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Apple Fitness Plus: Our Guide to Setting Up Apple's Subscription Exercise App

Get moving this spring -- with a little help from your Apple Watch.

Alison DeNisco Rayome Managing Editor
Managing Editor Alison DeNisco Rayome joined CNET in 2019, and is a member of the Home team. She is a co-lead of the CNET Tips and We Do the Math series, and manages the Home Tips series, testing out new hacks for cooking, cleaning and tinkering with all of the gadgets and appliances in your house. Alison was previously an editor at TechRepublic.
Expertise Home Tips, including cooking, cleaning and appliances hacks Credentials
  • National Silver Azbee Award for Impact/Investigative Journalism; National Gold Azbee Award for Online Single Topic Coverage by a Team; National Bronze Azbee Award for Web Feature Series
Alison DeNisco Rayome
3 min read
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Apple's Fitness Plus app is available on the iPhone, iPad and AppleTV. 

Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNET

If you've got an  Apple Watch  strapped to your wrist, Apple's workout service Fitness Plus can help you pump up your heart rate from the comfort of your home. In addition to displaying exercise metrics and guiding you through workouts, Fitness Plus also offers some cool quirks -- like the Time to Walk feature, in which celebrities like Dolly Parton will tell you stories as you stroll "together."

The workout service costs $10 (£10, AU$15) a month, or $80 (£80, AU$120) a year. It can be combined with Apple Music , Apple TV Plus , Apple Arcade, Apple News Plus and 2TB of iCloud storage as part of the Apple One Premier subscription bundle for $30 (£30, AU$40) a month. You can share your Fitness Plus membership with up to five other people. 

Here's how to download Apple Fitness Plus and get everything set up so you can start working out. 

Read more: Apple Fitness Plus vs. Peloton: Which Streaming Workout Service Is Better?

How do I download Apple Fitness Plus?

To get Apple Fitness Plus, you'll need to be running at least iOS 14.3, WatchOS 7.2, iPadOS 14.3 and TVOS 14.3 -- all of which are available now. (But to get the newest features, Apple recommends using iOS 15 and WatchOS 8.) Fitness Plus does require an Apple Watch Series 3 or later with WatchOS 7.2, paired with an iPhone 6S or later, or an iPhone SE, and iOS 14.3. Here's a full list of compatible devices.

On your Apple Watch, Fitness Plus will automatically appear as a new tab in the Fitness app on your iPhone. If you're using an iPad , you can download the Fitness app from the App Store. And if you're using an Apple TV , the Fitness app will automatically appear after you upgrade to TVOS 14.3. 

How do I set up Apple Fitness Plus?

To sign up for Apple Fitness Plus, go to apple.com/apple-fitness-plus. Or, open the Fitness app on any of your Apple devices, and select the Fitness Plus tab. You can sign up for a one-month free trial, or get three months free if you buy a new Apple Watch. 

Once you're signed up, when you open the Apple Fitness Plus app on your Apple TV or other device, a notification will pop up on your watch asking if you want to connect. Tap yes. At the top of the app, filter through different types of workouts, difficulty levels, trainers, durations and music. You'll find 10 different workout types to choose from, including HIIT, strength, yoga, dance, core, cycling, treadmill and rowing, along with cooldowns. 

Read more: How Apple's Fitness Plus Solves the Netflix Forever-Browsing Problem

Each workout will tell you what equipment you need (if any), like weights or a treadmill. When you select one, you can click Let's Go (or watch a preview first). A play button will appear on the screen and on your Apple Watch. Push either button to begin your workout. The two devices will stay in sync throughout your workout. You can also use your Apple Watch as a remote control to play or pause your workout. 

In the upper left corner of the screen, you'll see the elapsed time, your current heart rate and the number of calories you've burned. After one workout ends, you have the option to tack on another workout or a guided cooldown. After your workout, you'll see a summary screen pop up summarizing your activity. The workout will also appear in your Fitness app. 

That's it! Happy sweating. 

For more, check out the best smartwatches of 2022, and all the best hidden iOS 15 features.

Watch this: Apple Fitness Plus: A workout plan built around your Apple Watch