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

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.

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.