# Bike Connect: Ride in Control — Control apps with Di2 buttons

> Control music, lights, and gear from Shimano Di2 handlebars. (iPhone/iPad app by Ryan Forsyth.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bike-connect-ride-in-control/id6746517051 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Ryan Forsyth](https://appshunter.io/developer/1486027180)
- Category: Sports, Utilities
- Price: $4.99
- Rating: 5.00/5 from 3 App Store ratings · 5 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 18.0 · 14 MB
- Languages: Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Vietnamese
- Released: 2025-06-22
- Data updated: 2026-09-10
- Monetization: paid
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bike-connect-ride-in-control/id6746517051/reviews.md

## What is Bike Connect?

Bike Connect turns your Shimano Di2 bike's hood buttons into powerful controls for your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch so you can stay focused on the ride, not your screen. Control music, lights, gear display, and more right from your handlebars. On Apple Watch, get a glanceable gear readout and a quick bell. No phone required.

Compatible with Bluetooth-enabled Shimano Di2 groupsets, including 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace, GRX, and select MTB Di2 groupsets with programmable hood/top buttons.

What you can do from your handlebars with just a tap (or two)
- Full music control: Play, pause, and skip with Apple Music, Spotify, and more
- Volume at your fingertips: Turn volume up or down, or mute instantly
- Use your flashlight as a headlight: Toggle the flashlight on/off or perform a quick flash
- Ring a virtual bell: Play a bell sound through your speaker, even when the screen is locked

On Apple Watch
- Standalone connection: Connect your watch directly to your BLE bike (no phone needed)
- See your current gear: Glanceable cassette and chainring view that mounts easily on the bars
- Bell on your wrist: Press the top buttons to ring a bell from the watch

Real-time Bike Dashboard
- Customize actions for single and double taps
- See your current gear (cassette and chainring view) on iPhone/iPad and Apple Watch
- Live Activity support on iPhone: gear info on Lock Screen and Dynamic Island
- Monitor bike battery level and firmware version

Get started in seconds
1. Open Bike Connect and tap Pair Bike
2. Assign each hood button (D-FLY channel) to your preferred action
3. Start riding! Keep your device tucked away or mounted while your thumbs stay in control

Why Bike Connect?

Traditional cycling head units require extra mounts and menus. With Bike Connect, your existing device stays in your pocket or on the bars while your thumbs do the work that matters: skipping to a high-energy track, muting for traffic, flashing your light at a junction, or ringing a virtual bell. Less distraction, more ride.

## Key features

- Music control from handlebars
- Toggle lights and flashlight
- Virtual bell on Apple Watch
- Gear display on iPhone and Apple Watch
- Customize button actions
- Live Activity support for gear info

## Recent user reviews (5 of 5)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bike-connect-ride-in-control/id6746517051/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Excellent, exactly what I needed

*2026-08-16*

Just upgraded to Ultegra Di2 specifically because this app exists. Being able to control my music with the hood buttons is such a game changer and such a cool feature.

I was going to go 105 di2 until I came across this app, and I’m glad I did. So much better with these controls!

### 5/5 — Nifty app, with one quibble

*2026-07-03*

I don’t use a bike computer, but now that I’ve finally upgraded to digital shifting, I wanted to be able to control music using the extra buttons on the Ultegra hoods. This app allows you to do that and more. Connecting and setup are relatively easy (especially compared to other Bluetooth setup experiences and even to Shimano’s own app). It gives you better intel on your current battery charge and gear setting than Shimano’s app does. (You’ll get the most out of it if you are mounting your phone to your bike handlebars, but I don’t do that and it’s still very useful.)

The quibble relates to Bluetooth connection. Even though it’s pretty easy to connect, there are times it shows as being connected when it actually isn’t able to report on or control anything. So you’ll see the wrong gear and won’t be able to control your music. I suspect this has more to do with how buggy Bluetooth is rather than the app itself, but it’s a pain to discover it when you’re already on a ride. It would be better if the app indicated its lack of connection more accurately. 

Otherwise, it’s a great app that does what it claims to do very well. Would love to see continuing innovation such as ability to set x-second skips forward and back (useful for podcasts) or invoke Siri.

Added 3 July 2026: I also appreciate a very responsive developer! The skip addition was impressively fast. Any chance it could include Apple Podcasts app as well?

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for the thoughtful review and detailed feedback! I’m really glad Bike Connect has been useful for controlling music from your Di2 buttons. 

Your suggestion around podcast-style skipping was a great one: the latest version, 1.2.1, adds “skip forward 30s” and “skip back 15s” actions when controlling media from Apple Music or Spotify. 

I’m also actively looking into the connection/status issue you mentioned. The app should be more accurate when a bike appears connected but is no longer reporting data or accepting controls, and I hope to improve this in an upcoming update. 

Invoking Siri directly would be a fantastic addition, but unfortunately iOS does not currently allow third-party apps to trigger Siri/listening mode themselves. Apps can expose actions to Siri through App Shortcuts, but the user still has to invoke Siri or run the shortcut. 

Thanks again, this kind of specific feedback is incredibly helpful 🙌 

Update: Unfortunately there's no way to control the Apple Podcasts app from within 3rd party apps, I've filed a feedback report with Apple to request this 🤞

### 5/5 — Useful

*2026-07-03*

I use this for the virtual bell, as regular bells don’t fit my handlebars. For it being a compromise, it works surprisingly well. It does require the app to stay open, not sure if this can be solved somehow

**Developer response:** Thanks so much for the review! I’m really glad the virtual bell has been useful for you. 

You can actually use the bell with your phone locked, or while another app is open, by enabling the “Use Notifications” toggle in Bike Connect. Sorry that wasn’t clearer, I’ll work on making this easier to understand in the app. 

Thanks again, and enjoy your rides! 🚴

### 5/5 — Nifty app, with one quibble

*2026-06-20*

I don’t use a bike computer, but now that I’ve finally upgraded to digital shifting, I wanted to be able to control music using the extra buttons on the Ultegra hoods. This app allows you to do that and more. Connecting and setup are relatively easy (especially compared to other Bluetooth setup experiences and even to Shimano’s own app). It gives you better intel on your current battery charge and gear setting than Shimano’s app does. (You’ll get the most out of it if you are mounting your phone to your bike handlebars, but I don’t do that and it’s still very useful.)

The quibble relates to Bluetooth connection. Even though it’s pretty easy to connect, there are times it shows as being connected when it actually isn’t able to report on or control anything. So you’ll see the wrong gear and won’t be able to control your music. I suspect this has more to do with how buggy Bluetooth is rather than the app itself, but it’s a pain to discover it when you’re already on a ride. It would be better if the app indicated its lack of connection more accurately. 

Otherwise, it’s a great app that does what it claims to do very well. Would love to see continuing innovation such as ability to set x-second skips forward and back (useful for podcasts) or invoke Siri.

**Developer response:** Thank you so much for the thoughtful review and detailed feedback! I’m really glad Bike Connect has been useful for controlling music from your Di2 buttons. 

Your suggestion around podcast-style skipping was a great one: the latest version, 1.2.1, adds “skip forward 30s” and “skip back 15s” actions when controlling media from Apple Music or Spotify. 

I’m also actively looking into the connection/status issue you mentioned. The app should be more accurate when a bike appears connected but is no longer reporting data or accepting controls, and I hope to improve this in an upcoming update. 

Invoking Siri directly would be a fantastic addition, but unfortunately iOS does not currently allow third-party apps to trigger Siri/listening mode themselves. Apps can expose actions to Siri through App Shortcuts, but the user still has to invoke Siri or run the shortcut. 

Thanks again, this kind of specific feedback is incredibly helpful 🙌

### 1/5 — Funktioniert, aber nicht gut

*2026-03-10*

Mit aktuellem IOS funktioniert die Spotify Liedsteuerung nicht. Lauter-Leiser schon. Außerdem wäre es wünschenswert, dass man das über die 4 D-Fly Kanäle einstellen könnte und nicht rein über die Hood Buttons.

**Developer response:** Hallo DerIndias, danke für dein Feedback. Die Spotify-Steuerung funktioniert grundsätzlich auch mit aktuellen iOS-Versionen. Je nach Spotify-App-Zustand kann es jedoch nötig sein, beim Start einer neuen Sitzung erneut auf „Connect to Spotify“ zu tippen. Das ist leider eine Einschränkung der Spotify-Integration.

Ein Beispiel der funktionierenden Spotify-Steuerung findest du auch im YouTube-Video von BetterShifting, wenn du nach „BikeConnect: control your iPhone using Di2 buttons“ suchst.

Zu den 4 D-Fly-Kanälen: Bike Connect nutzt diese bereits. In der App werden sie aktuell allerdings als linke/rechte Hood Buttons bzw. linke/rechte Buttons bezeichnet. Ich werde prüfen, ob ich die Benennung in einem zukünftigen Update klarer machen kann.

Danke nochmals für dein Feedback!

## Frequently asked questions about Bike Connect

### What Shimano Di2 groupsets are compatible with Bike Connect?

Bike Connect is compatible with Bluetooth-enabled Shimano Di2 groupsets, including 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace, GRX, and select MTB Di2 groupsets that feature programmable hood or top buttons.

### Can I control music playback with Bike Connect?

Yes, Bike Connect offers full music control from your handlebars. You can play, pause, and skip tracks on Apple Music, Spotify, and other compatible music apps.

### Does Bike Connect work with Apple Watch?

Yes, Bike Connect offers standalone functionality on Apple Watch. You can connect your watch directly to your BLE bike to see gear readouts and ring a virtual bell without needing your iPhone.

### How much does Bike Connect cost?

Bike Connect is a paid application, priced at $4.99. There are no in-app purchases or subscriptions required after the initial purchase.

### How often is Bike Connect updated?

The latest version of Bike Connect is 1.2.1, last updated on June 28, 2026. Updates typically address bug fixes and feature enhancements to improve user experience.

### What devices does Bike Connect support?

Bike Connect is available for iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices. This broad compatibility allows for seamless integration across your Apple ecosystem.

### Does Bike Connect have ads?

No, Bike Connect does not contain advertisements. As a paid application, it provides an uninterrupted user experience focused on cycling functionality.

### What is the age rating for Bike Connect?

Bike Connect has an age rating of 4+. This indicates it is suitable for a wide range of users, including children, with no mature content.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 1.3.1 — 2026-09-03

- Improved compatibility with Shimano Di2 bikes
- Fixed press-and-hold button actions

Thanks to @lbovay and @machacd for reporting these bugs!

### 1.3.0 — 2026-08-20

- New: Import a custom bell sound from Files or iCloud Drive
- Improved: Custom sounds work with notification-based bells when your screen is locked

### 1.2.3 — 2026-07-07

Bike Connect 1.2.3 makes the app easier to use across more display settings.

- Fixed: Improved support for larger text so controls remain visible and easier to tap
- Improved: Settings now opens from a toolbar button instead of a tab bar

### 1.2.2 — 2026-07-06

Bike Connect 1.2.2 makes the app easier to use across more display settings.

- Fixed: Improved support for larger text so controls remain visible and easier to tap
- Improved: Settings now opens from a toolbar button instead of a tab bar

### 1.2.1 — 2026-06-28

Bike Connect 1.2.1 sharpens media control on iPhone and iPad.

- New: 15-second back and 30-second forward actions for media playback
- Improved: Unsupported media actions are now hidden when another app can't handle them
- Fixed: General polish and internal cleanup

## Apps similar to Bike Connect

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| --- | --- | --- | --- |
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## More apps by Ryan Forsyth

- [Genre - French Noun Genders](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/genre-french-noun-genders/id1486027181)
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- [Magic Tapper](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/magic-tapper/id6738328808)
- [LocationLock: Phone Alarm](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/locationlock-phone-alarm/id6748995958)

All apps by Ryan Forsyth: https://appshunter.io/developer/1486027180

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-10.*