Key Facts
- ✓ Workout Buddy uses a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers to deliver its spoken feedback.
- ✓ The feature is designed to provide spoken cues that reflect how a workout session is going, rather than acting as a strict coaching program.
- ✓ Workout Buddy can remind users of weekly activity totals, alert them to personal bests, and provide a summary of key metrics like duration and calorie burn.
- ✓ Audio feedback is delivered exclusively through connected Bluetooth headphones and cannot play through the Apple Watch speaker.
- ✓ If Workout Buddy does not appear for a specific workout type, it may be because that activity is not currently supported by the feature.
A New Fitness Companion Arrives
Apple's latest software updates have introduced a sophisticated new feature designed to transform the workout experience. Workout Buddy leverages on-device Apple Intelligence to analyze your performance metrics and deliver real-time, spoken encouragement directly through your headphones.
Unlike a traditional coaching program, this feature acts as a supportive training partner. It provides context-aware feedback based on your pace, heart rate, distance, and activity history, creating a more engaging and personalized fitness session.
The feature integrates seamlessly with the existing Workout app on Apple Watch and is managed through the Fitness app on iPhone. It is available for a subset of popular workout types, offering motivation for running, walking, cycling, high-intensity interval training, and strength training.
Understanding Workout Buddy's Role
It is important to note that Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program. Instead, it enhances your existing workout routine with spoken cues that reflect how your session is progressing. The feature is designed to feel like a supportive companion rather than a strict coach.
Workout Buddy can remind you of your weekly activity totals, alert you to personal bests or performance milestones, and provide an overview when you finish. The audio feedback is delivered in English by default, using a text-to-speech model trained on voices from Apple Fitness+ trainers.
The feature requires on-device Apple Intelligence, meaning you must keep a compatible iPhone with updated software nearby during your workouts. Supported models include the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any iPhone 16 model. You will also need an Apple Watch running watchOS 26.
Essential Requirements
Before Workout Buddy appears in your Fitness or Workout app, several prerequisites must be met. Your Apple Watch must be running watchOS 26 or later and paired to an iPhone with iOS 26 installed.
Your iPhone must be capable of on-device Apple Intelligence, which requires owning one of the supported models mentioned above and having Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone's settings. Additionally, Bluetooth headphones are essential, as audio feedback cannot play through the watch speaker.
Finally, your device language must be set to English. If any of these requirements are missing, the option to enable Workout Buddy may not appear.
Setting Up from iPhone
While much of the interaction with Workout Buddy happens on the Apple Watch, you can enable it and choose voice options from the Fitness app on your iPhone. This method allows you to set preferences for specific workout types in advance.
To enable the feature, open the Fitness app and tap the Workout tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find one you plan to use, then tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout. This will open the settings menu.
Flip the toggle to enable Workout Buddy and select a voice from the available options. Your choice is saved automatically. Enabling the feature for a workout type on iPhone means you do not need to toggle it on separately on your Apple Watch each time for that specific activity.
Activating on Apple Watch
To use Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll through and select your desired workout, such as Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, or Strength Training.
Once the workout type is selected, look for the Alerts button on screen. Tap Alerts, then scroll until you see Workout Buddy. Tap the feature and flip the switch to on. If a voice is not already selected on your iPhone, you will be asked to choose one.
After selecting the voice, return to the previous screen and tap Start. Workout Buddy will begin working as soon as the workout does, delivering spoken feedback through your connected headphones.
Using and Customizing
Once you start an exercise, Workout Buddy will speak to you through your connected headphones. The feedback is designed to be encouraging and relevant to your pace, performance, or milestones. It may mention your current progress toward activity goals, pace, splits, personal bests, or other highlights from your fitness data.
At the end of your session, Workout Buddy will offer a summary of key metrics like duration, distance, and calorie burn. While a workout is active, you can temporarily mute the audio if you need silence. On Apple Watch during the session, swipe right to reveal controls and tap Mute. This pauses the spoken commentary without disabling the feature entirely.
Workout Buddy is enabled on a per-workout-type basis. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silence for strength training, you can enable it for one and leave it off for the other. The Fitness app on iPhone allows you to set a default voice preference for each workout type.
Troubleshooting & Supported Devices
If Workout Buddy fails to activate, ensure your devices meet the requirements and that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby with Bluetooth headphones connected. If audio feedback is missing, verify headphones are paired correctly and the language is set to English.
Some users have reported that if headphones are paired only to the Watch rather than the iPhone, it can interfere with feedback. Switching the pairing to the iPhone often resolves that issue. For workout types where the feature previously worked but suddenly does not appear, try toggling the feature off and on again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices.
The feature is supported on a wide range of Apple Watch models, including:
Key Takeaways
Workout Buddy represents a significant step in personalized fitness technology, moving beyond simple data tracking to active, AI-driven motivation. By analyzing real-time metrics, it provides a dynamic layer of feedback that adapts to your performance.
The feature's requirement for specific, recent hardware underscores Apple's push toward on-device intelligence. As the ecosystem evolves, features like this will likely become more integrated into daily health and fitness routines.
For users with compatible devices, setting up Workout Buddy offers a new way to experience workouts, turning solitary exercise into a more interactive and supported activity.
