Apple is quietly reevaluating the future of its Fitness+ subscription service. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the company has put the platform “under review” as part of a broader reorganization of its services division. Fitness+ has never quite hit the stride Apple hoped for, sitting somewhere between niche devotion and mainstream indifference.
Launched in 2020 as an ad-free, Apple Watch-powered alternative to Peloton, Fitness+ promised a sleek, data-driven workout experience across iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. It integrated beautifully with Apple’s ecosystem but struggled to keep users coming back. Gurman describes it as one of Apple’s “weakest digital offerings,” with high churn and little revenue upside despite its $9.99 monthly price tag.
Even so, Apple seems reluctant to kill it off. The service has a loyal pocket of subscribers, and its operational costs are low enough that shutting it down would create more noise than savings. For a nearly $4 trillion company, the optics of pulling the plug on a health-related product might simply not be worth it.
Instead, Apple is handing Fitness+ over to Sumbul Desai, vice president of Health, who will now oversee the platform along with Apple’s broader wellness initiatives. Her team will report directly to Eddy Cue, the company’s senior vice president of Services. The move signals a new phase for Fitness+. It likely ties the platform more closely to Apple Health and the company’s expanding wellness ecosystem.
The challenge is clear: make Fitness+ relevant again. Since launch, Apple has added features like guided meditations, Time to Walk audio sessions, and tighter integration with Apple Watch metrics. But the competition has only intensified, from Peloton’s revamped app to the endless stream of free fitness content on YouTube. If Apple wants Fitness+ to stay in shape, it may need more than new leadership. It may need a fresh purpose.
(via Bloomberg)
