Apple To Launch Fitness App for All iPhone Users
Saying “I closed my rings” has become a quick way to show off that you’ve met your workout goals for the day. This achievement has been exclusive to Apple Watch users up until now.
In the upcoming iOS 16 update, Apple is introducing its Fitness app with activity tracking features to iPhones. This is the well-known Apple Watch app that keeps track of movement, exercise, and standing time by using three rings that users aim to complete as they stay active throughout the day.
On the iPhone version, the Fitness app will feature a single ring called Move, which will measure the “active calories” you’ve burned.
Previously, this app was limited to Apple Watch users since the Watch monitors steps, heart rate, and other activities while the Fitness app tracks these metrics and visualizes them in the form of ring closures. It’s also the gateway to Apple’s subscription service, Apple Fitness+. (It’s uncertain if making the Fitness app available to a broader user base will lead to any iPhone user being able to subscribe to Fitness+ in the future.)
But iPhones can already track steps, distance traveled, and stairs climbed, which is recorded in the Health app. The Fitness app will now quantify this movement into active calories, enabling you to set daily goals. It will also separate your workouts from third-party apps like Strava or Runkeeper, converting them into active calories that count towards your goal. By carrying your iPhone with you at all times, it can become a fitness tracker and even let you share your Move ring progress with friends for extra motivation.
While there isn’t conclusive proof that wearing a fitness tracker increases activity levels or improves health, setting daily activity goals can boost the number of steps taken per day, benefiting heart health. Goal setting, especially specific goals, can be a strong motivator to keep active, as stated by Hopkins Medicine.
Using digital tracking is not the only way to achieve fitness goals, but having more options that don’t require purchasing another expensive device and letting you utilize your smartphone are advantageous. If you’re interested in trying the app, be on the lookout for the iOS 16 release and download it when it becomes widely available this autumn.
