The second beta of iOS 14.5 seeded to developers and public beta testers this week enables users to stream Apple Fitness+ workouts to AirPlay 2-enabled TVs, allowing the videos to be watched on the big screen without an Apple TV.
Apple already announced that Apple Fitness+ was gaining AirPlay support in iOS 14.5, but the feature was not working in the first beta.
One caveat of using Apple Fitness+ with AirPlay is that Apple Watch metrics are not displayed on the screen, as they are when using the service with an Apple TV, iPhone, or iPad. Activity rings, calories burned, workout time remaining, and burn bars will not show up on the TV when streaming workouts with AirPlay 2, but users can still glance at their connected Apple Watch and iPhone or iPad to view that information.
AirPlay 2-enabled TVs are available from a variety of brands, including Samsung, Sony, LG, and Vizio. Roku TVs sold by brands like TCL, Sharp, and Hisense also support AirPlay 2, or users can connect a Roku streaming stick to their existing smart TV via the HDMI port as a cost-effective way of streaming Apple Fitness+ workouts via AirPlay 2.
iOS 14.5 should be released to all users by late March or early April, but anyone can sign up to be a public beta tester for free to access this feature early.
Apple Fitness+ launched in December, providing subscribers with access to a library of workout videos updated on a weekly basis. The service is currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom, with pricing set at $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year after a one-month trial.
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Also, has anybody been disappointed with the number of new workouts released? I looked at the Peloton schedule and they release ~8 new cycle workouts per day. Apple Fitness releases a few cycle workouts per week.
Im just glad this didn’t take years to happen, they really messed up not having it work at Fitness+ initial release, so it made me wonder how long until the feature even became available.