In PCMag’s 4/5 review for Apple Fitness+, the service lost points for requiring an Apple Watch and an iPhone. At today’s iPhone 14 event, Apple solved one of those problems by announcing that access to Fitness+ will soon no longer require an Apple Watch.
Later this fall, Fitness+ will be accessible on iPhone 8 and up in 21 countries; no Apple Watch needed. You don’t have to follow along with a workout on your phone’s small screen, though. You need an iPhone to sign up, but can then take classes via an iPad or Apple TV.
For those without an Apple Watch, Fitness+ will offer access to 3,000+ studio-style workouts and meditations, onscreen trainer guidance and interval timing, and estimated calories burned.
Apple would, of course, prefer you to have an Apple Watch. With the smartwatch, you also get “personalized real-time metrics that display on iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV, as well as the ability to experience Time to Walk, Time to Run, and meditations with just [your] Apple Watch paired with AirPods or other Bluetooth-enabled headphones,” it says.
Apple Fitness+ costs $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, and can be shared with up to five other family members. You can also get it bundled with an Apple One plan(Opens in a new window). If you buy a new Apple Watch—like the Ultra, Series 8, or next-gen SE Apple announced today—you get three months of Apple Fitness+ for free. Existing Apple Watch owners can try it out for one month.
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Apple also announced(Opens in a new window) at WWDC that its Fitness app—which has been reserved for Apple Watch owners since it rolled out in 2020—will be included in iOS 16, so you can track your workouts and close exercise rings even if don’t have an Apple Watch or Fitness+.
It’s unclear if that will happen with next week’s iOS 16 rollout or with a future update. Apple says the ability to subscribe to Fitness+ without a watch will roll out with iOS 16.1.
Apple’s iPhone 14 Event Supercut
