Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness+. It is a subscription-based fitness and wellness service created by Apple Inc. and integrated into the Apple Watch ecosystem. Launched in December 2020, the service offers guided workout and meditation sessions streamable to various Apple devices. The platform emphasizes personalized metrics and music-driven experiences, leveraging data from the Apple Watch to display real-time user stats onscreen.

Overview

The service was announced during a September 2020 Apple event and represents a significant expansion of Apple's health and wellness initiatives. It operates as a key component within the broader Apple Fitness app on compatible devices. Development of the service involved collaboration with numerous fitness experts and was designed to deeply integrate with the hardware and software of the Apple Watch. Its launch coincided with increased global interest in home fitness solutions, a trend accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Features

A defining feature is the seamless integration with the Apple Watch, which displays live metrics like heart rate, calories burned, and Activity Rings progress directly on the screen during workouts. Each session is accompanied by curated playlists from Apple Music, with trainers often highlighting specific songs. The service includes a "Time to Walk" and later "Time to Run" audio experience featuring inspiring stories from notable figures like Dolly Parton, Shaquille O'Neal, and Misty Copeland. Additional features include trainer tips, filtered browsing by music genre, and the ability to stack multiple workouts into a custom sequence.

Workout types

The platform offers a wide variety of workout categories to cater to different fitness goals and preferences. These include HIIT, yoga, cycling, treadmill running and walking, dance, strength training, core workouts, Pilates, and mindful cooldown sessions. Each category features multiple trainers, such as Jamie-Ray Hartshorne for yoga and Kym Perfetto for cycling, who lead classes of varying durations and intensities. The service also provides guided meditation practices for mindfulness, focusing on themes like calm and focus.

Compatibility and requirements

Access requires a subscription and is primarily delivered through the Fitness app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, and certain Mac computers. A fundamental requirement is an Apple Watch Series 3 or later, which is necessary to initiate workouts and display real-time metrics. The service is included in the Apple One Premier bundle alongside other subscriptions like Apple Music and Apple TV+. It is available in numerous countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.

Reception and impact

Upon launch, reviews from publications like The Verge and CNET praised its polished production, intuitive integration with the Apple Watch, and diverse trainer lineup. Critics noted its limitation to the Apple ecosystem as a potential barrier for non-users. The service has been credited with increasing the value proposition of the Apple Watch and competing directly with other digital fitness platforms like Peloton Digital and Nike Training Club. Apple has consistently expanded the service with new workout types, trainer additions, and features like SharePlay support, reinforcing its position in the competitive wellness market.

Category:Apple Inc. services Category:2020 software Category:Fitness software