If there is one feature that Apple Fitness+ users can agree on, it is the need for multi-user support on the app. The ability to stay motivated by working out together with friends and family is huge!
Some of the common questions that we have heard from people since we started writing about Apple Fitness+ are:
- Can me and my partner work out together?
- Can we challenge our friends by sharing a workout and see the burn bar metrics?
- How can we better Filter the workouts to match our needs ( e.g upper body workouts only)
During last week’s WWDC, Apple announced support for new workouts such as Tai Chi and Pilates along with many other exciting features on watchOS 8 but we didn’t hear much about Multiuser support for Apple Fitness+.
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With a little help from one of our fav dev friends (@SteveMoser); we have been able to verify that
MULTIUSER SUPPORT is definitely coming soon to Apple Fitness+
Snippets of code from the latest iOS 15 Beta reveal that users will have the ability to pause their own individual workout when working out in a group or choose to end the workout for all users.
fitness+ “End Workout for All”
“END_WORKOUT_ACTION_MULTIUSER_SELF” => “End Workout for Myself Only”
Multi-user support can not only facilitate when you work out together with your partner or a family member at home but is also along the lines of the latest trends for motivation tech in Digital Fitness.
Given the current lack of multiuser support on Apple Fitness+, only one person’s stats show up on the screen, while the other just “follow along” by doing a generic workout on their watch. If you are working out with your partner, this can be annoying.
Hence it is exciting to see that Apple is going to be introducing some form of multiuser support in Apple Fitness+. Based on the limited code snippets, we cannot decipher whether this initiative is part of a larger feature set like “ Group Challenges” or if it is just multi-user support for the family members enrolled in the Fitness+ plan.
There is also a good chance that this is being embedded into the new “SharePlay” feature-set that Apple showcased with iOS 15.
We would hope and think that this will bring in the concept of Group challenges into Apple Fitness+ since you can already do that without the Apple Fitness+ integration using the ‘Sharing’ tab in the existing Fitness app.
Strava, the popular fitness analytics app recently launched ‘Group Challenges’. The feature is designed to help users stay motivated and connected with their workout partners.
Other fitness platforms have also added similar features recently, so it is only a matter of time that Apple Fitness+ users can take advantage of multi-user support.
