Earlier this week, Apple released the watchOS 7.3 Release Candidate, which is usually the latest beta of a software update. The release notes for the update list a new “Walking Time” feature for Apple Fitness + subscribers, described as “an audio experience in the Workout app, where guests share inspiring stories as you go.”
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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 as they walk. The feature is likely to be extended to wheelchair users.
Based on a screenshot of an Apple Fitness + promotional video removed since then shared by Twitter user Othmane, it seems that Time to Walk will include a 30-minute story by singer Shawn Mendes at the launch. Othmane says the video also showed stories of 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.”
While the settings for Time to Walk started appearing weeks ago in previous versions of watchOS 7.3 and iOS 14.4, the stories are not yet accessible. The feature should launch 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 an associated iPhone and will be automatically deleted at the end of the workout.
Apple Fitness + was launched last month, giving subscribers access to a library of training videos covering strength, yoga, dancing, running, walking, cycling, boating and more, with new content delivered every week from a team of trainers hired by Apple. Fitness + integrates personal values such as the heart rate of the Apple Watch to motivate users, animating them on the screen during key moments of training. Walking time will be unique, as workouts can be completed outdoors without having to watch a screen.
Apple Fitness + is currently available in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Apple offers a free trial period of one month for all Apple Watch users and an extended trial period of three months for customers who purchased a new Apple Watch Series 3 or later after September 15, 2020. After the trial, the service is priced of $ 9.99 per month or $ 79.99 per year in the United States.