How to use Fitness+ and SharePlay to exercise with friends over FaceTime

(Pocket-lint) - A caller Apple Fitness+ feature, Group Workouts, is present disposable with enactment for SharePlay, allowing you to enactment successful workout sessions with up to 32 friends done FaceTime. Here's what you request to know, including however it works truthful you tin easy commencement your ain radical workout video calls.

What are Group Workouts and SharePlay?

When Apple rolled retired iOS 15.1, it updated the FaceTime app to marque it amended vie with Zoom and different video calling services. It besides added a caller feature, called SharePlay, which fundamentally turns FaceTime into a ticker enactment service. So, erstwhile you're connected a FaceTime call, you tin bring successful euphony for a shared listening experience, oregon you tin ticker movies and shows with friends successful sync portion having real-time conversations, oregon you tin stock your screen.

SharePlay is intended to enactment with galore third-party apps, arsenic good arsenic Apple apps, specified arsenic Fitness. Apple's ain fittingness app offers entree to Fitness+, a Peloton-like postulation of interactive fittingness classes for a monthly subscription. And, now, it includes Group Workouts, truthful Fitness+ subscribers connected an iPhone oregon iPad tin leverage SharePlay to commencement a radical workout oregon meditation with up to 32 friends implicit FaceTime. It's truly casual to do, actually.

How to usage Group Workouts with SharePlay

Requirements

Your Apple instrumentality indispensable beryllium moving the astir caller bundle update disposable for its operating system. As of October 2021, that is iOS 15.1 for iPhone, iPadOS 15.1 for iPad, watchOS 8.1 for Apple Watch, and tvOS 15.1 for Apple TV. SharePlay and Group Workouts weren't disposable until iOS 15.1 released.

Start a FaceTime call

To commencement a Group Workout, you'll archetypal request to beryllium successful a FaceTime telephone connected an iPhone oregon iPad. (Go present to larn however to commencement a radical call.)

In the FaceTime app, pat New FaceTime, and past benignant the person's telephone fig oregon email address. You tin besides commencement a FaceTime video telephone from your iPhone during a telephone call. Just pat the FaceTime icon successful the Phone app to power to FaceTime.

Open the Fitness app

Once you're successful a FaceTime call, spell to the Fitness app, prime a workout oregon meditation video to follow, and you'll spot your friends and household onscreen arsenic good arsenic your ain metrics. You tin person up to 32 radical connected a call. Apple promises the selected Fitness+ league volition watercourse wholly successful sync for each participant.

When idiosyncratic gets up (on the Burn Bar advancement bar) oregon closes their rings during a session, everyone connected the telephone volition get an alert to observe together. 

Switch to Apple TV

Since SharePlay works system-wide connected Apple devices, you tin permission the streaming app, past unfastened different app to, say, bid instrumentality out, and a picture-and-picture presumption volition fto you proceed seeing your friends and the video you're enjoying. If you similar to ticker connected a bigger screen, you tin widen the Group Workout to your Apple TV and ticker it determination with your friends implicit FaceTime connected your iPhone. Despite utilizing aggregate devices, everyone should beryllium successful sync.

Want to cognize more?

Check retired these applicable guides and reviews for much information:

• What is SharePlay for FaceTime? Plus however to usage it for a movie ticker party
• Apple Fitness+ review: Your caller location gym?
• How to marque a Group FaceTime video call

Writing by Maggie Tillman. Originally published connected 25 October 2021.