How to Make Indoor Cycling Better With the Zwift Companion App
Communicate with your fellow riders, browse events, and receive recommended rides with the Zwift Companion app. If you’re already using Zwift, then this complementary app makes the experience even more personalized and interactive.
To make the most of the Zwift experience, a smart trainer for virtual cycling and a few fans will make indoor cycling more enjoyable. Once you have your real-life bike set up and ready to go, here’s how to take your Zwift rides to the next level.
1. Getting Started in Zwift Companion
When you first launch the Zwift Companion app, take a quick tutorial to get a sense of how the app works. The app walks you through the basics of connecting with your Zwift account, interacting with other Zwifters, and participating in group events.
After completing the tutorial, you earn a virtual hat to add to your Zwifter’s outfits. Like many other video games, part of the fun in Zwift comes from personalizing your avatar.
Download: Zwift Companion for iOS | Android (Free)
2. Navigating the Zwift Events Screen
Check out the Events screen to find virtual cycling and running events. Join others in rides that help build endurance, practice drafting, or tackle a mountain race.
Some events require heart rate monitor and power data to track official results, while others are purely social rides. You can also create informal Meetups from this screen with Zwifters who are following you to explore routes together at a set time.
3. Reviewing the Activities Screen
Review data from all of your rides and follow other Zwifters on the Activities screen. The Feed screen shows ride information from those you follow, while the Just Me screen reviews your own rides.
Time, distance, elevation, and even an animated map display all the details of these previous rides. It’s a great way to look back on your past efforts, as well as get inspiration from your fellow Zwifters’ rides.
4. Joining and Creating Zwift Clubs
Teamwork makes the dream work, or so the saying goes. If you’re someone who enjoys social workout apps to make exercising easier, then the Clubs feature in Zwift will be right up your alley.
Review the Clubs screen to find a group that works for your fitness goals. Crit racers, hill climbers, beginners, triathletes, and even gravel riders all have specific clubs.
In addition, country-specific groups encourage you to ride with your fellow nearby Zwifters. You can join or create 10 clubs at a time. If you are a paying Zwift member and a level 5 cyclist or runner, then you can create clubs, as well. Set up the name, country, language, and whether it’s open or invitation-only.
5. Using Zwift Companion During Your Ride
Perhaps the handiest aspect of the Zwift Companion app is its usefulness during rides. Particularly if you view the regular Zwift app on a larger screen, it’s especially helpful to have navigation and communication features right at hand on your smartphone.
During a ride, the Zwift Companion app’s Map screen displays your cadence, elapsed time and speed, watts, and location on a simplified map. Large buttons make it easier to pause the game, turn your bike around, or even take a photo of your avatar’s progress.
The Workout screen, meanwhile, displays any upcoming intervals and your estimated time to completion. It’s helpful if you’re trying to remember just how many zone-4 efforts are part of this particular ride.
Next, the Zwifters Nearby screen displays your fellow riders on the course. Check out their wattage output and distance covered, as well as country of origin.
Lastly, use the Messages feature to interact with others during your training rides. Type out quick messages for a chat, or use the app’s custom Emotes (essentially emoji). Tell fellow riders you’re toast, or give an encouraging Ride On thumbs-up to anyone you pass on the streets of Watopia.
Rev Up Your Training Rides With the Zwift Companion App
Acting as a sort of remote control for the popular virtual cycling game, the Zwift Companion app makes navigating, checking your speed, and interacting with other riders easier than ever. Download it and encourage other cyclists with a Ride On during your next virtual adventure.
