Fitness+ workouts can be done from the comfort of your living room, with or without an Apple Watch. But for those moments when you need fresh air, Apple’s subscription service also supports Audio Workouts like Time to Run and Time to Walk that can help help you get moving outside.
These guided audio tracks are meant to be used while walking or running. They blend coaching, stories, and music together, and are available whenever you’re ready to hit the path. Walking episodes feature celebrities and other notable figures telling stories while the running ones are primarily music playlists interspersed with moments of coaching and encouragement.
Most of the Audio Workouts are just over 30 minutes long, but can range from 25 to 60 minutes. As of this writing, Time to Walk has three seasons worth of content while Time to Run has more than 35 episodes available. You don’t need to spend time curating a playlist; just tap Start.
How to Use Time to Walk and Time to Run
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)
To access Audio Workouts like Time to Walk and Time to Run, you need to be a Fitness+ subscriber. You can sign up in the Fitness app on iPhone in the Fitness+ section. After a 30-day free trial (three months if you buy a new Apple device), it’s $9.99 per month (or $79.99 per year). It’s also available in the Apple One Premier bundle, which can be shared with up to five people and includes other Apple subscription services in addition to Fitness+ for $32.95 per month.
Once you’re a subscriber, you can find the Audio Workouts on your Apple Watch inside the Workout app or in the Fitness app on iPhone. On Apple Watch, the Audio Workouts will be the top selection. Once you select that option, you can scroll down to explore past episodes.
For those in wheelchairs, this feature can be changed to Time to Push. Open the Apple Health app and tap your name in the top-right corner. Tap Health Details> Edit > Wheelchair > Yes.
This might be obvious, but you will need wireless earbuds or headphones connected to the Apple Watch to start an episode of Time to Run. (Starting one on an iPhone can use the phone’s speakers.) If you don’t have earbuds, you can simply start a regular Outdoor Run workout type through the Fitness app. If GPS detects any distance traveled, the workout is recorded as an outdoor run or walk. If no distance is detected, it is recorded as an indoor workout.
Manage Downloaded Episodes
(Credit: Tyler Hayes)
The two most recent episodes for Time to Run and Time to Walk are downloaded to your watch overnight. If you have a cellular Apple Watch, you can stream new episodes at any time. If you only have a Wi-Fi model, you’ll need to download any additional episodes before heading out.
If you don’t want episodes to download automatically—maybe you need to conserve space—press the digital crown on your Apple Watch and select Settings > Workout. At the bottom of the screen, you can edit your download preferences.
You can also select whether you want to see photos on your wrist during workouts. I turned them off because the taps on my wrist made me think a different notification was coming in.
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Turn Off Time to Walk or Time to Run
Because workouts and music are tightly integrated with Time to Run, workouts are paused when you press pause on your earbuds. Similarly, if you end a workout early, the music will stop. If you run longer than the episode lasts, the music will stop. However, the workout will continue to record your run until you end it.
But maybe these Audio Workouts aren’t for you. There is a way to turn them off and stop them from showing up on your Apple Watch. Once that happens, you will no longer see the workout types at the top of the workout list.
On your Apple Watch, open the Workout app and slide left on the Audio Workouts tile. Tap on the red X and then select Remove. To add the workout type back later, scroll to the bottom of the list of available workouts and tap Add Workout and select Time to Run and Time to Walk again.
Discover New Music
Hear a song you love during a Time to Run session? Each episode includes a list of featured songs, and at the bottom, there’s a button that lets you add the playlist to your Apple Music library. You can also browse Time to Run playlists in the iPhone app and open them in Apple Music.
