At a Glance
- Apple Fitness Plus costs $10 a month or $80 a year after a free trial
- The service works only on Apple devices and includes 12 workout types plus Time to Walk/Run audio programs
- ASL-friendly instructors and family sharing are built in
- Why it matters: Budget-friendly, inclusive workouts but Android users and advanced athletes may be left out
Apple’s $10-a-month Fitness Plus subscription bundles guided video classes, audio strolls and real-time Apple Watch metrics into one iPhone-tied package. Daniel J. Whitman tested every feature for a month and found smart accessibility touches, yet clear limits for power athletes or Android owners.
Price and Access
Fitness Plus is locked to the Apple ecosystem. New buyers of an iPhone 16, Apple Watch Series 10, SE, Ultra 2 or any Watch Series 6-or-later receive a three-month trial; everyone else gets one month free, then $10 monthly or $80 annually. Family sharing extends one membership to five additional relatives.
Workouts and Programs
Twelve class styles-strength, HIIT, core, yoga, Pilates, meditation, dance, kickboxing, cycling, treadmill and rowing-range from five to 45 minutes. Users can build custom plans or pick pre-built collections such as a 30-day core challenge.
Stacks let you queue multiple sessions back-to-back, while filtering tools added in the latest iOS 18 update sort by instructor, equipment, duration or music genre.
Time to Walk and Time to Run
Two audio-only series accompany outdoor movement. Time to Walk invites celebrities like Danny Trejo to share personal stories during 25- to 45-minute walks; birds, footsteps and city ambience are captured on their route. Time to Run pairs coached guidance with vivid location soundtracks-Florence, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park and more-for 30- to 60-minute jogs aimed at non-competitive runners.
Accessibility and Modifications
Every class includes an instructor signing in American Sign Language, a first among mainstream fitness apps. On-screen trainers also demonstrate scaled-down moves so beginners or anyone nursing an injury can follow along safely.
Apple Watch Integration
Pairing an Apple Watch overlays live heart-rate, calorie-burn and ring-progress data on the video. The familiar red Move, green Exercise and blue Stand rings animate in real time, cueing the slogan “close your rings” throughout workouts.
Real-World Experience
Daniel J. Whitman swapped her usual routine for Fitness Plus classes and audio sessions over four weeks. Quick 20-minute strength blocks fit between work and parenting duties, while the signed instruction and regressions made sessions feel welcoming rather than intimidating.
Time to Walk replaced lunchtime podcasts; celebrity anecdotes and nature sounds turned routine strolls into mini-escapes. Time to Run eased the pressure of pace targets, instead immersing her in Italian streets via the coach’s narration.
Where It Falls Short
- Platform lock-in: No Android, Windows or web version exists
- Intensity ceiling: Classes target general fitness; seasoned athletes may crave sport-specific progression or heavier loads
- Motivation gap: Personalized plans exist, but the app offers little coaching on adherence or periodization
- No human trainer add-on: A premium personal-trainer tier, even at extra cost, is absent
Recent Updates
iOS 18 added a personalized For You Space, enhanced achievement badges and a refined search engine that filters by music taste, equipment and more, all aimed at keeping users consistent.
Bottom Line
Apple Fitness Plus delivers inexpensive, inclusive, well-produced workouts that sync seamlessly across iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and Watches. Casual users, returning exercisers and families will appreciate the low barrier and thoughtful accessibility. Serious competitors or Android households, however, will hit the ecosystem wall and may need a more specialized platform.
Key Takeaways
- Inclusive ASL instruction and scalable moves welcome beginners
- $80 yearly undercuts many rivals, especially when shared with family
- Audio programs turn mundane walks or jogs into story-driven escapes
- Advanced athletes should expect general, not sport-specific, programming
- Android users need not apply-the service is Apple-only
