Choose your equipment. Build your training setup.

First decide what you want to measure

A start sequence gives the athlete commands and a signal. Reaction feedback estimates the first detected response to that signal. A sprint time continues until somebody stops a timer. They are different tools: a reaction result is not a 30 m time, and a manually stopped stopwatch is not automatic finish detection.

Phone camera, reaction drills, sessions and Tools are Premium features, also included in Pro. Supported Watch training requires Pro or an active training trial. Check the current plans and release availability before choosing your setup.

Coach timing with a phone and Bluetooth speaker

Best for: keeping the start audio beside the athlete while the coach holds the phone and times the run.

1. Pair a Bluetooth speaker through the phone’s normal Bluetooth settings. Place the speaker near the athlete, safely clear of the blocks and running lane.
2. Keep the phone with the coach. Choose your starter voice, start signal, timing and walk-to-blocks delay. Preview the audio and check that the athlete can hear it.
3. On the main start screen, switch Sprint timer on. Start the sequence; RaceCue gives On Your Marks, Set and Go, and the phone’s sprint timer starts at Go.
4. Watch the athlete cross your chosen finish point and press Stop Timer. Review the manual training time, then reset for another repetition.

The finish is stopped by the coach. Bluetooth audio latency varies, and the app timer is tied to its own start event rather than a measurement of when sound reaches the athlete. Keep the setup consistent; do not interpret the result as certified timing. If you leave the phone at the blocks, use the next setup with your own stopwatch instead.

Coach’s own stopwatch: two rear-light start modes

Best for: a coach standing away from the start, with the phone left beside the athlete and a separate stopwatch in hand.

1. Place the phone so the athlete can hear the commands and the coach can see the selected visual cue. Aim the rear light toward the coach if using the torch; aim the screen toward the coach if using the screen flash.
2. Open Start settings → Visual Start Signal. A screen flash is one option; the rear Phone torch has two start modes on supported devices.
3. Flash at Start: the rear light flashes briefly at the start signal. Start your stopwatch when you see the flash.
4. Light Off at Start: the rear light stays on during the sequence and switches off at the start signal. Start your stopwatch when it goes out.
5. Stop your own stopwatch at the athlete’s finish. RaceCue supplies the start cue; your stopwatch records the manually observed training time.

Use Preview visual signals before the session. Screen-flash colour and duration can be adjusted. Visibility depends on daylight, angle and distance; check the actual setup rather than assuming the cue will be visible from anywhere.

The rear torch needs a supported camera light and camera permission. Stop Start Detection and Start Video before using it: the rear-light mode cannot share that camera with those features. A coach responding to a flash still adds a manual response delay; this is a training workflow.

Solo starts with a phone and no watch

Audio-only: put the phone safely beside the blocks, choose a walk-to-blocks delay, press Start and get into position. The delay gives you time to prepare before the starter begins. You do not need to carry the phone to hear a start sequence.

Hands-free: mount the phone side-on, open Camera → Start detection and enable hands-free auto-start. Prepare the camera, enter the target position and hold still. The detection workflow can begin its countdown and start sequence without a touch at the blocks.

Audio alone does not measure your reaction. Use camera reaction timing or a supported wearable if you want movement feedback. A sprint timer also does not know when you reach a distant finish: without another timing method, it needs a manual stop.

Camera early-movement detection, reaction timing and start video

For movement feedback: place a stable mounted phone side-on with a clear view of the athlete. In Start detection, choose camera reaction timing. The camera can estimate visible movement after the start signal and identify an early move during Set. It is a training estimate affected by frame rate, light, position and what is visible.

Auto-start and reaction are separate choices. Enable auto-start if you want the camera to start the sequence once you settle. Enable reaction timing if you want camera movement feedback. You can use both together; opening the Camera tab alone does not turn them on.

For video review: switch from Start detection to Start video, prepare the camera and microphone permissions where available, then start a repetition. RaceCue records around the start sequence so you can review the movement and save the clip. Choose detection or recording; RaceCue does not run both camera modes at once.

If Start Detection is active while a Watch is selected, the full-start reaction result uses the camera source. Do not assume a connected Watch automatically takes priority. Choose the measurement method deliberately and compare like with like.

Apple Watch with the iPhone starter

1. Install the matching RaceCue apps on the paired iPhone and Watch. Open both, then choose Apple Watch under Wearables on iPhone.
2. Enable wrist-movement reaction feedback if you want it. The Watch connection and measurement option are separate from choosing the phone’s starter voice and timing.
3. Start Full Start from the Watch or phone. The commands and gun play on iPhone; keep the phone positioned so the athlete can hear them.
4. Hold still during Set, then react to the signal. Wrist feedback and early-movement alerts help you review that start. They are not an official false-start decision.
5. If using the Watch stopwatch, it begins with the gun. Tap the running Watch timer to stop it, check the manually stopped time on the Watch. If the phone is out of range, its timer cannot update live; the stop is queued and may arrive after reconnection.

The reaction result is the first detected wrist movement; the sprint result is the stopwatch time until you stop it. They should not be confused. For a complete introduction, see Apple Watch sprint starts and reaction training.

No phone nearby? Use independent Watch starts

After the Watch app and access are set up, choose Independent Start on Apple Watch to train away from the phone. Marks, Set and Go use distinct tones on the Watch. You can use the Watch’s timing tools without leaving a phone beside the blocks.

Independent tones are different from connected phone starts: they do not play the complete recorded voice library on the Watch. Use connected Full Start when you want your iPhone’s selected starter voice, language and audio configuration. Keep your purchased or trial access in good standing and reconnect when the app asks to refresh it.

Wear OS and Garmin are being tested for later releases. Their final feature sets and release dates will be announced separately; do not assume every Watch platform has identical reaction support.

Want the camera to time your finish? Photo Finish preview

For athletes who mainly want timed training repetitions, the private two-iPhone Photo Finish project uses a Start phone and a mounted Finish phone. Try short accelerations first; longer track distances require a connection test and may benefit from a hotspot. Current owner-reported observations range from about 40–50 m direct to 70–80 m using the Start phone’s hotspot, and 120–150 m in limited tests with a third phone’s hotspot between them. These are not guaranteed ranges.

For covered venues, also consider two timing phones on the same local Wi-Fi network; test across its actual coverage, since internet access does not guarantee that devices can communicate. A single finish phone + Bluetooth speaker scenario is shown separately as planned, not currently available for automatic PF.

One-person PF can combine Watch wrist-reaction feedback with the camera’s finish time. Optional V2 group capture is controlled on the phones. Read the full Photo Finish setup, distance examples and equipment comparison. Photo Finish is not yet in the public app; other sports’ start protocols remain roadmap ideas.

Reaction practice with movement, touch or Watch

Open Reaction for a focused drill. Choose phone movement, touch, or your supported enabled Watch. For phone movement, grant motion access, hold still to calibrate, then respond after the signal. Touch measures a screen response; movement measures motion of the device or wrist.

You do not need to sprint on every attempt: use a clear stationary drill to practise listening rather than anticipating. Keep the same input method when comparing attempts. Early movement can be flagged before the signal; these results are training feedback rather than certified competition reaction times.

Make the starter suit the session

• Voices and languages: choose a recorded starter persona and spoken language, preview voices, or record your own commands. Interface language can be different from starter language.
• Random Starter: let RaceCue vary the recorded starter within your selected language. It changes the voice choice, rather than silently changing all your timing settings.
• Timing and presets: adjust the walk-to-blocks delay, Marks-to-Set interval and Set hold. Use fixed or varied timing to fit the purpose of the session, then save useful configurations.
• Signals and displays: choose the start sound and screen presentation. A camera recording, a camera detector and a rear torch have different purposes, so check the selected mode.
• Pressure: configure simulated recalls, stand-ups, misfires and track atmosphere to practise focus. Simulated interruptions are distinct from movement-based early-start feedback.
• Historic Finals: choose a timing recreation, see the lane lineup and run the starter sequence, then reveal the official race results. Competition holds can be longer while the field and stadium settle.
• Sessions: build structured repetitions with recovery. Optional minute warnings, final countdowns and walk-to-start cues reduce the need to keep checking the phone. Coach sessions support athlete/lane organisation and session review.

Stopwatch, countdown and useful review

Open Tools for a separate manual stopwatch and countdown. Select a preset or enter custom minutes and seconds; switch to full screen for a clear trackside view. A recovery countdown is a tool, not a measurement of sprint reaction.

Review results with their date, time and measurement method where available. The shared recent-results log retains the newest ten entries on that phone, and individual bin buttons let you remove a mistaken measurement without clearing everything. Session history provides the context of the workout.

Two-phone Photo Finish is a separate private-testing project. It is not part of the public Apple Watch launch. Today’s manually stopped phone or Watch timer should not be advertised as automatic finish-line detection.

Explore the full sprint-start app, compare Premium and Pro, or read the reaction-time training guide.