Apple Fitness Plus and Strava collaborate with a new integration

Apple Fitness Plus is getting a new makeover in the Strava app. The two companies just announced that they are collaborating to enhance Fitness Plus’ integration with the popular fitness community, including more detailed workout summaries, Strava athletes appearing in Fitness Plus content, and a free three-month trial to the service for Strava subscribers.

Starting today, you’ll be able to see a Fitness Plus workout thumbnail and information like episode number, music genre, trainer, metrics and achievements. While mostly a design update, this brings Fitness Plus more in line with other Strava integrations from services like Peloton and Ladder.

Technically, Apple Watch users have been able to import their workouts into Strava since the beginning. However, that integration has been limited with bare-bones workout summaries. While you could see the type of activity, calories burned and basic heart rate metrics, there was no information about the class or the instructor. (As you can see from this screenshot, you’d be hard pressed to know that my New Year’s Day yoga workout was also a Fitness Plus class.)

The Fitness Plus and Strava integration goes both ways. For starters, new and existing Strava subscribers in the US, UK, Canada and Australia will get a free three-month trial of Fitness Plus, regardless of whether they own an Apple Watch. (You will, however, need an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to access the service.) Strava’s popular athletes will also be invited to Fitness Plus workouts. That includes strength training with the runner Hellah Sidibe on January 13 and a treadmill workout with Kayla Jeter.

So far, Apple has only offered free trials of Fitness Plus with the purchase of a new Apple gadget. And while the service regularly features famous athletes as guest hosts on its programming, it has never acquired those guests from a third-party fitness community.

Sidibe, for example, may not be as famous as two-time Olympic gold medalist Ted Ligety (who recently hosted a Fitness Plus series). However, if you’re into running and social media, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with Sidibe. seven years daily running streak and inclination to run with four smartwatches.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve really admired what Strava has done to make an impact in the fitness space, especially in the community,” says Jay Blahnik, Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies, acknowledging that Apple does not participate not often in this type of activity. collaboration

Blahnik says working with Strava also presents a new opportunity for Fitness Plus’ reach. When the service first launched, there was an emphasis on making sure it was inclusive, motivating and accessible to people of all levels. And in those early days, it was often felt that Fitness Plus was like a fitness package for the average person who might need a little encouragement – something The Virgin indicated in his initial review. Not exactly the typical use of Strava.

“They don’t need us for motivation! They are already motivated on their own,” says Blahnik. Instead, for experienced athletes, Blahnik presents Fitness Plus as an additional resource for cross-training and discovering new types of activities.

“Maybe they’re starting to run for the first time, and they want to make sure they don’t get hurt, and they need to do yoga and strength training,” adds Zipporah Allen, Strava’s chief business officer.

Both Allen and Blahnik also note that the partnership is not a one-and-done kind of deal, hinting that the integration could evolve further down the road. While both declined to provide specifics, Blahnik noted that the companies “have bold ambitions for what [they] might be able to make the way in terms of sharing.” (Asked if maybe one day you could tap a Fitness Plus class a Strava friend took and immediately be taken to that workout on your phone, Blahnik said they’d keep that in mind.)

In the short term, it’s a beneficial move for both companies. Strava has recently angered users for change the terms of its API for third-party applicationsleaving a little dissatisfied users question the value of a Strava subscription. A three-month free trial of Apple Fitness Plus might appease some of those users. Strava has long been a de facto fitness data center for dedicated athletes, giving Fitness Plus easy access to long-term athletes who aren’t likely to abandon their New Year’s resolutions.