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watchOS 26's Workout Buddy Will Give You the Workout Motivation You Need

Your own personal trainer, on your wrist

Abubakar Mohammed profile picture
by Abubakar Mohammed

Published 7 hours ago

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Apple workouts app training load exercise cards

Image Credit: Apple

Summary

  • watchOS 26 has new Workout Buddy feature for the Apple Watch and it will be powered by Apple Intelligence.
  • It uses a custom text-to-speech engine to give users insights on their past and present workouts.
  • Workout Buddy will learn a user's media listening patterns and automatically play liked playlists or podcasts from Apple Music during workouts.

Apple Watch is receiving one of the biggest updates ever, revamping the UI, adding new features, and more. However, the biggest feature seems to be powered by AI and Apple's calling it Workout Buddy. As the name suggests, it's designed to motivate users by dictating their progress during a workout.

Apple showcased Workout Buddy at WWDC 25 today, and it's sort of like a personal assistant baked into the workout app. The Cupertino giant claims it analyses current and past health metrics and give users meaningful insights during and at the end of the workout.

A person wearing apple watch in hand with the workout app open
Image Credit: Apple
A person wearing apple watch in hand with the workout app open
Image Credit: Apple

It uses a custom text-to-speech model to convey these insights via audio to Bluetooth earbuds, making it feel like a personal one on one coaching session. For example, if a user's last mile was quicker than the first mile when they started or compared to yesterday's progress, Workout Buddy will congratulate them on being quicker. Once the workout ends, it will give users a summary of the stats and achievements.

While at it, it's also capable of learning a user's daily jam during workouts. Once it learns what they listen to or were listening to, Workout Buddy automatically pulls up the media player on the Apple Watch, connects to Apple Music and plays their favourite workout playlists or podcasts. 

The feature functions only on Bluetooth earbuds connected to the Apple Watch. It's currently available on watchOS 26 Developer Beta in English and across multiple activity types like runs, walks, cycling and strength training. It's also worth noting that Workout Buddy will only work if you have an iPhone with Apple Intelligence.

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Source

Apple
Abubakar Mohammed profile picture
Abubakar Mohammed

Writer

Expertise :

Abubakar is a seasoned Tech journalist who covers everything Android and Consumer Electronics. His love for technology started with a Dell Inspiron 5100 which he was gifted on his 6th birthday. He's a die-hard self-repair enthusiast who loves to dive into the specifics of consumer tech and ensures users always end up getting the best bang for their buck. In his free time, you will find him hunting heads in Valorant or spending his hard-earned F2P Primogems in Genshin Impact. He has previously worked for Android Police, Fossbytes, and How-to Geek.

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