Issues with Strava for Android Watch 1.48 on Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra

The recent 1.48 update from 3/30 is a bad regression. The app no longer stays active/in the foreground while tracking; instead, it auto-minimizes, and the watch reverts to the watch face.

Previously, if the screen timed out while Strava was active, the app would automatically reappear upon "wrist-to-wake." Now, I have to manually navigate back to Strava from the watch face every time I want to check my pace or time. This is a major disruption during a run.
Furthermore, the "active exercise" icon that usually appears at the bottom center of the Wear OS screen is missing. This suggests the OS no longer recognizes Strava as an activity tracking session.

I have already tried reinstalling the app, but the issue persists.

Device Details: 

* Model: Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra (Z9ZB)
* Software: Latest One UI 8.0 / Wear OS 6.0 (Feb 2026 Patch) 
* App Version: 1.48

I shared the content above with Strava zendesk and got a reply that they are "limited in our ability to investigate these sorts of issues directly", why being bothered releasing new versions then?