Earlier this week, Apple seeded the watchOS 7.3 Release Candidate, which is usually the final beta version of a software update. The update’s release notes list a new “Time to Walk” feature for Apple Fitness + subscribers, described as “an audio experience in the Workout app where guests share inspiring stories while you walk.”
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Apple Fitness + subscribers will be able to open the Workout app on an Apple Watch, select Time to Walk and choose one of the audio stories to listen to while walking. The feature is likely to extend to wheelchair users.
Based on a screenshot of a removed Apple Fitness + promotional video shared by Twitter user Othmane, it looks like Time to Walk will include a 30-minute story by singer Shawn Mendes at the launch. Othmane says the video also featured stories by singer Dolly Parton, NBA star Draymond Green and actress Uzo Aduba, known for her role as Suzanne Warren in the original Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black”.
Although Time to Walk settings started to appear weeks ago in beta versions of watchOS 7.3 and iOS 14.4, the stories are not yet accessible. The feature is expected to be released when software updates are released publicly, probably next week.
A new setting on the Apple Watch can be activated to ensure that new Time to Walk stories are added to the Workout app as they become available. The stories will be downloaded when the Apple Watch is connected to power and next to a paired iPhone, and will be automatically deleted after training is completed.
Apple Fitness + was launched last month, offering subscribers access to a library of exercise videos covering strength, yoga, dance, running, walking, cycling, rowing and more, with new content delivered each week by a team of coaches hired by Apple. Fitness + integrates personal metrics, such as the Apple Watch’s heart rate, to motivate users by animating them on the screen during key training moments. The walking time will be unique, since the training can be done outdoors, without the need to watch a screen.
Apple Fitness + is currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Apple is offering a free one-month trial for all Apple Watch users and an extended three-month trial for customers who purchased a new Apple Watch Series 3 or newer after September 15, 2020. After testing, the price of service is $ 9.99 per month or $ 79.99 per year in the United States.