Apple alongside the Apple Watch Series 6 unveiled Apple Fitness+, a new Apple service that’s designed to help Apple Watch owners keep fit through a series of guided workouts across multiple workout categories.

Our Apple Fitness+ guide covers everything that we know about the new Fitness+ service, which is set to launch later this year.

Apple Fitness+ Explained

Apple Fitness+ is an Apple Watch-focused home workout program that guides you through various workouts, complementing the fitness-focused features in the Apple Watch.

With Fitness+, Apple provides workout routines that can be watched, with the Apple Watch doing the necessary tracking to make sure you’re on target and meeting fitness goals.

Watching Fitness+ Videos

Fitness+ content can be watched through the Fitness app on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. On ‌iPhone‌, the Fitness app was formerly the Activity app, while it is a new addition coming to the ‌Apple TV‌ and ‌iPad‌ when the service launches.

The Fitness+ routines are designed for you to follow along with for home workouts, with minimal equipment required in most cases.

Apple Watch Integration

As you follow along with Fitness+ routines, the Apple Watch will track your movement, workout length, calories burned, heart rate, and more, just like other workouts.

Workout stats are viewable on the Apple Watch, but information is also shown right on the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, or ‌Apple TV‌ in real-time so you can keep a closer eye on how the workout is going and the calories you’re burning without having to look down at your wrist.

A small window in the upper right hand corner of the Fitness+ interface will show statistics synced from the Apple Watch.

When you hit milestones like closing an activity ring, an animation will pop up on the screen to keep you motivated. You can also see comparisons with other people who have done the workout before as part of a “Burn Bar” to give you an added push, and you’ll see a countdown timer so you know just how long is left during a particularly tough interval.

An Apple watch is required for Apple Fitness+ and the service does not work without it because of the Apple Watch on-screen integration.

Starting a Workout

Fitness+ workouts can be initiated through the Fitness+ section in the Fitness app on the ‌iPhone‌, ‌iPad‌, and ‌Apple TV‌ (with the latter two apps coming soon). Launching a workout through the Fitness+ app on one of the aforementioned devices will also start the correct workout in your Apple Watch Workout app, with workout metrics automatically sent in real-time to the screen you’re viewing the workout on.

Support for Two People?

Many people have wondered if Fitness+ will support two people working out at the same time, and there’s no word on that yet. All of the Fitness+ videos and demos suggest that the feature that syncs the Apple Watch’s data to the screen you’re watching the video on is limited to a single person, but there may be changes in store ahead of launch.

Even if Fitness+ does not support dual workouts on the screen, the second person working out could still start the same workout on their Apple Watch and follow along, just without seeing their progress displayed. Another option is to use a second screen such as an ‌iPad‌ along with a TV.

Fitness Video Categories

Workout categories include Treadmill Walk, Treadmill Run, HIIT, Rowing, Dance, Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, and Mindful Cooldown.

Many of the workout types require no specific equipment, but Rowing, Treadmill Walk, Treadmill Run, and Cycling can be used with any compatible exercise equipment. Some yoga workouts require a yoga mat and some strength training exercises require dumbbells.

The Fitness+ workouts are designed to be done from home, the park, a hotel, or anywhere else you happen to be, but you can also use them at the gym with the gym’s workout equipment and a connection to the Apple Watch.

Fitness Level Options

If you’re new to working out, or just to home workouts, Apple has a program for beginners available, and Apple Fitness+ has been designed for people with all skill levels in mind.

Each workout will include modifications for those who are new to workout out or for those who are experts.

Custom Workout Duration

You can select the duration for your workout to match the amount of time that you have available. Workouts can be as short as five minutes or as long as 45 minutes.

Apple Music Integration

Fitness+ videos are set to songs pulled from Apple Music, which can be listened to even by non-Apple Music subscribers. ‌Apple Music‌ subscribers, however, have the option to download Fitness+ playlists for use outside of the Fitness+ service.

You can choose the type of music that you want to listen to during your workout routine so each workout is customized to you.

Post Workout Metrics

When you finish a fitness routine you’ll see a summary screen with all of your workout metrics, including full workout time, average heart rate, active calories burned, total calories burned, and more.

Apple has a dedicated team of trainers that work to produce videos for Fitness+ and the company plans to add new workouts on a weekly basis so there’s always a fresh routine to do.

Smart Suggestions

Apple Fitness+ is more than just a collection of workout videos. It offers up intelligent recommendations for videos you should try out based on the things you typically do with the Workout app on the Apple Watch.

Fitness+ will suggest workouts based on your interests, along with new trainers and workouts that can help you even out your routine.

Fitness+ Pricing

Fitness+ will be available for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, which breaks down to $6.67 per month. For that price, up to six family members total can use the Fitness+ service.

Fitness+ is also included in the Apple One Premier bundle, which is priced at $29.99 per month and also offers ‌Apple Music‌, ‌Apple TV‌+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, and 2TB iCloud storage,

Fitness+ Free Trial

With the purchase of a new Apple Watch Series 3 or later, Apple is offering a free three month trial of the Fitness+ service.

Device Compatibility

The Apple Fitness+ service is compatible with the Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7 and it requires an ‌iPhone‌ 6s or later with iOS 14 or later, an ‌iPad‌ with iPadOS 14 or later, or an ‌Apple TV‌ with tvOS 14 or later.

Apple plans to launch Apple Fitness+ in late 2020, but no specific launch timeline has been provided at this time. Apple Fitness+ will launch first in the United States, the UK, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and Australia.

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