One of the biggest user complaints when Apple Fitness+ initially released was its lack of AirPlay support. Folks could only watch their Fitness+ workouts on Apple devices, like iPhones, iPads, and Apple TVs.
That meant seeing the workout videos on a larger screen wasn’t possible for users with iPhones and Apple Watches but not Apple TVs or iPads.
But no more!
With the latest betas of iOS and watchOS, Apple listened to its Fitness+ users and included a way to AirPlay your Fitness+ videos to a non-Apple device, like a large TV using AirPlay 2.
However, there are some limitations when Airplaying Apple Fitness+ to those non-Apple devices.
Specifically, your workout metrics like calories burned, heart-rate, Burn Bar, activity rings, and countdown timers DON’T show-up on any third-party screen, large or small.
So when you AirPlay your Fitness+ class to a supported television, you need to check your Apple Watch to see those metrics.
However, you will get BOTH picture and sound when AirPlaying your Fitness+ classes to a supported device–so that’s good news!
And your television (or another device) must support AirPlay 2. You should see a label on these smart television that it Works with Apple AirPlay.
Devices that supported the original AirPlay are not supported, at least no yet.
Check Apple’s list of Airplay 2 supported devices if you are unsure whether your current television supports this feature.
Does your TV not support AirPlay 2?
If your TV doesn’t support AirPlay 2, you can connect your iPad with a USB-C port to your TV with a USB C to HDMI cable.
Unfortunately, this won’t work for iPhones, iPod Touch, or any iPad that has a lightning port, not a USB-C port. For whatever reason, you cannot watch Apple Fitness+ using a Lightning to HDMI cable.
Why can’t I Airplay Apple Fitness+ to my Airplay 2 television?
Right now, this feature is available only to users with access to betas of watchOS 7 and iOS 14.
If you want to try this feature, sign up for the public beta program (free) or an Apple Developer account (paid.) Just remember to update your iPhone AND your watch to the latest iOS and watchOS betas to check out the AirPlay option for Apple Fitness+.
Another cool beta feature is that you can now unlock your iPhone from your Apple watch, especially useful when you wear a face mask.
Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch works if you unlock your Apple Watch and then use Face ID on your paired iPhone.
Your iPhone then works with only a partial facial scan, sends a haptic vibration, and a notification to your Apple Watch letting you that it unlocked your iPhone!
The process is similar to unlocking your Mac using your Apple Watch. And just like unlocking your Mac, both your watch and iPhone need to be close to each other for this feature to work!