Does Apple Fitness+ work with Airplay 2? My Samsung TV supports Airplay 2. I display movies and photos from my MacBook on it and now want to do the same with Fitness. But Fitness does not find the display though.
Thank you
iPhone 11 Pro
>>Well how are you supposed to use Fitness+ on a big screen? Surely this is a bug, as I'm sure Apple would want their products to integrate seemlessly?
its not a bug. You need an Apple TV HD or 4K. Here are the system requirements: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211924
That page is the official Apple specs
>>Well how are you supposed to use Fitness+ on a big screen? Surely this is a bug, as I'm sure Apple would want their products to integrate seemlessly?
its not a bug. You need an Apple TV HD or 4K. Here are the system requirements: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211924
That page is the official Apple specs
Unfortunately, smart TVs are not currently supported devices for this service.
BUT if you have a friend who uses an Apple TV, you can start a work out, tap your phone/watch against the apple TV device and it will cast your watches information on to the Apple TV. this allows you to work out using a larger screen, without fully signing into your account on their device. They will not be able to use Apple Fitness without your device to start the app/video.
Hopefully SOON it comes to smart TV's via the Apple TV+ App or Airplay, but no results just yet since it is fairly brand new..
>>To me, this seems like it cannot be a decision they made.... surely this is a bug or an oversight.
This is not a bug. Many people seem to have the wrong understanding of Apple Fitness Plus. It's not an iPhone app that plays on your phone and gets mirrored to the TV (which is why AirPlay does not work). It's an app that runs on your iPhone or iPad or Apple TV.
I have 2 Roku's and an apple TV and I confirmed this. If you launch the Fitness app on a phone, and beam it to Apple TV - you will see the Fitness+ app on the AppleTV launch and start running.
You don't even need a iPhone or iPad to use Fitness+. If you want to use it on a TV it needs to be running the Apple TV app.
The specs say it needs Apple TV HD or TV 4K: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211924
The product page says "Apple Fitness+ makes it quick and easy for everyone to get the best workout on iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV. ". https://www.apple.com/apple-fitness-plus/?cid=wwa-us-kwgo-fitness-slid-
Tom's Guide says the same thing "since Apple Fitness Plus is a video-based program, you'll want a screen for watching classes. An iPhone will suffice, but you might be able to follow along better if you use an iPad or Apple TV. ": https://www.tomsguide.com/news/apple-fitness-plus-how-to-set-it-up-and-start-your-free-trial-right-now#:~:text=And%20since%20Apple%20Fitness%20Plus,an%20iPad%20or%20Apple%20TV.
Apple probably did it this way to give people an incentive to BUY an Apple TV. Apple needs things like Fitness+ to differentiate it from Roku, Amazon and all the TV's with built-in Roku or Google.
It could've been done another way, but Apple went this route -- a special fitness app on each device. They probably hope that users will want Fitness+ enough to add an AppleTV on top of their existing whatever-box.
Having spent time on Apple Support for a couple of hours, I agree that you are correct. This is a decision Apple has made. I think it is a terrible one, but it is intentional.
You MUST have an Apple TV4K and you need to “reset and update” your device to get the Fitness+ app to install. It’s not in the App Store, it becomes one of the built in apps on the TV Home Screen.
why I think it is a terrible decision:
What am I to do when traveling? What if I decide to relocate where I exercise? Do I have to drag my Apple TV with me everywhere I go? Or do I just need to have 4 Apple TV’s at home and then.a 5th for travel? It’s pretty silly. This is not how workout services should work. It’s like they just aren’t ready to run with the big dogs in this arena.
Normally, Apple either innovates from the get-go or takes something that’s out there and makes it better. In this case, neither are true. They simply have a half-baked version of what’s already available in the market. Too bad.
Was just looking into this today, still looks like it’s not possible. I can watch the previews through Airplay on my TV, but going into the workout I just get a black screen with the music playlist on screen. Since I also have an iPad, I plugged in my USB-C Hub w/HDMI into it and was able to use that as a workaround, but it’s not ideal. Hoping that there’s an update down the road, but I may just bite the bullet and pick up an Apple TV, the convenience will probably outweigh the cost for me.
I just got off the phone with support. 2 of their advisors (Trish and Charles) said that Apple Fitness+ does not support AirPlay. Charles went on to say that this has been reported many times and he has been able to replicate it himself, but has received no instruction as to whether it will be supported or fixed in the future, only that it was due to copyright protections. They also alluded to the idea that you must own an Apple TV for this to feature to work. Since they suggested no fix, Charles mentioned that cancelling the subscription may be the only workaround.
Their debugging steps were to:
They have told me that they will call back later today.
I'll update this post accordingly.
I hope this helps!
Aliascognito wrote:
Their debugging steps were to:
There is no point in attempting to "debug" something that's working as intended. AppleFitness+ doesn't support Airplay. No amount of "debugging" will change that.
Submit your feedback to Apple requesting they add this feature here:
Nope. Apple Fitness+ is not supported in AirPlay. Only if you have an Apple TV. I was able to get the demo videos to stream/mirror properly but not the actual full videos. Seems like a bug for Apple. Apple Fitness+ only support Apple TV. Major Bummer.
lakoller wrote:
I don't see what the point of pushing the app out without airplay capability was. People who workout from home tend to want it on their TV.
The point is to try and increase their Apple TV sales until enough users complain and then maybe they'll add AirPlay support. The thinking is likely that if you already have an Apple Watch and an iPhone, making you get an Apple TV isn't a huge leap. Plus I imagine that it working on Apple TV isn't simply AirPlay from your phone, but is some extra connector (for Apple Watch data) that isn't part of the AirPlay protocol. Why invest in developing that capability (costs money) when you can force users to buy your other product (make money).
This isn't actually a fix. Apple TV will not play actual workout videos by AirPlay (or even screen mirroring, for that matter). You can watch previews just fine, but only the audio will make it to your set using Apple TV. At least, I have tried 2 different Apple TV's (a Gen 3 and a 4K) with only audio for the actual workouts. So, my experience seems to match everyone's except yours. Have you actually tried it?
I have found a functional, albeit cumbersome, workaround for getting Fitness+ to airplay on a TV screen using a second streaming device (until Apple fixes this issue):
Well... since the VIDEO will not play even when using Apple TV, I wouldn't really say it is "supported". I can't even get screen mirroring to show an actual workout video when using Apple TV - but no problem with either mirroring or AirPlay on the preview videos. Incidentally, and I'm sure Apple probably couldn't care less, everything from the Peloton App streams flawlessly, whether using AirPlay or screen mirroring. I was really hoping to use Apple Fitness+ since I have many pieces in the Apple ecosystem.
To me, this seems like it cannot be a decision they made.... surely this is a bug or an oversight. I truly hope this is remedied soon. I am using the free trial month for Apple Fitness+ right now. There is absolutely ZERO chance I would PAY for the service if this doesn't get fixed. Simply unacceptable. They just don't seem ready to play with the big boys in fitness yet....
The first one that supported Airplay. The software is on like 7.6 something. I just bought a new one apple TV. $1,500 iPhone, $500 dollar apple watch, why not another $200 for the apple TV.....
This is a deal breaker for me. Apple wants me to pay £80 a year for a service I can only watch on my phone. The whole point of this is to watch on big screens where you exercise in front of it. When you tap airplay it only comes up with apple devices. Where my Samsung tv plays all other content. Lots of other forums with people complaining about this too. And NO I do not want to buy an Apple TV too. As it’s not a good device worthy of another plug in my house!
What Apple Watch do you have?
Yes, you need one. Apple Watch personalizes your Apple Fitness+ experience by integrating your personal metrics, like your heart rate and the calories you burn, into every workout. It brings them to life on the screen to keep you informed and motivated. To use Apple Fitness+ on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, an Apple Watch Series 3 or later is required.
Apple Fitness+ is available in
Apple Fitness+ Airplay 2
