Apple Fitness+ Works on iPhone and iPad Without an Apple Watch

Apple designed the new Fitness+ service to work with a paired Apple Watch as the Apple Watch is meant to allow you to track your metrics while you follow along on a workout, but as it turns out, an Apple Watch isn't strictly necessary to use the Fitness+ app on an iPhone or iPad.

fitness plus workout without watch
When starting a Fitness+ workout on ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ when you're not wearing an Apple Watch, the app asks if you want to begin a workout without the watch. You can do the entire workout sans watch, but of course no metrics show up on the ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌'s display.

This is not, however, possible on Apple TV. When using Fitness+ with the ‌Apple TV‌, Apple requires a synced and connected Apple Watch. Attempting to do a workout on ‌Apple TV‌ without the watch will only let you preview a workout, rather than begin one.

It's not clear why Apple is allowing workouts to be done on an ‌iPhone‌ or ‌iPad‌ without an Apple Watch while that same functionality does not work with the ‌Apple TV‌, but the service was meant for an Apple Watch and isn't ideal for non-Apple Watch owners.

Popular Stories

iPhone SE 4 Thumb 1

iPhone SE 4 With Apple's Own 5G Modem 'Confirmed' to Launch in March

Tuesday November 19, 2024 12:12 pm PST by
Barclays analyst Tom O'Malley and his colleagues recently traveled to Asia to meet with various electronics manufacturers and suppliers. In a research note this week, outlining key takeaways from the trip, the analysts said they have "confirmed" that a fourth-generation iPhone SE with an Apple-designed 5G modem is slated to launch towards the end of the first quarter next year. In line with previo...
at t turbo indicator iphone 16 pro max v0 8hrh7w5f3w1e1

AT&T Turbo Indicator Showing Up in iPhone Status Bar for Subscribers

Wednesday November 20, 2024 3:42 am PST by
AT&T has begun displaying "Turbo" in the iPhone carrier label for customers subscribed to its premium network prioritization service, according to reports on Reddit. The new indicator seems to have started appearing after users updated to iOS 18.1.1, but that could be just coincidence. Image credit: Reddit user No_Highlight7476 The Turbo feature provides enhanced network performance through ...
Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

Apple Releases iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 With Security Fixes

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:10 am PST by
Apple today released iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1, minor updates to the iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 operating systems that debuted earlier in September. iOS 18.1.1 and iPadOS 18.1.1 come three weeks after the launch of iOS 18.1. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. Apple has also released iOS 17.7.2 for...
anker new xmas 1

Anker Kicks Off Massive Black Friday Sale With Up to 50% Off Sitewide, Free Gifts With Purchase, Mystery Boxes, and More

Thursday November 21, 2024 7:53 am PST by
Anker today kicked off its big Black Friday sale, which is set to run through December 9. This sale includes notable discounts on portable chargers, USB-C hubs, cables, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Anker. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. There are a few bonus offers during this event as ...
apple card feature2

Apple Card 3% Daily Cash Back Now Available From Two More Apple Partners

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:36 am PST by
Apple has partnered with select merchants to offer Apple Card users three percent Daily Cash back on their purchases, and two new companies were added to the partner list today. When purchasing goods and services from Booking.com and ChargePoint, Apple Card users will now get more cash back. Booking.com is a site for reserving flights, cars, cruises, and hotels, while ChargePoint sells...
Apple 2024 Black Friday Shopping Event feature

Apple Announces 2024 Black Friday Event, Offering Up to $200 Gift Card

Thursday November 21, 2024 5:10 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 29 through Monday, December 2 in many countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K., and others. During the event, customers can get an Apple gift card with the purchase of an eligible product. In the U.S., for instance, Apple is including gift ...
airtag purple

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch Next Year With These New Features

Sunday November 17, 2024 5:18 am PST by
Apple released the AirTag in April 2021, so it is now three over and a half years old. While the AirTag has not received any hardware updates since then, a new version of the item tracking accessory is rumored to be in development. Below, we recap rumors about a second-generation AirTag. Timing Apple is aiming to release a new AirTag in mid-2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman....
bug security vulnerability issue fix larry

Make Sure to Update: iOS 18.1.1 and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 Fix Actively Exploited Vulnerabilities

Tuesday November 19, 2024 10:52 am PST by
The iOS 18.1.1, iPadOS 18.1.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1.1 updates that Apple released today address JavaScriptCore and WebKit vulnerabilities that Apple says have been actively exploited on some devices. With the JavaScriptCore vulnerability, processing maliciously crafted web content could lead to arbitrary code execution. The WebKit vulnerability had the same issue with maliciously crafted...

Top Rated Comments

nutmac Avatar
52 months ago
While I understand how Apple Watch could enhance Apple Fitness+ experience, I am not sure why it has to be required. I would like to see Fitness+ open up to wider audience without this arbitrary limitations. Fitness+ should be exposed whether or not you have Apple Watch.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
movieator Avatar
52 months ago
What I would like, watch or not, is the ability to watch a workout on my MacBook Pro.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macfacts Avatar
52 months ago
It's cause if using apple tv app only, apple doesn't get a cut.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Appleman3546 Avatar
52 months ago
It was meant for Apple Watch users, which is why Fitness+ will be too small of a market and flop like News+
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
xyz01 Avatar
52 months ago

It's cause if using apple tv app only, apple doesn't get a cut.
Sure they do, you pay for the service - Apple gets all of it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
critter13 Avatar
52 months ago
the app did not come with 14.3. must only be able to install if you have a watch. LAME
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)