Apple unveiled its own workout app, Fitness Plus, alongside the Apple Watch 6 last year.
The fitness subscription service is designed to be used with the Apple Watch and an iPhone, making it a compelling choice for anyone deep in the Apple ecosystem looking for a convenient way to shed those lockdown pounds wherever they may be.
So, what exactly is Fitness Plus and how does it work?
What is Apple Fitness Plus?
Apple Fitness Plus is a service that harnesses the fitness data your Apple Watch collects to help you stay healthy at home, in the gym, outdoors and while travelling.
The app features 10 different workout categories, including yoga, cycling, dance, treadmill walk, treadmill run, strength, core, HIIT, rowing and mindful cool downs. Workouts are taught by world-class trainers, with new videos added every week across a range of times and instructors.
Select a workout on your iPhone, iPad or Apple TV and your Apple Watch will automatically tune in, collecting and displaying metrics such as heart rate, calories burnt, pace and distance on the larger screen. The metrics will adjust to fit your workout, too. So if your trainer reminds you to keep an eye on your heart rate, that number will appear larger on your screen. You’ll also see countdowns to motivate you, as well as be able to watch as your activity rings closing in real time.
Once a workout is over, Fitness Plus will display a comprehensive summary with all the data your watch collected, including calories burnt, average heart rate, distance, pace and progress on your activity rings.
There’s an absolute beginner programme to help those new to fitness learn the basics and ready for the studio workouts safely, and Apple Music subscribers can even save playlists from Fitness Plus directly in their Apple Music library.
Fitness Plus will also suggest workouts based on ones you’ve completed in the past. According to Apple, these recommendations are powered using on-device intelligence for privacy and calories and workouts will not be stored alongside your Apple ID.
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Where will Fitness Plus be available?
The Fitness+ subscription service launched on December 14 2020. To sign up, you’ll need an iPhone 6S or later running iOS 14.3 and an Apple Watch 3 or later updated to watchOS 7.2.
Optionally, you can find the app on your Apple TV or iPad, but you’ll need the phone and watch to get started.
How much is Apple Fitness Plus?
Subscriptions will be priced at £9.99/$9.99 per month, or £79.99/$79.99 per year, and can be shared with up to five family members. The service is also be available free for the first three months with every new Apple Watch purchase. It’s also available as part of Apple One, the brand’s new super subscription.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.