Learn how to use Exercise Buddy with Apple Watch and iOS 26

Apple’s iOS 26 and watchOS 26 launched a brand new health companion known as Exercise Buddy. This characteristic makes use of Apple Intelligence to supply spoken suggestions throughout exercises and provides motivation primarily based in your exercise historical past. Exercise Buddy analyzes your tempo, coronary heart charge, distance and different metrics to ship real-time encouragement and efficiency insights immediately by means of related Bluetooth headphones. It really works along side the Exercise app on Apple Watch and is partially managed by means of the Health app on iPhone. This information walks you thru every little thing wanted to arrange and use Exercise Buddy successfully throughout exercises.

What Exercise Buddy does

It’s necessary to notice that Exercise Buddy will not be a full teaching program. As an alternative, it provides to your exercise with spoken cues that replicate how your session goes. Exercise Buddy can remind you of your weekly exercise totals, provide you with a warning to private bests or efficiency milestones and supply an outline whenever you’re completed. It’s designed to really feel like a supportive coaching associate moderately than a strict coach.

The characteristic operates in English by default and makes use of a text-to-speech mannequin educated on voices from Apple Health+ trainers. It’s accessible for a subset of exercise sorts, together with operating, strolling, biking, high-intensity interval coaching (HIIT) and power coaching. It requires on-device Apple Intelligence, which implies you’ll must hold one of many newest iPhones operating up to date software program close by throughout exercises.

Supported fashions embrace iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 15 Professional Max and any iPhone 16 mannequin. You’ll additionally want an Apple Watch operating watchOS 26.

Necessities earlier than you start

Earlier than Exercise Buddy seems in your Health app or Exercise app you need to guarantee a couple of issues are in place. First, your Apple Watch have to be operating watchOS 26 or later and paired to an iPhone with iOS 26 put in. Second, your iPhone have to be able to on-device Apple Intelligence, that means you need to personal one of many supported iPhone fashions we talked about above and have Apple Intelligence enabled within the cellphone’s settings.

You’ll additionally want Bluetooth headphones paired with both your iPhone or your Apple Watch. Exercise Buddy’s audio suggestions can’t play by means of the watch speaker so headphones are important. Lastly, your system language have to be set to English, at the very least initially. If any of these items are lacking, the choice to allow Exercise Buddy could not seem.

Learn how to activate Exercise Buddy from iPhone

Whereas a lot of the interplay with Exercise Buddy occurs on Apple Watch throughout exercises, you may allow it and select voice choices from the Health app on iPhone.

Open the Health app in your iPhone and faucet the Exercise tab on the backside. Scroll by means of the record of exercise sorts till you discover one you propose to make use of with Exercise Buddy. Faucet the waveform bubble icon related to that exercise. This can convey up settings the place you may activate Exercise Buddy. Flip the toggle to allow it and select a voice from the accessible choices. Upon getting chosen a voice, shut that display and your alternative is saved. If you begin this exercise kind on Apple Watch, Exercise Buddy will activate.

Enabling Exercise Buddy for a exercise kind on iPhone means you don’t want to toggle it on individually on Apple Watch every time for that particular exercise. Nevertheless, you should still modify it from the watch interface for extra granular management.

Learn how to activate Exercise Buddy on Apple Watch

To make use of Exercise Buddy throughout a session, open the Exercise app in your Apple Watch. Flip the Digital Crown to scroll by means of and choose the exercise you wish to do, similar to Out of doors Run, Out of doors Stroll, Out of doors Cycle, HIIT or Energy Coaching. If you wish to see all accessible exercises, faucet the Add button on the backside.

As soon as the exercise kind is chosen, search for the Alerts button on display. Faucet Alerts then scroll till you see Exercise Buddy. Faucet Exercise Buddy and flip the swap to on. You’ll then be requested to decide on a voice if one will not be already chosen in your iPhone. After choosing the voice, return to the earlier display and faucet Begin. Exercise Buddy will start working as quickly because the exercise does.

Utilizing Exercise Buddy throughout a exercise

When you begin an train in your Watch or iPhone, Exercise Buddy will communicate to you thru your related headphones. The suggestions is designed to be encouraging and related to your tempo, efficiency or milestones. It could point out your present progress towards exercise objectives, tempo, splits, private bests or different highlights out of your health information. On the finish of your session Exercise Buddy will provide a abstract of key metrics like length distance and calorie burn.

Whereas a exercise is lively, you may quickly mute the audio when you want silence. On Apple Watch in the course of the session, swipe proper to disclose controls then faucet Mute. This pauses Exercise Buddy’s spoken commentary with out disabling the characteristic solely.

Customizing and managing Exercise Buddy settings

Exercise Buddy is enabled on a per-workout-type foundation. Should you choose voice suggestions for operating however silence for power coaching, you may allow it for one and depart it off for the opposite. The Health app on iPhone lets you set a default voice desire for every exercise kind. On Apple Watch you may rapidly toggle the characteristic on or off earlier than beginning a session.

If Exercise Buddy doesn’t seem as an choice for a specific exercise kind, chances are you’ll must examine compatibility. Apple’s documentation signifies that solely sure sorts* are supported initially and that the choice is not going to seem for unsupported exercises.

*Apple Watch SE (2nd technology), Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Collection 6, Apple Watch Collection 7, Apple Watch Collection 8, Apple Watch Collection 9, Apple Watch Collection 10, Apple Watch Collection 11, Apple Watch Extremely, Apple Watch Extremely 2, Apple Watch Extremely 3

Troubleshooting widespread points

If Exercise Buddy fails to activate be sure that your gadgets meet the necessities outlined above. Verify that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is close by and that Bluetooth headphones are related. If audio suggestions is lacking, guarantee headphones are paired accurately and that the language is about to English. Some customers have reported that if the headphones are paired solely to the Watch moderately than the iPhone, it might intrude with suggestions. Switching to the iPhone usually resolves that challenge.

For exercise sorts the place Exercise Buddy beforehand labored however immediately doesn’t seem, chances are you’ll strive toggling the characteristic on and off once more within the Health app or rebooting each gadgets. In uncommon instances eradicating and re-adding the exercise kind on Apple Watch can refresh the settings.