Apple has unveiled a new incentive program for gym-going Apple Watch users. “Apple Watch Connected” allows users to earn real-life rewards at four gym chains for hitting certain fitness goals. All tracking will be provided by the Apple Watch. Rewards include gym membership fee discounts, Nike and Apple gift cards, charitable donations, and the ability to earn back the cost of your Watch.
A reported by TechCrunch the new program is an extension of the GynKit technology that allows you to wirelessly pair your Apple Watch to compatible fitness equipment to accurately log your workouts.
Wrist-worn fitness trackers tend to do a fine job when exercising outdoors. For those glued to gym equipment, however, things get trickier. GPS can’t really do its job detecting distances, and machines like the elliptic tend to be even trickier.
Recent generations of the Apple Watch and watchOS have worked to bridge the gap, with more sophisticated workout detection and the addition of GymKit in 2017 […]
This week, the company takes a step further by partnering with the gyms themselves. The new Apple Watch Connected program will launch with four partners. It’s a pretty diverse quartet, ranging from old-school to boutique, including Orangetheory, Basecamp, YMCA, and Crunch Fitness.
Each gym can set their own fitness goals and choose the rewards they’ll offer. The four initial gym chain partners will offer the following:
- Crunch: Discounts on gym fees, worth up to $300 over two years
- Orangetheory: Nike and Apple gift cards
- YMCA: Contributions to community initiatives
- Basecamp: Earn back the cost of the Apple Watch Series 5 GPS
