Smart training is still loading.
The news: At its WWDC 2025 event, Apple unveiled Workout Buddy, an AI-powered fitness coach integrated into watchOS 26.
Powered by Apple Intelligence, it delivers real-time spoken feedback, analyzing health data to personalize workouts with a generative voice modeled after Apple Fitness+ trainers.
New hands-free gestures enable users to control notifications without breaking focus, while curated playlists from Apple Music can be tailored to training sessions.
Buffering. The release hints at the tech giant’s rumored AI coaching platform, which could deliver deeply personalized fitness, nutrition, and sleep guidance via a standalone app and subscription.
But, despite early hype, AI health coaching still feels more proof of concept than useful product. WHOOP, Oura, Garmin, and more are racing to turn wearables into wellness copilots, yet digital tools lack the context awareness and emotional accountability of humans.
Looking ahead: With unmatched distribution and ecosystem integration, Apple is well-positioned to prove AI’s worth, but there’s a big difference between a voice assistant and a good coach.
