Question 1

How does Hoolan compare with other watersports tracking apps?

Accepted Answer

We are the only app where all features are free for both Apple Watch and Garmin watch, with no limits or restrictions on usage.
Hoolan is self-funded. We keep the team small and our costs as low as possible so we can offer the app for free - with no ads, no selling of your data, no catches (see our privacy policy)We don’t require you to buy custom hardware or to take your phone out on the water to track.  All you need is either an Apple Watch or a Garmin Watch. We will be opening Hoolan up to Wear OS and other watches in the future.We offer both detailed jump statistics, and speed and distance gps statistics, so you can get an overall picture of your session.We are unique in the way we break down your statistics into runs, transitions and jumps.  We calculate your transition performance.We allow you to record and track multiple wind sports:
KITE: Kiteboarding (twintip), Kitesurfing (directional) strapped/strapless, Kite foiling strapped/strapless, Kite landbuggy, Kite landboarding, Snowkiting (snowboarding, skiing and skating)WING: Wing SUP, Wing foiling strapped/strapless, Wing snowboard, Wing ski, Wing skate.WINDSURF: Windsurfing strapped/strapless, Windfoiling strapped/strapless. 
We have plans to expand out to more wind and water sports in the future.We break sports down by board type, to allow meaningful personal bests and progression information by skill set (for example twin tip vs directional vs foil).We provide much more detailed session information than most other apps, and offer unique statistics such as transition success and tack information.

Our map view analysis allows you to scroll through each run and transition in your session, and view both jump take off and landing points (iPhone app currently, coming in v2 of our Android app).Unlike some other apps, we only require access to your location data 'while using the App' as this is essential for us to provide you with your performance stats. We don't require it to be set as 'always on'. Hoolan offers a super easy recording experience.  Select your activity on your watch and go! No need to set wind direction or choose your spot. No need to take your phone out on the water or attach anything to your board. You can see live stats on your watch as you ride and then, to finish, simply double press your crown and side button at the same time and your session is saved (Apple) or press the START/STOP button on your Garmin.  As soon as your watch has a cellular connection, it will automatically feed the data across to the Hoolan app on your iPhone where you can dive into your stats. On Garmin, your data will synch to your phone as soon as it is in bluetooth range. We are using all the latest technology and best practices to make using Hoolan as easy as possible to use:  
Password-less sign in processData is held on the cloud and can be accessed on any phone.  You don't lose all your data if you change/lose your phoneEfficient operation to minimise battery useMinimal disk space when downloading Hoolan and minimal data consumption when uploading a session. For example, a 1hr session with 20 jumps or so uses no more bandwidth than downloading a song.

Question 2

Is Hoolan really free? What's the catch?

Accepted Answer

Yes - Hoolan is completely free to use. There are no hidden paywalls or limits on usage, and we do not rely on advertising or selling user data - see our privacy policy.
We’re a small, independent team building Hoolan because we’re passionate about watersports tracking. We don’t spend heavily on marketing or sponsor professional athletes - instead, we keep things lean and focus our resources on improving the product.Hoolan is currently funded by its founders and supported by optional community donations.

Question 3

Can I track my jump heights?

Accepted Answer

Yes, absolutely!

Every model of Apple Watch can record jumps, but only certain Garmin models have the hardware capabilities and memory to record jumps using our Garmin watch app - see our list of jump-compatible Garmins.

Please double check that your jump settings match your requirements by going to the Settings screen on your watch:
Jump settings - Apple Watch
Jump settings - Garmin

As a default, jumps are set to be recorded for:

Kiteboarding (twintip board)
Kitesurfing (directional board) strapped
Kitesurfing (directional board) strapless
Kitefoiling (foil board) strapped
Kite landboarding
Kite snowboarding
Kite skiing
​
'OFF' for the following activity types:
 
Kitefoiling (foil board) strapless
Kite landbuggying
Kite skating
Wingfoiling strapped
Wingfoiling strapless
Wing snowboarding
Wing skiing
Wing skating
Wing landboarding
Windsurfing strapped
Windsurfing strapless
Windfoiling strapped
Windfoiling strapless

These settings are completely customisable, and mean that you save on battery usage if you never jump on certain board types.

Question 4

Do you have a minimum jump height for tracking?

Accepted Answer

We don't record any jumps less that 1.5m (5 ft)  high, as from testing we've found that riding over waves can often lead to false jumps being recorded. In the future, we may look to enabling you to set a minimum jump threshold per session.

Question 5

How is Hoolan able to get accurate jumps stats from a watch?

Accepted Answer

We appreciate that people will be curious about how we've managed to achieve accurate stats on a watch.

The jump algorithm we've developed removes any "noise" generated by things like pulling in the bar, bouncing over chop or quickly raising your wrist to view your watch face. As a result we've ended up with pretty stable data that has certain features that make it possible to detect and accurately measure different aspects of the jump like height, airtime and distance.

Before launching, we spent months working really hard to refine and test the algorithm with very advanced riders who have absolutely put our technology to the sword! They've been boosting over 25m high and pulling off insane tricks like Boogie Loops and Mega Loops. It has allowed us to test out and cater for all kinds of rider style and level. As a result, we have a high degree of confidence in the jump algorithm as we've run it through thousands and thousands of jumps during testing.

Question 6

Will my height affect my jumps statistics when I track on my watch?

Accepted Answer

No, your height doesn't make any difference. Jumps are measured from the point you take off to the point that you land so it's not really about how tall you are but more about the vertical displacement of the watch.

Generally people's bodies follow a specific movement pattern in order to take off and land which makes it possible for us to look for specific signals in the motion data. This means we can measure jumps with just a watch with a high degree of accuracy.

Question 7

Can I export my session data to Strava, Relive etc.?

Accepted Answer

Yes you can :-).  Hoolan offers a free direct export to Strava as well as a GPX export for upload into other apps.

Find out more on this link: https://www.hoolan.app/help-and-faqs/exporting-data-from-hoolan

Question 8

Can I track my sessions using my phone?

Accepted Answer

No you can't track using a phone. Our tracking model is based on your session being recorded by watches (Apple Watch and Garmin watch at the moment) as we wanted to get around the risk, expense and hassle of recording with a phone or using a custom piece of hardware on your board.

Question 9

Do I still need to take my phone on the water if I'm recording using my watch?

Accepted Answer

No you don't!  Leave your phone behind and enjoy your ride without worrying about damaging or losing your phone.  All you need is either an Apple Watch or a Garmin watch to record your session data.  Your stats will automatically feed across to the Hoolan app on your phone once your session has ended and your watch/ iPhone have an internet connection.

Your watch doesn't need a cellular connection to record using Hoolan.

Question 10

I have a strange looking stat - why might that be?

Accepted Answer

We rely on the gps data provided to us from your watch and there is always some small inherent degree of inaccuracy. From time to time, however, depending on where the satellites are, the location data they deliver might be more obviously inaccurate and this can have a knock on effect on the speed statistics we surface and the riding tracks that we display on the map view.

We do everything we can to clean up and improve the data, however at the end of the day, we can only make the best of the data we receive and sometimes an unlikely-looking stat might appear.  Another thing to bear in mind is that not all watches are born equal with respect to their gps hardware components, and newer watches are likely to be more accurate than older versions.

GPS signal strength can be optimised with these few tips:

Don't wear your watch underneath your wetsuit (but do have it on your skin).
Open the Hoolan app before you start recording to give the gps a chance to warm up and find your accurate location, before recording.

Where we have detected a GPS error, the track on the map will be marked in grey and the data from the error section will be removed from your statistics. If you see a missing stat in the table, this will be why.

Question 11

Where does Hoolan get its wind and weather data from?

Accepted Answer

We get our data from a global weather provider that in turn gets its data from authoritative meteorological sources local to the region/ country that you're riding at. For example, if you're in the UK we get it from the Met Office, in France it's from Meteo.

The wind data we provide is forecast data, not actual, but should be no more than 3 hrs out, most often much less.

We plan to allow riders to amend the wind statistics on any sessions where the actual and forecast data are considerably different. Watch this space...

Question 12

How do I filter my session analysis data?

Accepted Answer

Your analysis pages already have some filtering applied, depending on where you linked from on the Session Details page.

Clicking on the 'Analysis' Buttons on the Session Details page:

If you click the 'Analysis' button from the Jump section, for example, the analysis page will only display your jump data, in order of sequence. It's the same idea for Runs and Transitions.

If you click the 'Analysis' button from the map, the analysis page will display all your jumps, transitions and run data, in sequence.

Once on the Analysis page, you are able to flick between seeing All, Jumps, Transitions or Runs from the link in the heading at the top of the page:

From individual statistics on the Session Details page:

Filters are also applied by clicking on individual statistics on the Sessions Details page.  For example, if you click on the 'Highest Jump' statistics box within the jump section, the analysis page will display your jump data, in order of the highest first.  If you click on 'Falls' in the Transitions section, the analysis screen will show all your transitions with falls, in sequence. If you click on 'Longest run' within the Runs section, the analysis screen will show all your runs ordered by the longest first, and so on.

We intend to improve the filtering features in the future, please sign up to our newsletter to keep up to date on our developments.

Question 13

Can Hoolan run in the background?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the Hoolan App records in the background - you can lower the app and do something else and it will continue to record your session :).

We don't, however, recommend using multiple apps to record your session. The apps can compete for the resources on your watch and you may not end up with accurate measurements from one of the apps you're using.

Question 14

Can I use Hoolan on a mac?

Accepted Answer

Yes, if your mac has an M series processor (CPU) then you can install Hoolan on your mac through the app store, though please be aware that the Hoolan App isn't currently optimised for larger mac screen sizes.  Please follow these steps:

Step 1: 
Install Hoolan on your mac from the App Store:
https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/hoolan-kite-wing-windsurf/id1639913635

If it has installed correctly you should be able to launch Hoolan from your Applications folder within Finder.

Step 2:
Sign in to Hoolan as you would from your phone, using the same sign in details. When you receive the Sign in email, you need to right click on the link in the Sign In email, and select 'Open with Hoolan'.

**If you're opening the sign in email inside a web browser such as Chrome or Safari you won't be able to open the link using the 'Open With' menu option as it won't be available. Instead you need to copy the link to a text editor on your mac such as textpad, then highlight the link and right click to access the 'open with' option.

Important Note: 
Once you're signed into the App on your desktop, press Command r on the keyboard each time you want to refresh the list of your sessions.

Question 15

Do you sell my data?

Accepted Answer

No.
We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.
Your sessions, location data, and performance statistics are only used to provide and improve the Hoolan experience.

Question 16

Do you show ads or track me for advertising?

Accepted Answer

No.
Hoolan does not use ads, ad networks, or advertising trackers.
We do not build advertising profiles or track you across other apps or websites.

Help & FAQs

Apple Watch Help

Garmin Watch Help

Frequently Asked Questions