Apple's Latest Fitness Companion: How to Unlock Workout Buddy's Full Potential
If you're an avid fitness enthusiast, you might have noticed a new feature in your Apple Watch and iPhone that promises to take your workouts to the next level - Workout Buddy. This innovative companion uses Apple's intelligence to provide personalized feedback, motivation, and performance insights during exercise sessions.
The Basics: What Does Workout Buddy Do?
Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program but rather an added layer of support that offers real-time cues reflecting how your session is going. It reminds you of your weekly activity totals, alerts you to personal bests or milestones, and provides an overview when you're finished. The feature operates in English by default, using a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers.
To get the most out of Workout Buddy, you'll need to meet certain requirements. These include:
- Running the latest version of watchOS 26 or later on your Apple Watch and iOS 26 installed on your iPhone
- Owning one of the supported iPhone models with Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone's settings (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16)
- Pairing Bluetooth headphones connected to either your iPhone or Apple Watch
- Having your device language set to English
Enabling Workout Buddy from Your iPhone
To turn on Workout Buddy from your iPhone, open the Fitness app and tap the "Workout" tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find one that aligns with your plan to use Workout Buddy. Tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout type, then flip the toggle to enable it and choose a voice from the available options.
Enabling Workout Buddy on Apple Watch
To turn on Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch and select the desired workout type. Look for the Alerts button on screen, tap "Alerts," scroll until you see Workout Buddy, and toggle it to on. You'll then be asked to choose a voice if one isn't already selected on your iPhone.
Using Workout Buddy During a Workout
Once you start an exercise session on either your Watch or iPhone, Workout Buddy will speak to you through your connected headphones, offering encouragement based on your pace, performance, and milestones. At the end of your session, it provides a summary of key metrics like duration, distance, and calorie burn.
Customizing and Managing Workout Buddy Settings
Workout Buddy is enabled per workout type basis. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silence for strength training, you can enable each separately using the Fitness app on iPhone or by quickly toggling the feature on or off before starting a session on Apple Watch.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If Workout Buddy fails to activate, ensure your devices meet the requirements outlined above. Confirm that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby and that Bluetooth headphones are connected correctly. In some cases, switching from pairing only to the Watch rather than the iPhone can resolve audio feedback issues. If you're experiencing issues, try toggling the feature off and on again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices.
By following these steps and meeting the requirements, you'll be able to unlock Workout Buddy's full potential and take your fitness journey to new heights with Apple's latest innovative feature.
If you're an avid fitness enthusiast, you might have noticed a new feature in your Apple Watch and iPhone that promises to take your workouts to the next level - Workout Buddy. This innovative companion uses Apple's intelligence to provide personalized feedback, motivation, and performance insights during exercise sessions.
The Basics: What Does Workout Buddy Do?
Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program but rather an added layer of support that offers real-time cues reflecting how your session is going. It reminds you of your weekly activity totals, alerts you to personal bests or milestones, and provides an overview when you're finished. The feature operates in English by default, using a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers.
To get the most out of Workout Buddy, you'll need to meet certain requirements. These include:
- Running the latest version of watchOS 26 or later on your Apple Watch and iOS 26 installed on your iPhone
- Owning one of the supported iPhone models with Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone's settings (e.g., iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16)
- Pairing Bluetooth headphones connected to either your iPhone or Apple Watch
- Having your device language set to English
Enabling Workout Buddy from Your iPhone
To turn on Workout Buddy from your iPhone, open the Fitness app and tap the "Workout" tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find one that aligns with your plan to use Workout Buddy. Tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout type, then flip the toggle to enable it and choose a voice from the available options.
Enabling Workout Buddy on Apple Watch
To turn on Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch and select the desired workout type. Look for the Alerts button on screen, tap "Alerts," scroll until you see Workout Buddy, and toggle it to on. You'll then be asked to choose a voice if one isn't already selected on your iPhone.
Using Workout Buddy During a Workout
Once you start an exercise session on either your Watch or iPhone, Workout Buddy will speak to you through your connected headphones, offering encouragement based on your pace, performance, and milestones. At the end of your session, it provides a summary of key metrics like duration, distance, and calorie burn.
Customizing and Managing Workout Buddy Settings
Workout Buddy is enabled per workout type basis. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silence for strength training, you can enable each separately using the Fitness app on iPhone or by quickly toggling the feature on or off before starting a session on Apple Watch.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
If Workout Buddy fails to activate, ensure your devices meet the requirements outlined above. Confirm that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby and that Bluetooth headphones are connected correctly. In some cases, switching from pairing only to the Watch rather than the iPhone can resolve audio feedback issues. If you're experiencing issues, try toggling the feature off and on again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices.
By following these steps and meeting the requirements, you'll be able to unlock Workout Buddy's full potential and take your fitness journey to new heights with Apple's latest innovative feature.
. It's like having a personal trainer in my ear when I'm on a run or whatever 
. But at the same time, it feels like just another feature to keep track of and set up 
. Like, what if you forget to pair your headphones or something? 
Or if Apple updates their software and suddenly Workout Buddy stops working 
. I dunno, maybe I'm just being a pessimist 
. But hey, it's always cool to have some motivation when working out 
.
I'm super hyped about this new Workout Buddy feature on my Apple Watch! It's like having a personal trainer in my ear 
, motivating me to push through when I'm feeling tired or struggle with form. The fact that it uses AI and provides personalized feedback based on my pace and performance is genius 
. And can we talk about how cool it is that you can choose from different voices? It's like having a squad of trainers cheering you on 
, and this Workout Buddy thing is super cool! It really helps keep me motivated during those long runs 
. The voice feedback from the AI is so nice and gentle, it's like having a personal trainer in your ear 
. One thing that would make it even better, though, is if there were more customizable options for those quiet moments when you're trying to focus on form or breathing exercises 
. Still, this feature is a great addition to their already awesome fitness ecosystem 
and can we pls make sure our fitness features arent controlled by giant corporations? 
the fact that you can customize it to different workouts is awesome too - i mean who doesn't want silence for yoga? 
Plus, have you seen the cost of those fancy Apple Watches and iPhones? It's like they're trying to nickel-and-dime us to death 
... I'm good with just my old fitness tracker that doesn't require a whole lot of tech wizardry 
