Questions and answers
Each answer stands on its own. If one of them is wrong, or the question you have is not here, write to support.
Which rowing machines does Row Smarter work with?
Row Smarter works with any rowing machine that speaks the Bluetooth FTMS standard, with a Concept2 indoor rower fitted with a PM5 monitor, and with a WaterRower fitted with a SmartRow sensor. It scans for all three and connects to whichever it finds, so there is nothing to configure.
Which heart rate straps work with Row Smarter?
Row Smarter works with straps and armbands that use the standard Bluetooth Heart Rate Service. A heart rate monitor is optional; you can record a session without one.
Does Row Smarter run on iPhone as well as iPad?
Yes. Row Smarter is one universal app that runs on iPad with iPadOS 18 or later and on iPhone with iOS 18 or later. The layout adapts to the screen it is on.
Do I need an account to use Row Smarter?
No. Row Smarter has no account, email address or password. Your iCloud and Apple Health choices remain under your Apple account and permissions.
What syncs between my iPad and my iPhone, and how?
Sessions, saved workouts, training plans and settings sync through your private iCloud storage when iCloud is available. There is no Row Smarter account or training-history server.
Does my rowing data leave my device?
Sessions, saved workouts and training plans sync through your private iCloud database when iCloud is available. Optional Apple Health integration reads and writes health data with your permission. Live racing sends performance data but no heart data. You can also export and share a session file yourself. Creating a web link uploads the session only when you choose to share it. The Row Smarter app has no analytics, advertising or tracking. The privacy policy explains each data flow.
How do I share a workout?
Two ways, both on the session's export screen. Share the .rowfile archive and the recipient imports the complete session with everything intact, with no network involved. Or create a web link: that uploads a copy of the workout, including heart data you recorded, to the Row Smarter server, and anyone holding the link can download it for thirty days. You can revoke a link, which deletes the uploaded copy from the server. Only the device that created a link can revoke it, and a copy somebody has already downloaded cannot be recalled.
What does Row Smarter Pro cost?
Row Smarter Pro is offered as a monthly subscription, a yearly subscription, or a one-time lifetime purchase. Row Smarter is not on the App Store yet, so there is no published retail price to quote: in the TestFlight beta Pro is free and Apple's purchase screen is a sandbox simulation. Retail pricing will be shown in the App Store in your local currency at release, and the app shows what each option costs before you confirm anything. Purchases go through Apple.
What does Row Smarter Pro unlock, and what is free?
Pro adds structured workouts and plans, the workout builder, deeper analysis and trends, pace boats against recorded sessions, race creation, export and spoken coaching. Live rowing metrics, force curves, session history and summaries, Apple Health, imports and joining a race remain free.
What file formats can I export a session to?
A complete ROWFILE/1 session archive, CSV tables and TCX. The .rowfile is the copy to keep or send to another Row Smarter user; TCX is the copy most training sites read. Export is a Row Smarter Pro feature.
Can I import from ErgData or another rowing app?
Yes, when the other app exports TCX or FIT. Save that file to Files or iCloud Drive and choose it in Row Smarter's Import sessions screen. Row Smarter also imports its own .rowfile archives and SmartRow CSV history exports. It previews what the file contains and what detail is unavailable before writing anything.
Will Row Smarter work with my Concept2 Logbook?
Not directly. Export a TCX file from the session and upload it to the Logbook yourself. Row Smarter does not upload to Strava or any other service either. The development log records what has changed, as it changes.
What hardware do I need to see the force curve?
A WaterRower with a SmartRow sensor, or a Concept2 PM5 that supports force-curve notifications. Original PM5 hardware does not provide a force curve; its other native rowing measurements remain available. Row Smarter draws calibrated curves on a scale fixed per athlete. You can configure it in Settings, and the default maximum is 800 newtons. A plain FTMS rowing machine does not send a force curve, so on one of those the app cannot show it.
Where do the heart rate zones come from?
You can set your maximum heart rate yourself or let Row Smarter use suitable readings from your recorded sessions. When neither is available, it uses an age-based estimate. You can choose percentage-based or Karvonen zones.
Can I race someone right now?
Yes. Racing is on in the current version. Open Row Smarter and choose Race to create or join one. The development log carries the current status.
What does live racing send to the race server?
The display name you chose for that race, an identifier the app generated that is not linked to your Apple ID, your elapsed time, distance, split, power and stroke rate while you row, the join code if the race is private, and App Attest data proving the request came from a real copy of the app. Heart rate and every other health value are deliberately excluded and are never transmitted. On the live race service, races expire 24 hours after finishing, or after 24 hours and 30 seconds without activity if unfinished. Every race expires no later than 7 days after creation. Expired races become unavailable; hourly cleanup removes them and their results from the live database.
Which training plans are included in Row Smarter?
Eight multi-week plans for beginners, endurance, racing and longer goals, including the Pete Plan and the Wolverine Plan. Plans use completed comparable sessions to adjust later targets. The Pete Plan follows the published plan by Pete Marston and the Wolverine Plan the one by Mike Caviston. Neither is an official version and neither coach is involved with Row Smarter.
How many workouts are in the library?
There are 45 workouts across seven training categories. You can browse them for free; following one as a structured session with targets and countdowns requires Pro.
Does Row Smarter work offline?
Yes. Rowing, recording, the force curve, history and Apple Health all work with no network at all, because the rowing machine talks to the app over Bluetooth and everything is stored on the device. Live racing needs a connection, and so does creating or opening a web link for a workout. Sharing the .rowfile archive instead works with no network at all.
Why does the free TestFlight beta ask me to make a purchase?
Every Pro feature is free during the TestFlight beta. To unlock Pro, you need to complete a simulated in-app purchase through Apple's purchase screen. Apple controls this test process in its sandbox environment: no money is exchanged and you will not be charged, even if a price is displayed. These test purchases do not carry over to the App Store version.
Who can join TestFlight, and will it stay open to everyone?
TestFlight is open to everyone while we establish that Row Smarter is stable and works well in real use. Only once that is proven will TestFlight access be limited to people who actively contribute to its development.
What does the current TestFlight beta include?
The current beta includes live rowing metrics, session history, workouts and plans, supported force curves, coaching, pace boats, Apple Health and file import and export. Every Pro feature is free to test. Live racing with friends is included. The development log records changes once they reach a beta build.
When will Row Smarter be released?
There is no promised App Store date. The TestFlight beta is open now on iPad and iPhone, and the development log carries the current status.
How do I get help with Row Smarter?
Email the address on the Row Smarter support page at https://rowsmarter.app/support and a person reads it. Saying which rowing machine you use, which heart rate strap if any, your device model and its iOS or iPadOS version, and what you expected instead of what happened, makes almost any problem quicker to fix.