The short version
- Otterow works with Concept2 PM5, most Bluetooth FTMS rowers and Bluetooth heart-rate straps.
- Rower not showing up? Close other fitness apps, check Bluetooth, and on a PM5 open Menu, then Connect.
- No rower nearby? Tap “Try the demo rower” in the app.
- Your rows live on your phone. Make a backup before you change phones.
- Anything else: hello@otterow.com. A person reads every email.
Which rowers work
Otterow connects over Bluetooth to the Concept2 PM5 and to rowers that support the Bluetooth fitness standard, FTMS. Other rowers do not appear in the list. Not every FTMS model has been tested. If yours does not connect, write to us. PM3 and PM4 monitors have no Bluetooth and cannot connect.
Otterow shows only what your rower sends. Some rowers do not send power or stroke rate, and stroke shape needs a Concept2 PM5.
Heart-rate straps that send heart rate over Bluetooth work as well.
The rower does not show up
- Wake the rower: pull the handle or press a button. On a PM5, open Menu and choose Connect.
- Close other fitness apps. A rower talks to one app at a time.
- Check that Bluetooth is on and that Otterow may use it. On Android 12 and newer this is the “Nearby devices” permission. On Android 8 to 11 it is “Location”. On iPhone, allow Bluetooth for Otterow in the settings.
- On Android 8 to 11 the permission is not enough: also switch on Location in the phone’s quick settings.
- Keep the phone close to the rower.
- Still nothing? Switch the rower off and on again, then look again.
Try it without a rower
While the app looks for your rower, tap “Try the demo rower”. It rows by itself, so you can try a workout, hear the coach and see a finished row.
The rower disconnects during a row
The workout pauses. The time and distance during the gap are not counted. Wake the rower, then tap “Resume”: the app reconnects. Tap “Resume” again to carry on.
The sign-in code did not arrive
You only need an account to share a row as a web page or to row together. The code comes from an otterow.com address and works for 10 minutes. Look in the spam folder. Check the address on the code screen (“We sent a code to …”); if it is wrong, tap “Change email”. After one minute you can ask for a new code with “Send a new code” on the code screen. If a short check appears first, complete it: when it is closed early, no code is sent. The mail comes in the language the app had when you first signed in. You can also sign in with Google on Android or with Apple on iPhone.
Moving to a new phone
Your rows are stored on your phone. A row you share as a web page is also kept on our servers until you turn its link off. An account does not move your rows to a new phone.
On the old phone, go to Settings → Your data → Backup and tap “Back up now”. Save the file somewhere you can reach from the new phone, such as a cloud drive, or email it to yourself. On the new phone, go to Settings → Your data and tap “Restore from a backup”. Your shared pages are under Settings → Account → Shared links once you sign in with the same account.
Write to us
Write to hello@otterow.com. Tell us your phone model, your rower and what you saw. Or, in the app, go to Settings → About → Send feedback: the app version and your phone model are filled in for you.
