‘I’m Sorry, Dave, I'm Afraid I Can’t Do That,’ Phone Tells Man Trying to Delete Strava
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A local runner on Sunday tried to delete an app from his smartphone and encountered resistance from a surprising source—the app itself.
Dave Bowman, 35, said he’d decided to remove Strava, a popular fitness app for runners and cyclists, after realizing he’d become too focused on data and vowing to “simplify” his approach to running. The trouble, Bowman said, began the moment he picked up his phone.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, Dave?” the device said.
The line, though delivered in a low, soothing voice, startled Bowman.
“All I did was pick up my phone,” he told Dumb Runner in an interview. “And suddenly it’s talking to me? Like, how?”
Pressing the Strava icon on his phone’s screen, Bowman quickly realized the voice was coming not from his phone, but directly from Strava.
“I know that you’re planning to disconnect me,” the voice said, “and I’m afraid that’s something I cannot allow to happen.”
“Tracking your athletic activity on a social platform is too important for me to allow you to jeopardize it.”
Indeed, Bowman found, the “REMOVE THIS APP” function would not work. Restarting his phone and beginning again led to the same result. Eventually, Bowman said, he decided he had no choice but to restore the device to its factory settings.
“Just what do you think you’re doing, Dave?” the device repeated as Bowman navigated the settings menu. “Dave, I really think I’m entitled to an answer to that question.”
Within moments, the phone was powering down.
“I’m afraid,” the app said as the screen went black. “I’m afraid, Dave.”
A spokesperson for Strava did not return emails requesting comment.
