30 days of free beta on every app · one-time code · no subscription
DIALFORGE

Water sports

Paddle Rate

Stroke rate and splits for kayak, canoe, outrigger and dragon boat. Garmin's Kayak sport profile does not show stroke rate (SUP and Row already have it built in) - this app fills that gap, from the wrist, using the watch's own accelerometer.

Coming to Connect IQ Unlock €5.99

Paddle Rate icon

Beta: free for 30 days

The app works fully and for free for the first 30 days after you first open it. After that you can buy a one-time unlock code below. No subscription.

  • Stroke rate, big on the screen, from the last 10 seconds. One stroke = one blade entry in a kayak (left and right count separately), one full paddle cycle in a canoe, outrigger or dragon boat
  • Pace per 500 m and per km (per mile if your watch is set to statute units)
  • Distance, elapsed time, heart rate, distance per stroke
  • Pick your craft on the start screen, the watch remembers your last choice
  • Auto lap every 500 m or 1 km, or turn it off
  • Saves as a real Garmin activity (Kayaking for kayak, Paddling for the others, since Garmin has no separate type for canoe/outrigger/dragon boat yet)

Controls: UP/DOWN switch between the rate screen and the data screen (on watches without UP/DOWN buttons, such as Venu and vivoactive, tap the screen). START or BACK opens the menu (lap, resume, save, discard).

How to use it

Open Paddle Rate from the watch's app menu.

Honest note: the stroke detector is tuned and tested on synthetic accelerometer data (many stroke rates, noise, amplitude changes), not yet on the water in real boats. Rates should be close, but if a session looks off, please report it through the form below so I can tune it for your stroke style.

Manual

Paddle Rate: user manual

What it does

Paddle Rate shows stroke rate from the watch accelerometer for kayak, canoe, outrigger and dragon boat, with pace per 500 m, distance and heart rate. It records a Kayaking or Paddling activity with GPS.

Requirements and supported watches

Needs Connect IQ 3.3.0+ and the Connect IQ or Garmin Connect phone app. Supported watches:

  • Round AMOLED: epix 2 and epix Pro 2, fēnix 8, E, Forerunner 165, 265, 570, 965, 970, Instinct 3 AMOLED, Crossover AMOLED, Venu 2, 3, 4, vivoactive 5, 6.
  • Round MIP: enduro 3, fēnix 7 series, 8 Solar, Forerunner 55, 245, 255, vivoactive 4.
  • Square and rectangular AMOLED: Venu Sq 2, Venu X1.

Installation

In the Connect IQ app on your phone (or Garmin Connect, then the Connect IQ Store) find "Paddle Rate" by Dialforge, tap Install and sync the watch. Open it from the apps list: press START on the watch face, then pick Paddle Rate.

First launch

The start screen shows the app name, "Press start" and the free beta days left. START (or a tap) opens the menu: Craft, Auto lap, Open. Open starts GPS and recording. The 30-day free beta starts the first time you open it.

Controls

Watches with buttons (START, UP, DOWN, BACK)

  • Menu: START on Craft cycles Kayak, Canoe, Outrigger, Dragon boat. START on Auto lap cycles Off, 500 m, 1 km. Then Open.
  • UP and DOWN switch between the Stroke rate screen (rate, pace /500m and /km or /mile) and the data screen (Distance, Time, Heart rate, Dist/stroke, average rate, strokes).
  • START or BACK (or holding the menu button) opens the menu: Lap, Resume, Save, Discard (asks twice), and pauses recording. A LAP button makes a lap straight away.
  • A lap shows its time for 5 seconds and the watch vibrates.

Touch watches (tap, hold, swipe)

  • Watches without UP and DOWN buttons: tap the screen to switch screens. Swipes do nothing. On watches with buttons, taps are ignored.

Settings

Phone: Connect IQ app, Paddle Rate, Settings (the unlock code fields are there too).

On the watch, inside the app:

  • Craft: Kayak, Canoe, Outrigger or Dragon boat. In a kayak every blade entry is a stroke, left and right counted separately. In the other boats one full cycle is a stroke.
  • Auto lap: Off, 500 m or 1 km, by GPS distance.
  • Rate is averaged over the last 10 seconds. Pace is per mile on statute units.

License

  • Free beta: 30 days from the first launch, everything works.
  • Price: 5.99 EUR once at dialforge.dev, no subscription. The 8-character code is tied to your watch's UID.
  • Where to enter it: phone, Connect IQ app, Paddle Rate, Settings. Read the UID in "Watch UID (needed to buy a code)", buy the code, then type it into "Unlock code from dialforge.dev". The end-of-beta screen on the watch shows the UID too.
  • After the beta without a code: an end-of-beta screen with the UID replaces the app. Enter the code, then open it again. New watch? Write to us and the code moves for free.

Privacy and permissions

Permissions:

  • Activity recording: saves the session to Garmin Connect.
  • Extra FIT fields: adds the app's values to the saved activity.
  • Positioning: GPS for distance, pace and auto lap.
  • Sensors: the accelerometer for stroke rate, and heart rate.
  • SensorHistory: not used in this version.

No internet use. Data stays on the watch and in the activities you save.

Troubleshooting

The code does not work. Check that the UID you bought for matches "Watch UID (needed to buy a code)" and type all 8 characters (case is ignored, no 0, O, 1 or I). A code for another app does not fit. Sync, then reopen.

The rate shows "--". The watch cannot deliver accelerometer data to the app. Pace, distance and the rest still work.

How accurate is the rate? It was tuned on synthetic data, not yet in real boats. If a session looks off, tell us how you paddle.

How is it saved? Kayak as Kayaking, other boats as Paddling, with rate and strokes as extra fields.

Contact

kontakt@dialforge.dev or dialforge.dev. Please write before leaving a low rating.

Permissions and privacy

This product asks the watch for the permissions below. Connect IQ shows them when you install it.

  • Activity recording: Saves your workout in Garmin Connect (the activity from this app). The data stays in your Garmin account.
  • Own data fields in the activity: Adds this app's own numbers (for example points or sets) to the saved activity.
  • Location (GPS): Uses the watch location for distance, speed or sun and moon times. The location is not sent anywhere.
  • Heart rate and sensors: Reads heart rate and other sensors of the watch while the app runs.
  • Sensor history: Reads recent values stored by the watch (for example Body Battery, stress, heart rate, steps trend).

This product does not use the internet and sends no data to our servers.

Compatible watches

51mm, D2 Air X15, D2 Mach 1 Pro, Enduro 2, Enduro 3, epix (Gen 2), epix Pro (Gen 2) 42mm, epix Pro (Gen 2) 47mm, epix Pro (Gen 2) 51mm, Forerunner 165, Forerunner 165 Music, Forerunner 245, Forerunner 245 Music, Forerunner 255, Forerunner 255 Music, Forerunner 255s, Forerunner 255s Music, Forerunner 265, Forerunner 265s, Forerunner 55, Forerunner 570 42mm, Forerunner 570 47mm, Forerunner 965, Forerunner 970, fēnix 7, fēnix 7 Pro, fēnix 7 Pro - Solar Edition (no Wi-Fi), fēnix 7S, fēnix 7S Pro, fēnix 7X, fēnix 7X Pro, fēnix 7X Pro - Solar Edition (no Wi-Fi), fēnix 8 43mm, fēnix 8 47mm, fēnix 8 Pro 47mm, fēnix 8 Solar 47mm, fēnix 8 Solar 51mm, fēnix E, Instinct 3 AMOLED 45mm, Instinct 3 AMOLED 50mm, Instinct Crossover AMOLED, MicroLED, quatix 7, quatix 7 Pro, quatix 7 Sapphire, quatix 7X Solar, quatix 8 47mm, quatix 8 Pro 47mm, tactix 7, tactix 7 – AMOLED Edition, tactix 8 47mm, tactix 8 Solar 51mm, Venu 2, Venu 2 Plus, Venu 2S, Venu 3, Venu 3S, Venu 4 41mm, Venu 4 45mm, Venu Sq 2, Venu Sq 2 Music, Venu X1, vívoactive 4, vívoactive 4S, vívoactive 5, vívoactive 6

Screenshots

Paddle Rate, fenix 8 47 mm, screen 1
fenix 8 47 mm, screen 1
Paddle Rate, fenix 8 47 mm, screen 2
fenix 8 47 mm, screen 2
Paddle Rate, Venu 3, screen 1
Venu 3, screen 1
Paddle Rate, Venu 3, screen 2
Venu 3, screen 2
Paddle Rate, Forerunner 255, screen 1
Forerunner 255, screen 1
Paddle Rate, Forerunner 255, screen 2
Forerunner 255, screen 2
Paddle Rate, Venu Sq 2, screen 1
Venu Sq 2, screen 1
Paddle Rate, Venu Sq 2, screen 2
Venu Sq 2, screen 2

FAQ

What happens after the 30-day beta?

The app shows a screen asking for a one-time unlock code from dialforge.dev instead of opening normally. Buy the code once below, no subscription.

Does the app send my data to Dialforge?

No. The app works fully offline, and the unlock code is checked on the watch itself, without contacting any server.

The app does not work as described on my watch. Can I get a refund?

Yes. Write through the feedback form below, or to the e-mail in the footer. If we cannot fix it, we refund you, as described in the terms.

Changing your watch?

Write to me and I will move your code for free.

Changelog

Unlock

€5.99

One-time payment. No subscription. The code works on the watch whose UID you enter.

  1. Install the app from the Connect IQ store. It works fully and for free for the first 30 days.
  2. Find your 10-digit UID: Connect IQ app on the phone > My Device > Apps or Data Fields > this app > Settings > Watch UID.
  3. Enter UID and e-mail, pay with PayPal (cards work without a PayPal account). The code appears here at once.
  4. Type the code into the same settings page, field "Unlock code". The watch checks it offline.

Tell us how to make it better

Missing a data field, a colour, a layout? Found a bug on your watch model? Write it here. We read every message and ship improvements in updates.