Bug: Blurred / out of focus screenshots (iOS/iPadOS)

It is an ipad Pro 12.9 (MHNG3B/A), latest version of operating system. Its technically “iPadOS” for the ipads, used to be called iOS but I think they changed the name at some point, same difference.

Have the other riders you’ve seen with this issue found a resolution? Might a delete/re-install correct the issue?

When you are seeing the fuzzy photos, is this in the Companion app? Strava? Zwift website? All of the above? I have definitely noted that when viewing photos in the Companion app they can be fuzzy when I first open them, but then they ‘clear up’ after a few seconds.

These are the activity photos as saved with the activity and uploaded to the Zwift activity feed (i.e. as visible at The at Home Cycling & Running Virtual Training App).

If I had Strava sync enabled (I don’t currently) then the same “blurred” photos appear there, yes.

(thanks for your persistence with this! :slight_smile: It would be nice if Zwift support took an interest, but I’ll take what I can get :sweat_smile:)

I’m not quite sure. Just been seeing riders on strava with blurry screenshots. I’ll try and ask a few of them.

There are a couple of known issue with screenshots, one specifically crashes Apple devices. Your blurred screenshots may or may not be related to the root causes of these other things for which the fix is coming next week.

In the meantime, I’ll flag up your report. Thanks for the screenshots, as these help us see what’s happening on your end.

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@shooj @anon99260137. Coincidentally enough, I actually ended up having this issue for the first time on my ride this afternoon. A couple of things I noted, the first of which appears to be true for @anon99260137 photos above, also. (The second might be true, but there is not yet enough information to know.)

  1. The photo does not have all of the elements I would expect. In my photo, the watts/cadence/HR window is missing. In the first photo @anon99260137 posted the only element showing is the minimap. And in the second the watts/cadence/HR window is missing.

  2. The second thing is that I had been doing a workout and, when saving my ride, the screenshot with the workout summary (the window that pops up at the end of the workout) was not included in the available photos. And, perhaps interestingly, the blurred photo appears to be from about the time that photo would have been taken. It sort of looks like the program just got confused when trying to take that image. @anon99260137 any chance your blurry photos were taken right at the end of a workout, or some sort of event?

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Thanks @shooj appreciate you logging this, let me know if you need more info.

@Nigel_Tufnel good to see the independent verification, again with screenshots, should help confirm/validate this as a real issue for Zwift support! At least I know I’m not imagining it now :smiley: In terms of the points you make, they’re very valid. (1) UI elements do seem to be missing yes, not sure if this will help Zwift identify cause of the bug, and (2) I do a workout on most of my rides, its hard to say if the screenshots were taken during the workout or afterwards though because of all the missing UI elements as per your first point. However, given that I understand screenshots are taken at “key” moments now, such as taking KOM jerseys, finishing workouts etc then that is certainly plausible. It may also explain why only relatively few people are reporting this issue, if it is limited to screenshots taken at end of workouts only, however I cannot confirm either way.

@anon99260137 and @Nigel_Tufnel

Are you two enabling HUDless mode intentionally?
If no - wondering why the HUD across the top would go missing.
If yes - wondering how the leaderboard and/or Riders nearby are still showing.

Are you using any game mods by any chance? If you are - what happens when you disable them?

@shooj we are both using Apple devices. Are any mods even possible? If so, I am not using any. Also, HUD was enabled for me. This is the first time I recall seeing this, but it sounds like @anon99260137 sees this regularly.

@shooj :

  1. I am not using HUDless mode no. It only appears that way in the screenshot.
  2. I am on ipadOS on an iPad Pro. The ipad is bought direct from Apple (legitimate) and has never been modified. The iOS is as provided by Apple, at latest release. The Zwift install is from the Apple store, latest release. There are no modifications to either the iOS or to Zwift (I wouldn’t know how, lol).

Btw, It would be nice, if we can enable the HUDless view in workout mode. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

One issue, one thread, go raise your own feature request, mister :wink:

I couldn’t resist the comment when even an employee doesn’t know that both (WO and HUDless view) aren’t possible. Don’t be so strict. :wink:

But back to topic, maybe it has something to do how the new homescreen/menus work. They blur the background when you are in.
I never saw this on my setup (ATV 4K, 2017).

Two more instances of this I’ve seen on my Strava feed Both are from separate users. I’m seeing this bug multiple times from multiple people on my Strava feed, this is clearly very widespread. Is this bug logged now please @shooj ?

and

I’ve edited my original post to add/include this information but to summarise:

  • Issue is very common, happening to thousands of riders
  • The UI overlays are always clear, the in-game footage is blurred
  • It has nothing to do with workout “pain” effect (pain effect option disabled)
  • Happens even when Zwift and OS patched to latest version, and hard-restarted
  • Happens regardless of whether in a workout or free riding
  • Happens on many (perhaps all) maps including Makuri/Urukazi, Watopia and France
  • User is not in “HUDless” mode when it occurs
  • Happens when users have no “mods” installed (and have never had any mods installed previously either)
  • In all instances so far certian UI elements (eg map) are present, but others (power/distance/drops bar at top for example) are missing

@shooj I would like to add a couple of things to @anon99260137 post above:

  • I am not sure this happens in a workout of free riding.
  • Based on the photos I have seen, which is certainly not all of them, it happens only in a workout
  • I guess not actually IN a workout, but immediately after, at the time when the screen would normally be showing the workout summary (a screen in which the background is typically blurred, IIRC.
  • Maybe also important: This appears to happens only when completing a custom workout. It does not seem to happen at the conclusion of a Zwift workout.

@anon99260137 please feel free to contradict or affirm any of my comments, as I think you have noted more of these photos than I have. I only checked the past activities of ‘Richo’ as A. Eversdijk’s activities are private.

Thanks @Nigel_Tufnel, some good investigative work there - hadn’t thought about the possible link to custom workouts. I do use those rarely but more often I’m using workouts synced from Training Peaks. They’re still not “official” Zwift workouts, but not technically “custom” either (in that they don’t appear in the “custom workouts” folder - so if we say “any workouts other than from the Zwift workouts library” as opposed to “custom workouts” (which means something slightly more specific in Zwift-land) then that could be a good spot/you could be on to something. It may also explain why this issue is being more widely reported, since I would guess most users stick to Zwift workouts rather than creating (or syncing/importing) their own?

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@shooj another one today. Definitely right at the conclusion of a custom workout. The blurred effect seems consistent with what one would see as the background of the photo that should have the workout summary displayed, but instead of the workout summary the window shows the two screen elements that are consistent between the workout and free ride screens.

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Great work getting to the bottom of this Nigel. I am confident that you have nailed it as to when this occurs. The only slight discrepancy is just to note that the UI elements shown are not always consistent: see my very first screenshot posted: I likely had the rider list hidden at the time (I do this sometimes during harder workouts to prevent distractions) so isn’t shown i the screenshot. So just to point out there may sometimes only be one screen element (map) showing, it just remains consistent with whatever was on your screen at the time screenshot was taken (topbar etc excepting).