Quick Start

Two identical pods — the app decides which foot. Do these in order.

1. Charge both pods first

Ten minutes on the cable before you do anything else. A pod that's been in a box since it shipped is asleep and won't show up when the app scans for it. This is the number one reason a first pairing fails.

2. Install the app, make an account

Download Prowess: testflight.apple.com/join/VFhfSshh. Tap Create account — you'll get a verification link by email, and you have to click it before you can go further (check spam if it isn't there in a minute).

Everything lives on your account, not on the pods: your runs, your baseline, your calibration.

3. Pick your goal

It sets which metrics the app puts in front of you — Return to Run (rebuilding after injury), Optimize Stride (efficiency), Increase Mileage (adding volume safely), or Safe Walking. Change it any time in Profile; it changes what's emphasized, never what's recorded.

4. Pair the pods

Turn Bluetooth on, shake a pod awake, and tap Scan the pod's QR sticker (also in Profile) — point the camera at the small sticker on the pod's back. It pairs that exact pod and knows left from right. Repeat for the second pod.

Nothing showing up? Shake the pod to wake it, keep it off the charger, and check that Prowess has Bluetooth permission in your phone settings.

5. Mount them

Clip each pod to the laces, on top of the foot, and pull it snug. A pod that can rock or slide reads impact higher than it really is — if the mount is loose, the app will tell you, and that warning is worth trusting.

6. Go run

Just run. The pods start on their own when you start moving — no button to press, and you can leave your phone behind. When you're back, open the app with the pods nearby; they'll sync and your run will score in about twenty seconds.

7. Calibrate distance on your first run

Do this once, on run one. Prowess measures your stride directly rather than using GPS — that's what lets it work indoors and without your phone — but until it learns your stride, distance is an estimate that typically reads about 15% short, shown with an est. label.

How: run something you actually know — a track, a measured route, or a treadmill you trust. Sync it, then tap “Lock in your distance accuracy” on the dashboard and type the true distance. Every run after that uses the corrected figure, and past runs recompute too.

What your numbers mean

• Prowess Score — one number for the run, built from how economically and how softly you're moving. Scored against your own history, not someone else's.
• Impact Load — how much pounding that run put through you. Real on day one; means more each week.
• Cadence, ground contact, braking, left–right balance are measurements, not verdicts. The trend is the signal — don't read too much into any one run.

Looking after them

• Charge both pods on the same cable when they get low; the app shows battery.
• They handle rain and sweat. Don't swim in them.
• Wipe them dry after a wet run before charging.
• Take them off the shoes for long-term storage.

If something seems wrong

• Pod won't pair — charge it, shake it awake, check Bluetooth permission.
• Run didn't sync — open the app near the pods and wait a moment. Runs are held on the pod until they land; they aren't lost.
• Distance looks wrong — you haven't calibrated yet, or calibrated against a source that was off. Recalibrate on a track.
• Impact reads high — check the mount is snug.
• A number looks impossible — tell us, with the date and time of the run.

Getting help

A real person answers — usually the person who built this: connor@wearprowess.com

Prowess measures movement. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose, treat, or prevent injury or illness. If something hurts, see a clinician.