(Credit: Apple / PCMag)
Need a little encouragement when you exercise? Apple's Workout Buddy, available for iPhone and Apple Watch, aims to help you get fit and can provide verbal coaching to carry you through a series of workouts, including walking, running, cycling, hiking, and more.
For each workout, you’ll receive encouragement from a virtual buddy speaking in a voice of your choosing. You can set up specific music to automatically rev up as you start to work out, and specify the number of calories you want to burn, the time you want to spend, or the distance you wish to travel. Workout Buddy will then end the workout when you reach your goal. But can this feature really help me exercise? I gave Workout Buddy a try in order to find out.
How to Get Workout Buddy
Workout Buddy requires iOS 26 on a phone that supports Apple Intelligence—so, an iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max, an iPhone 16 model, an iPhone 17 model, or an iPhone Air. Head to Settings > General > Software Update and install latest version.
If you plan to use it on your Apple Watch, you'll need at least a Series 6 or Ultra model running watchOS 26. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Software Update and grab the latest update. To do this directly on your watch, head to Settings > General > Software Update and download the latest version.
Set Up the Workout Buddy on Your Apple Watch
Since I have an Apple Watch, let’s start there. I opened the Workout app on my watch and selected the workout that I intended to perform. If Workout Buddy supports an activity, a clear alert icon will appear in the lower right. If not, that icon appears with a line through it. I found that Workout Buddy supports things like walking, running, biking, and hiking, but not swimming, rowing, kickboxing, dancing, yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)For this test, I chose Elliptical as my activity, then enabled Workout Buddy. From here, it was time to pick the voice for my buddy. I could tap each of the three voices to hear each one and decide which I liked the best. Ultimately, I chose Voice #2 as it sports my favorite sort of British accent. You should be able to hear the Workout Buddy from the watch's speaker, but you can also connect a Bluetooth speaker or earbuds. In my case, I typically turn to my AirPods Pro when I’m exercising.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)For most workouts, I can establish alerts based on my heart rate by tapping Heart Rate and selecting a specific range. I can also create a custom range by swiping down, tapping Custom Range, and then setting the range. Now the Workout Buddy will alert me if my heart rate rises to that level as I work out.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)I can also set alerts based on the amount of time that has elapsed. To do this, I can tap Time, turn on Time Alert, then change the displayed time to a specific number of minutes and seconds. When my workout reaches that point, I’ll receive an alert from the buddy. Depending on the activity, I’m also able to set alerts for any custom workouts that I’ve created.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Back at the main screen for the workout I’ve chosen, I can also establish a certain goal or limit. To set this up, I tapped the timer icon in the upper right and then chose Goals. There, I was able to select Time, Calories, and Distance, and customize the actual metrics. I can also tap the musical note icon in the lower left, enable Autoplay Media, then tap Add Media and choose a playlist or podcast to play during the workout.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Though I usually wear my Apple Watch, I can also use the Workout Buddy just with my iPhone. To do this, I'd open the Fitness app on my phone, tap the Workout icon, and then choose an activity compatible with the Workout Buddy. From here, I can pick the voice I want to hear, set a specific time or number of calories as my goal, and add music or a podcast to accompany my workout. When I’m ready, I can tap the Play button to start.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)The Results
As I kicked off my workout, the Workout Buddy immediately chimed in to give me encouragement and coax me to achieve my goals. It also told me how many times I had exercised that day. So how did the Workout Buddy ultimately fare? Not bad, though I was ultimately disappointed with it. That’s mainly because it didn’t do all that much.
I ended up trying several different workouts, including elliptical, indoor walk, and indoor bike, and ran each workout for 25-30 minutes. In each case, the buddy spoke up only a few times. At the start, it reviewed my settings and tried to spur me on, but there was little in the way of coaching or encouragement. Once or twice, it told me my heart rate or distance travelled. It also piped in when I reached a certain goal and when the workout ended. Otherwise, it was silent the rest of the time.
To be honest, I had expected a lot more support during the workout, with the buddy cheering me on as I exercised. I could find no way to control how frequently the Workout Buddy spoke. And, to be honest, I wonder how much it's even aware of what you're doing from minute to minute. At one point during my elliptical workout, I purposely stopped for a few minutes to see what would happen. I had hoped the buddy would sense that I had stopped, or at least detected that my calories were no longer burning and that my heart rate was dropping. However, I saw no response.
I think the concept is solid. The Workout Buddy can certainly motivate you to start a workout, especially if you’re by yourself, but right now it feels more like a work in progress.