Runtastic Pro is temporarily free in Apple Store app

Runtastic Pro 5.2 for iOS (iPhone screenshot 001)

Runtastic Pro, which normally sells for $4.99, has gone free exclusively through Apple’s free Apple Store application for the iPhone and iPad (not to be confused with the App Store). The official Apple Store app is a sleek and awesome way to browse thousands of products carried on Apple’s online and brick-and-mortar stores. It also offers exclusive deals: not just to Apple Store visitors, but to anyone who has downloaded the software to their device.

Case in point: last week, the gorgeous Rise Alarm Clock went free in the Apple Store software. This week, the app is offering Runtastic Pro free for a limited time. Again, this offer is exclusive to the Apple Store app: Runtastic Pro still costs money if you download it directly from the App Store. With that off my chest, here’s how you can redeem your free copy of Runtastic Pro in the Apple Store app…

Runtastic Pro tracks your distance travelled, measures the duration, speed and elevation change during your run, in addition to calories burned and a host of other key fitness stats related to running, jogging, biking and walking.

The app uses location services to map your runs and was recently overhauled with a brand new interface and given useful new features like the ability to view real-time activity stats on your Runtastic Orbit and automatically calculate your top heart rate values and heart rate zones when you enter resting, and lots more.

How to redeem Runtastic Pro free offer in Apple Store app

Step 1: Download Apple’s free Apple Store app to your device and open the app. Tap the Stores section and choose any retail store under All Stores, or search for a specific store (i.e. ‘Fifth Avenue’).

Apple Store (Runtastic Pro free offer 001)

Once you land on a store page, look for ‘Runtastic Pro’ halfway down the section. Tap it.

Step 2: You’ll be offered a promotional code for Runtastic Pro. Hit the big green Download now for free button at the bottom. Doing so will yank you out of the Apple Store app and open the iTunes app. Upon signing in with your Apple ID, you should be able to redeem the code.

Apple Store (Runtastic Pro free offer 002)

If all goes well, your download will begin automatically and you’ll seed a confirmation message like this.

Apple Store (Runtastic Pro free offer 003)

This offer requires that you redeem the app with a U.S. Apple ID, iTunes Store or App Store account.

Our oversea readers needn’t worry, however: simply create yourself a US-based Apple ID account without a credit card in order to download free apps, music, movies and other free items on Apple’s U.S.-based online content stores.

In addition to the premium Runtastic Pro experience with advanced stuff like geotagging, routes, voice coach, auto-pause and more, the basic Runtastic edition with fewer capabilities is available to try free of charge.

Here’s the difference between the basic and Pro edition:

App features:

  • Map workouts in real-time with GPS & monitor exercise progress
  • LIVE Tracking & Cheering: Share location, receive messages & cheers
  • Dashboard configuration: Display preferred training statistics
  • Mapping: Detailed live mapping & historic mapping (Google Maps)
  • Personal training diary & advanced statistics
  • Enjoy cardio workouts with the integrated music player
  • Post-activity details: Enter mood & surface info, receive hydration recommendation
  • Orbit Connect: View activity stats on Runtastic Orbit, our new 24-hour wearable
  • Integrate Runtastic activities with MyFitnessPal
  • Graphs: Elevation, pace, speed & heart rate info from your jog, run or walk
  • Manual entry of workouts: Add treadmill, spinning & weight lifting workouts
  • Monthly & overall metrics for distance, number of workouts, duration & calories burned
  • Share exercise activities on Facebook, Twitter & email

Pro app features:

  • Voice Coach: Audio feedback based on your personal preferences
  • Auto Pause: Session paused automatically when you stop moving
  • Routes: Create or find exercise routes on Runtastic.com & sync to phone
  • Challenge a Run: Compete against yourself by challenging past activity results
  • Colored Traces: Colors indicate training changes, incl. pace, elevation, slope
  • Powersong: Activate to give your workout a boost
  • Training goals: Select heart rate zone, calorie goal or pace goal to optimize training
  • Interval training & coaching and dynamic split (km/mi) tables
  • Geotagging: Take photos during workout & see pics online with map trace
  • Weather, temperature & sunrise/sunset data
  • Use for running, jogging, biking, skating, cross country skiing & hand bike training
  • Ad free

Runtastic Pro comes in at 38.5 megabytes and requires an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 7.0 or later.

Note that this promotion is actually part of Apple’s celebration of the life of a college student. The four-part offer advertised under the tagline “Get going. Head out. Work hard. Wind down” kicked off last week with the free Rise Alarm Clock promo.

Two more premium apps related to the life of a college student are expected to go temporarily free and I’ll be making sure to inform you when the deals launch in the Apple Store app.

For the time being, apps like Runtastic save your fitness data online but come this Fall, every health and fitness app with support for Apple’s new HealthKit platform will be able to store and sync data in a centralized iOS database accessible through the new Health stock app.