Zwift has just announced via a forum post that they are rolling out the ability the “Return to Home” when saving your activity.
While it may sound a bit odd, this actually big news to many Zwifters, since it’s probably the most requested feature in Zwift history.
PC and Mac First
The feature will be released today on PC and Mac platforms only. Zwift says, “This feature will be released on iOS / Android / Apple TV at a future date.”
iOS / Android / Apple TV users may complain about the delay, but it’s important to note that these platforms have the easiest/quickest Zwift reboots. PC and Mac users, on the other hand, typically take 3+ minutes to save an activity then restart a new activity, and this update changes that!
How it Works
It’s not rocket science – it works exactly as you would imagine. Now when you save or discard your activity, you’re taken back to the home screen, where you can choose a new route, join another rider, choose a workout, sign up for an event… or click “Exit” to leave the game.
Users will notice two changes to the interface, which enables this “Return to Home” feature. The first is a revamped Save/Discard dialog. The second is the “Exit” button on the home screen:
New Save/Discard dialog 
New “Exit” button
The new Save dialog includes a photo picker, but only if you’ve ridden at least 2km. (And yes, the photos that show up are only those taken during the current activity):
If you end your session using the Companion app, the new UI looks like this:
New Deployment Method – Who Dis?
We’re excited to finally have “Return to Home” – but we’re more excited about how Zwift rolled this feature out. Did you notice what changed?
This feature rolled out without an update to download!
That means Zwift has developed the ability, in some measure, to bake new features into downloadable releases, then remotely enable those features for select users (in this case, PC and Mac platforms). This opens up a world of new feature testing potential – imagine rolling out a new feature just to experienced (level 40+ users) for testing and feedback. Or only to users who have led rides.
Zwift says, “in an effort to better test new functionality roll outs, we’re evolving our feature deployment in a way that’s independent of a game client download. While we didn’t deploy this one perfectly, we are excited about additional capabilities to test features and functionality with smaller segments of our member base – this ensures better testing, better iteration, and a better final product for all Zwifters.”
Your Thoughts
Share below! You might also want to share questions or comments on Zwift’s official forum thread.
Awesome!!!!
Brilliant, about time!
Nobody asked for this! 😜
Just seen this when I finished my session. Brilliant news. Thanks all. 😍😍😍
Same. Pleasant surprise this morning.
Yess!
About bloody time … we’ve only been waiting years …👍
Woo Hoo!
Rejoyce!!
This matters even more than the cool new Zipp graphics on my wheels!
No…Zipp graphics are the most important.
👏👏👏🎉
The new deployment method is actually the bigger news here
Long-term, I believe you’re right!
Reckon so. Said more or less the same thing on the forum
At last!
And about features to work for example at a Samsung Tab A???
Never going to happen, it’s not up to running Zwift.
Frankly, it’s not up to running anything
Yuhuu! And it worked on only the second try! 😀
Literal game changer
I see what you did there 😂
This just in from our correspondent in the 7th circle of Dante’s Inferno. There has been an unexpected weather event that has blanketed the entire region with a powdery white substance. Local roads and pathways are inexplicably slippery, coated with an unknown substance that is translucent, extremely cold, and smooth.
^^^^^^😂
The report explicitly claims that the substance itself is cold but makes no mention of the ambient temperature. So we may have to wait a while for the Zwift gods to answer the rest of our prayers.
Before is was annoying…….but now its perfect 😁
They might called NASA to implement this. Awesome😮
But what if I want to quit and close? They’ve basically replaced a forced choice with a different forced choice, surely it would be progress to give users a choice of what they want to do instead of forcing them to do one thing or another at the whims of the developer.
“get your pitchforks here, folks. Get ’em while they’re fresh…”
It’s just one click more, like in any other application/game.
OMG it’s always the ones sitting at home with the brilliant ideas than the ones doing all the work.
You are totally right, this was the first thing I thought when using the new feature. And yes, this shouldn’t be much effort (speaking as a software developer myself).
Oh for heaven’s sake…
To all the folks defending Zwift, this “solution” is still half baked (at best). You still need to start a ride to get to anything behind the menu button. And how hard would it have been to include a save and close button as well, since that is probably what 90% of people will do (I know I will, since I don’t trust Zwift to run properly without a restart). So they added a extra step to the most likely workflow, in order to facilitate a less likely path. As an ex-UI developer, this is just a bad solution. I am beginning to think that the underlying structure is so borked the only answer is to burn it to the ground and start over. And I love Zwift, I just hate to see how damaged the software development is.
I guess some at Zwift was reading this. They just made my ride exit without the extra step, or really, any steps at all. It did this without saving, mind you.
[[ For the sarcasm-impaired, Zwift just crashed and exited and and left behind a corrupt .FIT file that I can’t import. Zwift has never crashed on me before this ride. ]]
Woohoo!
Had that happen today. Thought Zwift had glitched or crashed. Cool feature, but a heads up about the change would have been nice.
I did get an email, and this was effective on my next ride.
Amazing it took so long for such a basic feature but much appreciated anyway.
Wow, something we have been wanting and asking for for so long and we actually got it! I want to say thank you Zwift but at the same time why did it take so long?
Great, and it works
My biggest pet peeve was having to exit. Now if they can only make the garage and achievements available without having to go into a ride would be a plus too
Thanks for your comment, Evan. I didn’t wanna be a Party pooper and put this one on main thread sinceeverybody SO excited, but when I saw Return To Home title I was hoping the new feature will include My Garage and Achievements, as well…😔 Yes, it is somehow improvement, but if I still need to sign up for the Ride, quit, and Exit it in order to get to My Garage then it doesn’t do me any good 😕. Ride On!
Today I was pleasantly surprised when I finished the event. The new deployment method is also very posptive. Thank’s Zwift 👏
And there was much rejoicing….yay….Thanks for listening Zwift. 🙂
Boom!!!
YES!!! Finally!! Thank you!!! Now we just need a Lap counter. 🙂
Thank you for the hard work!
Yay, they finally fixed that issue. I’ve only been zwifting for a year, but that was one thing I could never understand with zwift. Having to quit the entire game just to change a ride or start something else after U finished, was such a waste of time. So glad it’s fixed now thanks zwift. Oh and thanks Eric for all your work and effort with the insider. Cheers gav
Halleluiah indeed!
But they broke the integration with Tacx Bluematic and other Tacx trainers I believe. The wattage goes crazy with barely pedaling 😩
Basically THE biggest feature release in Zwift history! It’s actually crazy just how long it’s taken Zwift to integrate this feature, but great to see it and well done.
Feature flags!? Whoa they at least have an intern coding now!
Will this allow you to ride on one route or world and then go to a different one and have the miles totalled so you could get your Century ride badge from different routes or worlds? For example do 25 miles on one route, then 50 miles on another and another 25 on yet another to accomplish a 100 mile ride, but not have to do them all on the same route or world?
Nope.
Will this allow me to do a brick session meaning doing a run after a ride without exiting?
Haven’t tried that, but it should work. Just click to the pairing screen and change to run, then go.
Awesome!. Now for the “monthly” route updates….😂
Jabba dabba duuuu! 😃😃👏👏
It took like, 5+ years for them to ‘listen’, that’s poor but at least it’s done now! Next please – stop bloody informing everyone when I go on Zwift!!!
It was a surprise when I finished my ride last night… Well done Zwift this has made separating warm ups and cool downs from my workout easy. 👍
The happiness in de comments is beyond any measures! 😀
Now, when I complete one ride and start another, will it save to Strava as 2 separate rides? I think it will, with both their own screenshots, right?
yes, still two distinct rides, but you avoid having to re-load zwift for the second ride.
…which I was hoping. I log my Strava rides including the title of the route I rode (for easier double check on badges) So this is ideal! #badgehunting
Almost. I did two rides “back to back” yesterday and it uploaded the screenshots (done via F10 on a laptop) to both rides on Zwift but only to the first one on Strava.
Finally!
Thank you.
The ‘choose picture from current work-out’ bit is still flawed. Yesterday I first did a race and then went to another world to ride a cooldown. When I was done with the cooldown and saved that ride I had one picture to add – taken in the start pens of the race. This issue also existed before the update.
A feature that should’ve been available since the beta in September 2014, but I’m stoked nonetheless! Noticed this feature yesterday before I had heard anything about it, so I was quite surprised.
We will be able to change of pace partner during the warm up (because starting with B.Brevet is too hard, then it’s ok, and finally it’s too easy). Tomorrow, I’ll start with C.Cadence before switching ! Great new !
Why would they PC and MAC first??????? I see that they say that IOS/Android has a faster reboot but I look at most rides and I see the majority using their phone so this makes absolutely no sense…….. and not to have a date for the IOS/Android rollout is crazy.
>but I look at most rides and I see the majority using their phone
If you mean the phone icon next to their name, that just mean they are using the companion app, not that they’re running the game on a phone.
Riders phone symbol appears on screen if they are using the companion app on their phone whist riding, not necessarily running zwift on it… I use apple tv with my phone running the companion app so I can interact with riders & have the map in front of me…
Yeah, the majority of Zwifters definitely are NOT doing it on their phones. AppleTV is quite popular, as are PC/Mac.
Zwift rolling it out on PC/Mac first makes a LOT of sense, for reasons already stated.
I run zwift on the PC, but have the phone app open at the same time as it is more convenient for taking screenshot images and giving ride ons than the laptop.
I can’t imagine running zwift only on the companion app, except that time the laptop battery ran out mid ride, it was not a great experience and I wouldn’t want to repeat it.
You can’t run Zwift from the Companion app. There is a Zwift app, then there’s a Companion app. Two different apps!
True! I have often used the companion phone app with my main system whether it be a PC, MAC or apple TV. Only time I use my phone for running full Zwift app is for running outside. It now pairs with the apple watch app. Only 2 more elusive badges to go! 500 and 1000 running miles! Go ta catch them all!
Probably a good thing now that I know what is going on, but I missed a race yesterday as my PC kept crashing when I tried to join without closing the on-going warmup.
Used it today, absolutely brilliant 👍👍
What is that “Active Club” Feature there in the start screen to choose from? I don’t have it😳
It only shows up in your a member of one or more Clubs.
Yes!!!!!