, including workouts recorded on Apple Watch
  • Fixed the watch occasionally starting a session paused, with a resume button that did not respond
  • Fixed live distance, pace, and splits freezing for the rest of a session after you stopped moving for a while
  • Saving a workout on iPhone is now more resilient: a problem at the end of a workout no longer loses your session
  • Fixed the Live Activity timer not starting if you paused right at the beginning of a workout
  • Fixed the upgrade screen going blank during temporary network problems
  • Fixed exported GPX and FIT files overwriting each other when they had the same name, and you are now told if an export fails
  • Fixed the statistics calendar occasionally dropping the oldest day of the last 30 days
  • Emergency beacon messages now use your real name instead of a generic fallback if available
  • Fixed heart rate zone details missing from some older workouts
  • Fixed a crash related to Siri suggestions

2026.18

Release page

Our biggest update ever!

28 changes in this release

New Features

  • Challenges: a new dedicated tab where you can take on ready-made challenges or create your own based on distance, time, or number of sessions
  • Join and leave challenges straight from the home screen and watch your progress update as you paddle
  • Completed challenges move to their own tab so you can look back on what you have achieved
  • Export any workout as a FIT file, ready to upload to Garmin Connect
  • Helpful tips now appear around the app to introduce features like PaddleSafe, Glide Score, and creating challenges
  • Your Apple Watch now taps your wrist when a workout starts, pauses, resumes, and finishes

Improvements

  • Pace is now calculated and shown more accurately, including live pace during races
  • Distance tracking is more accurate: sudden GPS jumps are ignored, and pauses or lost signal no longer add phantom distance
  • The screen stays awake while you are recording a workout
  • Ending a workout on iPhone now asks you to confirm, so a session cannot be finished by accident
  • Deleting a route or piece of equipment now asks for confirmation first
  • Lower battery drain and memory use during workouts on both iPhone and Apple Watch
  • The live workout map now draws long routes much more smoothly
  • Your location dot now appears on the full-screen recording map
  • Searching as a free user keeps your search text and shows an upgrade prompt instead of clearing it
  • The close button on the upgrade screen now appears straight away
  • Every pop-up screen now has a clear way to dismiss it
  • Larger touch targets and clearer VoiceOver descriptions across the app
  • Clearer wording in alerts and permission requests
  • Challenge names and descriptions now appear in your language
  • The Apple Watch app has been refreshed to match the latest watchOS design

Bug Fixes

  • Fixed workouts recorded on Apple Watch occasionally never arriving on iPhone; transfers are now confirmed and retried until they get through
  • Fixed body weight not being read from the Health app, which could make calorie estimates less accurate
  • Fixed Pro features appearing locked when your device was offline
  • You are now told if a workout fails to save in the background instead of it failing silently
  • Fixed challenges not moving to the Completed tab as soon as you hit the goal
  • Fixed pause and resume occasionally triggering twice in a row
  • Fixed several animations not respecting the Reduce Motion setting
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More paddling.

Download on the App Store

For iPhone, iPad & Apple Watch.