Apple Fitness Plus: Everything you need to know

Apple Fitness App On All Devices
Apple Fitness App On All Devices (Image credit: Apple)

Apple has been finding ways to infiltrate the fitness market for a long time now, and since the Apple Watch first started offering activity tracking, people have been obsessed with closing their rings. Apple's latest big push into the fitness space is their guided workout service known as Apple Fitness+. When you pair Fitness+ and your best Apple Watch, you'll have access to over 2,000 workouts and guided meditations to choose from; here's everything you need to know about Apple Fitness+.

What's new in Apple Fitness+

January 25, 2022: Apple adds Collections and Time to Run features to Fitness+

Apple has expanded the offering available on its Apple Fitness+ service by adding two new big features to the platform: Time to Run and Collections.

Collections

Collections are a curated list of Apple Fitness+ workouts and meditations that are intended to help users achieve goals. The series of workouts and meditations are pulled from the over 2,000 workouts already on the service and offer a new way to stay motivated and focused on a goal.

Some of the Collections currently included are "30-Day Core Challenge," "Run Your First 5K," and "Wind Down for a Better Bedtime."

Collections also include suggested plans to help users make intentional training choices over the next several days or weeks.

Time to Run

If you've experienced Time to Walk before, then you know the basics of how Time to Run is intended to work.

Throw on an episode of Time to Run, and you'll be coached along your run with one of Apple Fitness+'s wonderful running coaches. Each episode is focused on a popular running route in locations such as London and Miami Beach, so you can get a little escapism when you're on the treadmill or jogging through your neighborhood.

September 14, 2021: Apple announces new features for Apple Fitness+

Apple unveiled a slate of new features at its event on September 14, 2021, including Group Workouts.

Group Workouts

In the software, you can use SharePlay to initiate Group Workouts with Apple Fitness+ so you can enjoy a class together with friends.

Guided meditations

Apple Fitness Plus Meditation Framed

Apple Fitness Plus Meditation Framed (Image credit: Apple)

Apple Fitness+ now has guided meditations that you can access just like any other class on Apple Fitness+.

Pause and Resume across devices

Apple Fitness+ lets you pause your workout on one device and resume the same workout in the same spot on another device, making it easier to switch from your iPad to your Apple TV with ease.

Pilates

Apple Fitness+ has classes for Pilates, which you can also track on your Apple Watch with watchOS 8.

Launching in 21 new countries

Apple Fitness+ has launched in 21 new countries.

What is Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness Plus Launch Hero

Apple Fitness Plus Launch Hero (Image credit: Apple)

Apple Fitness+ is a subscription service that allows you to access a library of video-led workouts that use real-time data from your Apple Watch.

You can select what workout you want to do and the video displays on either your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. While you are following along with the workout, your Apple Watch data is displayed directly on the screen so you can see your workout metrics without having to look at your watch.

Which devices can Fitness+ run on?

Apple Fitness Plus+ requires iOS 14.3, watchOS 7.2, iPadOS 14.3, and tvOS 14.3. For Apple Watch users, Apple Fitness+ will automatically appear as a new tab in the Fitness app on iPhone; a Fitness app for iPad is available to download from the App Store; and on Apple TV, the Fitness app will automatically appear once users upgrade to tvOS 14.3.

Note: You will have to download the Fitness app for iPad from the App Store. It does not automatically show up when you update iPadOS.

How do you access Apple Fitness+

Apple Fitness Plus Screens Appletv Ipadpro Applewatch Iphone11 (Image credit: Apple)

Apple Fitness+ is available through the Fitness app on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. It's there that you will be able to watch the videos, follow along with the classes, and see your Apple Watch data right on the screen.

What types of workouts does it offer?

Apple Fitness+ has guided workouts across many popular categories, including cycling, treadmill (walk and run), rowing, HIIT, strength, yoga, dance, core, cooldown, and much more. Plus, Apple has been constantly adding new workouts and new categories since Fitness+ launched.

These classes are all led by trained individuals who are "specialists in their fields" such as professional athletes, yogis, personal trainers, martial artists, health coaches, gymnasts, and more.

Do I need equipment?

Apple Fitness Plus Cycle

Apple Fitness Plus Cycle (Image credit: Apple)

Some courses— like ones for a treadmill — will require gym equipment. Other classes will only need a set of dumbells or no equipment at all.

There's even a beginner program built into Apple Fitness+ that is meant to help you get the basics of movement down and prepare you for the studio-led workouts.

Does it work with my old Apple Watch?

Unfortunately, Apple Fitness+ only works with the Apple Watch Series 3 or newer, so the list of compatible Apple Watches should look like this:

How much does it cost?

The price for the subscription service is $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year. There is a 30-day free trial that will allow anyone to try the service for no cost. You can also share with five other family members at no additional cost!

Is it available in Apple One?

Apple Fitness+ is available as part of a bundle with Apple One, but only in the Premier bundle ($29.95/mo), where it's available.

Time to Walk

Time To Walk On Apple Watch Se

Time To Walk On Apple Watch Se (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz / iMore)

If you're an Apple Watch and Apple Fitness+ customer, your walking experiences can become a lot more fun thanks to Time to Walk. The feature includes audio content from "influential and interest people" who share stories, photos, and music. It works with Apple Watch and AirPods, or other Bluetooth headphones. Time to Walk originally launched with four audio experiences but many more have arrived since then.

Episodes of Time to Walk are between 25 to 40 minutes in length and appear automatically in the Workout app on Apple Watch. You can also browse the available episodes in the Fitness+ tab in the Fitness app on your iPhone. For wheelchair customers, Time to Walk becomes Time to Push and automatically starts an Outdoor Wheelchair Walk Pace workout.

Where can you subscribe to Fitness+

While Fitness+ launched on December 14, 2020, it only launched in six countries to start; however, Apple has added more countries since then. Here's a list of which countries have access to Fitness+.

  • Austria
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Colombia
  • France
  • Germany
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Malaysia
  • Mexico
  • New Zealand
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Spain
  • Switzerland
  • United Arab Emirates
  • United Kingdom
  • United States

Updated January 2022: Updated with new info about Time to Run and Collections.

Luke Filipowicz
Staff Writer

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 


Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.