Oone of our biggest problems with Apple’s new Fitness + service when it was launched was that it does not support AirPlay, which means you could not stream workouts from, for example, your iPhone to your (non-Appeal) TV. It was a great choice because Apple Watch and iPhone owners without Apple TV were forced to stream workouts on a tiny, tiny screen. Users were also no also content. But, be glad! Apple also seems to be adding the ability to broadcast Fitness + exercises on any AirPlay-enabled TV.
The new feature was noticed in today’s developer update for watchOS 7.4 and iOS 14.5, which has not yet been released to the public. Adding AirPlay 2 compatibility is not only convenient, but it’s a step in the right direction. While Fitness + is relatively affordable at $ 10 a month, it takes a strong investment in hardware to get the best experience. While you could get away with only An Apple Watch and iPhone, it’s much better if you also have an iPad and Apple TV. (Because natural that is.) Allowing users to switch to an AirPlay-enabled TV opens the service to a much wider range of users.
However, there is a catch. According to TechCrunchit turns out that although you can broadcast both audio and video via AirPlay, you will lose statistics on the screen. In Fitness + it’s a big sign that you can see your Aactivity rright on the screen, along with your heart rate, calories you burn and the time you need to stay in the workout. For certain cardio workouts you can also use a “Burn Bar,” what is a visual representation of how you set up everyone who has done the workout before. The statistics were probably the reason Fitness + initially did not start with AirPlay compatibility, as the Watch sends the statistics via Bluetooth to Apple’s devices.
It’s a little awkward, but at the same time, the most important part is to see the workout for yourself. You can always look at your heart rate to see the heart rate, calories burned and how far you are in the workout. A bigger question is whether your ability to control workouts (e.g., pause and start) from the wrist will be affected by AirPlay. In any case, it’s encouraging to see that Apple is not waiting to add updates to Fitness +. Just last week it added a new one Time to walk function, and now it.
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This is not the only update we can expect. The iOS 14.5 developer beta also includes a new feature called Unlock iPhone with Apple Watch. As long as you have an open Apple Watch, you can use FaceID on your iPhone. This will be very useful in situations where you cannot remove your mask and still need to unlock your phone or use an authentication feature – for if you’re at the grocery store and want to use Apple Pay.
Again, this is Apple. If you use this feature, you should have an Apple Watch, and this is not a good option for users who do not have an Apple Watch. But as always, this is not the final iteration of these features. Although it is more than likely eventually they will go to consumers, it is possible that they will take a slightly different form after receiving feedback on developers. Anyway, both updates are very welcome solutions for some important pets.