Xert EBC is Xert's free Android app that turns your phone or Android bike computer into a full-featured cycling head unit. It records your rides, plays structured workouts with full Smart Workout support, shows live Xert metrics like MPA, and syncs everything to your Xert account when you're done.
This guide walks you through installing the app, pairing your sensors, and recording your first ride.
Using a Hammerhead Karoo 2 or Karoo 3? See Xert + Hammerhead Integration for device-specific setup.
What You'll Need
- An Android device running Android 6.0 or newer
- Bluetooth enabled on your device
- A Xert account — create one at xertonline.com if you haven't already
- A power meter (required — EBC needs power data to record a ride)
- Optional: smart trainer (for automatic workout control), heart rate monitor, cadence sensor
Note: Some Android devices support ANT+ sensors, but Bluetooth is recommended for the smoothest experience.
Step 1 — Install and Log In
- Download Xert EBC from the Google Play Store.
- Open the app and log in with your Xert username and password.
- Grant the permissions the app requests. EBC needs:
- Location access — required to pair Bluetooth sensors and to record GPS data on outdoor rides
- Run in background — allows EBC to keep recording when your screen is off or when you switch apps
The exact permission prompts will vary depending on your Android device and version.
Step 2 — Pair Your Sensors
Before your first ride, connect the sensors you'll use.
- Open Settings > Sensors (or tap the sensors icon from the Activity tab before a ride).
- EBC will scan for nearby sensors. Select each one you want to use.
- Confirm each sensor is showing a blue icon — this means data is being received in the app from your paired sensor.
[Screenshot placeholder: Sensor pairing screen with paired devices]
EBC remembers which sensors you use for indoor vs. outdoor rides. When you switch between indoor and outdoor mode, it'll prioritize the sensors you've used with that mode before.
Having trouble pairing? Make sure your sensor isn't already connected to another app — most Bluetooth sensors can only connect to one app at a time.
Step 3 — Prepare Your Ride
Tap the Activity tab at the bottom of the screen. This opens the pre-ride launch screen, where you'll configure your ride before starting.
[Screenshot placeholder: Activity launch screen showing workout slot, sensors, indoor/outdoor toggle, and weather]
Choose indoor or outdoor. Tap the toggle next to the sensors icon:
- Indoor — uses speed calculated from your power data. Best for trainer rides.
- Outdoor — uses GPS for speed and distance. Records your route.
Verify your sensors are connected. Check that each sensor shows a blue icon. If not, tap the sensors section to re-pair or troubleshoot.
Step 4 — Choose What to Do
You have two options for your ride:
Option A: Follow a Structured Workout
Tap the workout section at the top of the launch screen to pick a workout.
- If you sent a workout from the Xert web app's Today page or Workouts page, it appears at the top of the list marked as Workout Ready.
- If you didn't, you'll see your top XATA-recommended workouts at the top, followed by the full workout library.
- You can search by name or filter by library, duration, focus type, or difficulty.
EBC will automatically control your smart trainer during the workout — you don't need to manually set modes.
Want more control? See Trainer Modes in Xert's Workout Players
Option B: Free Ride
Just start recording without picking a workout. You'll get live Xert metrics (MPA, Focus, XSS, and more) throughout the ride.
During a free ride, you can swipe to access Magic Buckets — Xert's feature for hitting your daily Low/High/Peak XSS targets without following a structured workout.
See Magic Buckets Overview for details.
Step 5 — Start the Ride
When you're ready, tap Start. EBC begins recording immediately.
During the ride, EBC shows your key metrics (power, heart rate, MPA, workout progress, and more) across customizable data screens. You can swipe between screens and tap any metric to see a detailed full-screen view.
To customize which metrics appear on each screen, see Customizing Xert EBC: Recording Screens and Settings.
Step 6 — Finish and Save
When you're done:
- Tap the back button on your device, or swipe up on the recording screen.
- Select Stop — this ends the ride and takes you to the summary screen.
- Tap Save to upload your ride to Xert.
[Screenshot placeholder: Ride summary / save screen]
Your ride will sync to your Xert account automatically. If you've configured Strava integration, it can also forward your ride to Strava with a workout report.
Related article: How to Show Xert Breakthrough & Workout Reports on Strava
Troubleshooting Your First Ride
Sensors won't connect
- Make sure Bluetooth is enabled on your Android device
- Make sure the sensor isn't already paired with another app (like Zwift, for example)
- Move closer to the sensor, or power cycle your trainer if it's a smart trainer
- Wake up the sensor
Permissions prompts keep appearing
Android requires permissions to be explicitly granted. If you denied Location or Background Running permissions, EBC can't work fully. Go to your Android Settings > Apps > Xert EBC > Permissions and enable the required permissions.
My ride didn't upload to Xert
- Check your internet connection
- Open the Activity tab in EBC and swipe down to refresh
- Confirm the ride appears in your activity list in the app — if it's there but not on xertonline.com, the upload may still be in progress
- If the ride is missing entirely, it wasn't saved — check that you tapped Save and not Discard
What to Try Next
- Customizing Xert EBC: Recording Screens and Settings — make EBC show the metrics you care about
- Magic Buckets Overview — ride outdoors or unstructured while still hitting your training targets
- Sending Workouts with Xert — send workouts from the web app to EBC
Need Help?
If you run into issues that aren't covered here, contact support@xertonline.com with:
- Your Android device model and OS version
- Your EBC app version (shown in Settings > About)
- A brief description of what's happening
You can also send diagnostics from Settings > About > Send Diagnostics — include this when contacting support for sensor or recording issues.
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