Popular home exercise bike Peloton’s ties with Apple just got a little less intimate. Peloton has just recently gotten rid of the GymKit support with the Apple Watch on its new Bike+.
More specifically, GymKit will not be available on Peloton’s Bike Bootcamps, which means that Apple Watch will be limited to only cycling classes on Peloton.
The news came to light in a rather unconventional manner. A user who noticed they could not use the GymKit with the Bike Bootcamp posted on Peloton’s Instagram page.
Peloton then responded to the post by saying, “Apple GymKit will only be supported in our Cycling classes. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and hope to support Apple GymKit for additional class types in the future.” This was confirmed again later by Peloton representatives.
GymKit was first introduced by Apple on the watchOs 4 in 2017 and is meant to work hand in hand with the proper fitness equipment. One thing it helps to do is measure a person’s heart rate and it also can work well with cardio equipment to keep an accurate measurement while a person is working out.
The cutback of the service is likely because Apple has attempted to become a serious competitor to Peloton with the release of their own fitness app, Fitness+. Peloton has also purchased some fitness startups that will compete with the Watch, notably Atlas Wearables.Â
On the other hand, Peloton had been experiencing some technical issues with GymKit. This is especially true for mixed workouts, which is the exact format of the Bike Bootcamp classes in question.
Still, this is a disappointing move that surely has surprised a few fitness fiends. Hopefully things can get sorted out sooner than later so those investing in these unique tech products can experience their complete utilities.
