We released an enTrainer update yesterday on iTunes. The new version has been built and tested with Apple’s iOS 10, but is still backwards compatible with iOS 9 iPhones. We made some minor improvements to the screen layout and added some extra status messages. For example, when a new song starts to play, it takes a few seconds for enTrainer to calculate the song’s beats per minute (BPM), before it settles into the correct tempo to match your running cadence.

We have some exciting new features planned for 2017, so please check back soon. Enjoy the Run!

Our new enTrainer 1.2 version allows you to customize and save your Target Cadence presets. For example, you can set separate paces for warm-up, jogging and running. Then easily switch between them during your run.

The cadence measurement has been completely re-worked and you don’t need to do anything to see it displayed. It now is shown on the main music player view. You will see it next to the “Tempo” setting of the song being played. When Tempo = Cadence, it feels good! Simple, eh?

This also means that the Adaptive Sync – now called “Music Follow Me” feature works much better now, more responsive and natural. You’ll also see a change in the display when it you use it.

Finally, the distance measurements and other stats are more accurate, and behave well with the “smart pausing” feature.

It is rare that users already have BPM data in their iTunes library.

enTrainer’s automatic Beat Detection feature will calculate the tempo of each song in your playlist just as a song starts to play. It may take 5 seconds or so to complete this task, which is why you may notice a change in speed once the calculation completes.

enTrainer strives for accuracy, however some music is challenging. Fortunately, the best music for your activity usually has a steady and pronounced beat anyway, so you should hear excellent results.

The song’s tempo will be displayed once the BPM calculation is complete.

The “ratio” shows you how much the music is slowed down or sped up to match your target cadence.

This setting will continue to measure your cadence and distance, relying solely on the iPhone’s accelerometer. By disabling the GPS and data connection (which is used to download map data), you save significant battery usage. 

That said, when the GPS is enabled, enTrainer is careful to use only the minimum power required.


enTrainer supports most mp3, m4a, AIFF and WAV formats. It does not support the the older iTunes Store format that has DRM (Digital Rights Management, aka FairPlay “Protected AAC audio file”). Fortunately, Apple stopped using this format several years ago and songs purchased on iTunes are fully compatible now. 

Should you have older Apple Protected AAC audio files in your library, Apple has an upgrade program called “Music Match”, which will replace these files with higher bitrate and unprotected versions.

Otherwise, if these files are in your playlist, enTrainer will simply skip over them.