Apple’s iOS 26 and watchOS 26 introduced a new fitness companion called Workout Buddy. This feature uses Apple Intelligence to provide verbal feedback during workouts and motivation based on your activity history. Workout Buddy analyzes your pace, heart rate, distance and other metrics to provide real-time encouragement and performance insights directly through connected Bluetooth headphones. It works in conjunction with the Workout app on the Apple Watch and is partially controlled through the Fitness app on the iPhone. This guide tells you everything you need to set up and use Workout Buddy effectively during a workout.
what does workout buddy do
It is important to note that Workout Buddy is not a full coaching program. Instead, it adds spoken prompts to your workout indicating how your session is going. Workout Buddy can remind you of your weekly activity totals, alert you to personal bests or performance milestones, and provide an overview when your work is complete. It’s designed to feel like a supportive training partner rather than a strict coach.
The feature operates in English by default and uses a text-to-speech model trained on the voices of Apple Fitness+ trainers. It is available for a subset of workout types, including running, walking, cycling, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and strength training. It requires on-device Apple intelligence, which means you’ll need to have one of the latest iPhones running updated software nearby during the workout.
Supported models include the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and any iPhone 16 models. You’ll also need an Apple Watch running watchOS 26.
Requirements before starting
Before Workout Buddy appears in your fitness app or workout app, you need to make sure a few things are in place. First, your Apple Watch must be running watchOS 26 or later and paired with an iPhone with iOS 26 installed. Second, your iPhone must have on-device Apple Intelligence enabled, which means you must have one of the supported iPhone models mentioned above and have Apple Intelligence enabled in the phone’s settings.
You’ll also need Bluetooth headphones with your iPhone or Apple Watch. Workout Buddy’s audio feedback cannot play through the watch speakers so headphones are required. Finally, your device language should be set to English, at least initially. If any of these things are missing, the option to enable Workout Buddy may not appear.
How to turn on Workout Buddy from iPhone
While most interactions with Workout Buddy happen on the Apple Watch during workouts, you can enable it and choose voice options from the Fitness app on iPhone.
Open the Fitness app on your iPhone and tap work out Tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of workout types until you find the one you plan to use with Workout Buddy. Tap the waveform bubble icon associated with that workout. This will bring up Settings where you can turn on Workout Buddy. Flip the toggle to enable it and choose a voice from the available options. Once you’ve chosen a voice, close that screen and your choice will be saved. When you start this workout type on Apple Watch, Workout Buddy will be activated.
Enabling Workout Buddy for a workout type on iPhone means you don’t need to toggle it separately on Apple Watch every time you want that specific workout. However, you can still adjust this from the watch interface for more detailed control.
How to turn on Workout Buddy on Apple Watch
To use Workout Buddy during a session, open the Workout app on your Apple Watch. Turn the Digital Crown to scroll and select the workout you want to do, such as Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycle, HIIT, or Strength Training. If you want to see all available workouts, tap Add Button at the bottom.
Once you select the workout type, look for the alert button on the screen. Tap alert Scroll until you see Workout Buddy. Tap workout buddy And turn on the switch. You’ll be asked to select a voice if you don’t already have a voice selected on your iPhone. After selecting the voice, return to the previous screen and tap Start. Workout Buddy will start working as soon as the workout ends.
Using Workout Buddy during a workout
Once you start an exercise on your Watch or iPhone, Workout Buddy will talk to you through your connected headphones. Feedback is designed to be encouraging and relevant to your pace, performance or milestones. This may refer to your current progress towards activity goals, pace, splits, personal bests or other highlights from your fitness data. At the end of your session Workout Buddy will summarize key metrics like duration, distance and calories burned.
When a workout is active, you can temporarily mute the audio if you need silence. On Apple Watch during a session, swipe right to show controls, then tap mute. This pauses Workout Buddy’s spoken commentary without disabling the feature completely.
Customizing and managing Workout Buddy settings
Workout Buddy is enabled based on each workout-type. If you prefer voice feedback for running but silent feedback 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. On Apple Watch you can turn the feature on or off immediately before starting a session.
If Workout Buddy doesn’t appear as an option for a particular workout type, you may need to check compatibility. Apple’s documentation indicates that only certain types* are initially supported and this option will not appear for unsupported workouts.
*Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), Apple Watch SE 3, Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch Series 7, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch Series 10, Apple Watch Series 11, Apple Watch Ultra, Apple Watch Ultra 2, Apple Watch Ultra 3
troubleshooting common problems
If Workout Buddy fails to activate ensure that your equipment meets the requirements outlined above. Confirm that your iPhone with Apple Intelligence is nearby and Bluetooth headphones are connected. If audio feedback is missing, make sure the headphones are paired correctly and the language is set to English. Some users have reported that if headphones are only paired to the Watch instead of the iPhone, it may interfere with feedback. Switching to an iPhone often solves that problem.
For workout types where Workout Buddy previously worked but suddenly doesn’t appear, you can try turning the feature on again and again in the Fitness app or rebooting both devices. In rare cases, deleting and re-adding a workout type on Apple Watch may refresh the settings.
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