FAQs

• Can I use CrewNerd on a phone without cellular service?

  Yes! Many customers use CrewNerd on an older phone that’s no longer on their cellular plan. You don’t even need to have a SIM card installed. CrewNerd will work as usual on the water, and you can use WiFi to export your workout data. In-app documentation and Live Tracking do require internet access.

• What heart rate monitors does CrewNerd support?

  CrewNerd works with any heart rate monitor that supports Bluetooth. Polar and Wahoo heart rate monitors are the most popular among CrewNerd users. Note that chest strap monitors are much more reliable for rowing & paddling than those worn on the wrist.

• Why can't I pair with my heart rate monitor?

  First, make sure that Bluetooth is turned on and that CrewNerd has permission to use it. On the iPhone, go to the CrewNerd settings page and press the "Privacy" button at the top. Make sure Bluetooth is enabled there. On Android, go to the App Manager in the Android settings app and make sure CrewNerd has permission to use Bluetooth. If you're still having trouble, make sure there isn't another application running that uses the heart rate monitor.

• I'm running CrewNerd on a new phone. Can I transfer the data from my old phone?

  If you set up your new phone by restoring from a backup of your old phone, your CrewNerd data should be intact. Otherwise, you can use the backup & restore feature of CrewNerd to transfer the data. In CrewNerd, make a backup on your old phone and transfer the backup file (a zip file) to your new phone. Then, in CrewNerd, restore from the backup file that you created. Note that this only works when transferring to the same phone platform (i.e. you can’t backup on Android and restore on iPhone, or vice-versa).

• How can I make my phone display more visible in bright sunlight?

  CrewNerd has a “sunlight display mode” that switches the Row/Paddle screen to black on a white background. This makes it much easier to read on a sunny day. To turn sunlight mode on or off, press the display settings button on the upper right side of the row/paddle screen.

• Is it safe to use my phone on the water?

  Most smartphones now have some level of water-resistance, making it much safer to use your phone on the water than it was a few years ago. Waterproof cases for many phones are available from LifeProof, but many users now prefer to simply use a QuadLock case & mount, and rely on the water-resistance of the phone for protection.

  Additional information about water resistance is available for iPhone, Samsung, and Google Pixel devices. See this link for information about phones with good water-resistance and more information about water-resistance in general.

• I'm not getting speed & distance data - what could be wrong?

  This is almost always a problem with the GPS settings. Check the GPS signal strength indicator in the speed/pace area of the Row/Paddle screen. If you see a single, red bar then that means that CrewNerd isn’t getting location data from your phone. Check your phone settings to make sure that CrewNerd has permission to get your location. If the GPS signal strength contains yellow bars, then the GPS accuracy is too low for CrewNerd, and you may need to wait to give your phone time to get data from more GPS satellites.

• Why isn't the stroke rate working?

  There are a few things that could cause problems with detecting the stroke rate:

  1. Make sure that the “Activity” setting is correct. Because rowing, kayaking, canoeing, etc. all have different characteristics, it’s important to choose the activity that best reflects your scenario so that CrewNerd can detect strokes accurately.

  2. Make sure that coach mode is turned off. In coach mode, stroke rates are measured by tapping on the screen rather than looking at the phone’s acceleration.

  3. Consider how the phone is mounted in the boat. The phone should be facing toward the bow or stern of the boat, but can be tilted back to an optimal viewing angle. It should be mounted firmly so that it doesn’t swing or shift while you row or paddle.

  4. Make sure that CrewNerd's "lock screen orientation" feature is set to "Never" and that the orientation lock on your phone's control panel is turned off. Verify that CrewNerd can switch between portrait and landscape modes when you turn the phone to the left or right. If the phone's orientation lock is on, and CrewNerd is locked into an incompatible orientation, the accelerometer data can't be interpreted correctly and stroke will not be detected.

  5. If all else fails, and you’re using CrewNerd on an iPhone, you should try removing and then re-installing CrewNerd from the App Store. Many users have reported that this solves strange problems with stroke rate, especially after installing an iOS update.

  For paddling activities (especially kayaking), the Vaaka cadence sensor will give you the ultimate in stroke rate accuracy. For more information about the Vaaka cadence sensor, see our accessories page.

• Can I use an external GPS receiver to get more acurate speed data?

  Yes, on the iPhone, CrewNerd supports the Dual XGPS 160 receiver, which provides 10 location readings per second (compared to one with the built-in GPS receiver). Pair the Dual GPS receiver with your phone and CrewNerd will automatically detect and use it. Then, you can reduce your smoothing window (in the advanced settings) to a much smaller value to get more responsive speed readings. You can also use products like the Garmin GLO 2, which usually gives 3 readings per second.

  Unlike the iPhone, Android doesn’t automatically detect and use external GPS receivers, so more manual setup is required. You’ll generally need to use a “Mock GPS” utility application to replace the phone’s internal GPS readings with the ones received from the external GPS receiver. If you do this, CrewNerd will accept and use the high-speed GPS readings.