Apple TV to become home exercise video platform, iOS 14 code reveals
Apple is about to get into the home fitness market with exercise videos offered through the Apple TV, and tracked using a new Watch app.
This is according to leaked code from the company's upcoming iOS 14 iPhone software, which has been seen by reputable Apple news site MacRumors.
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Although iOS 14 isn't expected to be announced by Apple until June, then released to the public alongside new iPhones and a new Watch in September, some key details are already known.
According to MacRumors, a new app codenamed Seymour but expected to be called Fit or Fitness will be a part of iOS 14. It will sit alongside Apple's existing Health app, and will also appear on the Apple Watch via the upcoming watchOS 7 software.
Most interestingly, the new fitness app is said to be a part of tvOS 14, the new operating system for the Apple TV set-top box.
Although details are sketchy for now, MacRumors states: "With the fitness app, users may be able to download fitness videos that cover a range of different workout options and activities, getting guidance on completing those activities on the Apple Watch. Apple provides a gallery of different workout routines that can be downloaded and synced to the Apple Watch, with the videos themselves shown on the iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV."
A wide variety of workout options are to be offered by the new app, including indoor running, cycling, rowing, stretching, core training, strength training, outdoor walking, dance and yoga.
It will be interesting to see how Apple positions these video offerings, and how they will compare to a range already offered through the Apple TV from third-party fitness companies.
While we don't expect to see Apple offer its own Peloton-style indoor exercise bike, it looks like the new fitness app will let users exercise on their own equipment, in front of workout videos presented by the Apple TV, or an iPad. The report suggests these fitness videos would be offered for free, as there is no mention of payments or subscriptions in the leaked iOS 14 code.
However, the release of this software is still several months away, giving Apple plenty of time to make changes and additions, or even remove the fitness app entirely until a later version of iOS.
It has also been reported this week that the next Apple Watch operating system will include blood oxygen level monitoring and sleep tracking.
We would normally expect to learn more at Apple's annual WWDC developer event in June. But Santa Clara county has this week temporarily banned gatherings of more than 1,000 people, in a bid to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. As such, we expect WWDC to be an online-only event, as Google has planned for its own I/O developer event.
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