Apple Watch Fitness App Development: 4 Steps from Idea to App Store

Launching your own Apple Watch app is a great way for your premium fitness content to reach a new market, stand out among competitors, and keep your clients engaged and loyal. 

The best part? You don’t need to navigate the technical side of it yourself. 

This guide will walk you through the step-by-step of how to plan, build, and successfully launch your new Apple Watch app.

First, let’s delve into the main benefits of launching your own fitness Apple Watch app!

Reasons why digital fitness memberships are launching their own Apple Watch app

The Apple Watch has become an increasingly popular choice in the smart wearable category, with almost 80% of iPhone users also owning an Apple Watch, and the number of Apple Watch users set to reach 30.3 million in the US by the end of this year. 

Extending your offering to include a branded Apple Watch app allows you to tap into an existing market, and stand out as a leading fitness membership providing a seamless, premium experience for your members. 

Besides the opportunity that the Apple Watch’s popularity brings, here are the main benefits of launching your own Apple Watch app. 

• Stand out from your competition. The Apple Watch App is a unique offering to add to your membership, helping to differentiate your membership in a crowded market, and attract new members who are looking for a more tech-integrated fitness experience.

• Stay ahead of the curve. Fitness trackers and wearables have skyrocketed in popularity in recent years, and the Apple Watch is by far the most popular wearable device in the US. Beyond staying on top of the trends, adding this app also signals to your members that you’re constantly evolving to meet their needs and expectations.

• Become a part of members’ daily routines. An integrated fitness tracking app helps embed your membership into the regular habits of your members, keeping your membership top-of-mind.

• Keep your members motivated and accountable. With better tracking and logging of workouts and practices, your health-focused members are more likely to stay on top of their fitness goals; increasing the impact of your membership.

• Boost your client engagement and retention. The Apple Watch App features can significantly boost member engagement. Higher engagement often translates to better retention rates, which is crucial for the long-term success of your membership business.

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Key features your Apple Watch app should offer

• Track vital stats as they move. Members should be able to monitor their core health metrics such as heart rate and calorie count in real-time. 

• See their stats mirrored on the screen. Members’ stats should be conveniently displayed on their video player display as they consume your content, on web or TV, allowing them to keep an eye on their metrics while staying immersed in their workout.

• Sync health data seamlessly. Members should be able to sync their workout data with Apple Watch’s built-in Activity and Health App. This integration allows members to log their workout stats and track in-depth insights into their progress.

• Control the video player from their wrist. As a bonus, members should be able to use their Apple Watch to conveniently play, stop, and rewind videos to match perfectly with their exercise, without interrupting their workout. Don’t underestimate the power of convenience!

Your 4-step guide to Apple Watch app development: from set-up to post-launch 

1. Prime your setup: iOS app

Step one in the app development process is to create an iOS app for iPhone. An Apple Watch app is an extension of this, adding something extra to the user experience, rather than being a standalone product of its own. 

Already have an existing iOS app? Skip ahead to step 2 🏃 

There are 2 routes you can take to create your own iOS app:

1. You can develop it on your own, which typically requires hiring an expert to code and design it for you. 
2. Or, you can sign up to a no-code platform, like Uscreen, to handle all the technical set-up for you, which takes a lot less overall time and upfront investment. 

Want to find out which route would be better for you?

2. Start building: develop your Apple Watch app 

Now, it’s time to develop your Apple Watch app! You can either develop your own app from scratch, or you can sign-up with an OTT platform that does the heavy-lifting for you. 

Let’s take a quick look at each option.

Option 1: Hire a developer to build an Apple Watch app from scratch

This route typically involves either hiring an app developer or working with a development team. 

Creating a custom Apple Watch app offers a high level of customization, allowing you to tailor the app’s features, user interface, and functionality to fit your specific needs. 

Pros:

• Full customization. You can design the app to perfectly align with your brand’s goals and user experience.
• Unique Features. Custom development enables you to include specific functionalities that aren’t always available on pre-made platforms.
• Brand Control. You’ll maintain complete ownership of the app, which can be advantageous for scaling and making future updates.

Cons:

• Higher costs. Building an app from scratch is expensive. Basic apps can range from thousands, to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the features you want.
• Longer timeline. Developing a custom app can take 3 to 9 months, depending on complexity and resources. Customization requires time for both development and testing.
• Ongoing maintenance. You’ll need to budget for updates, troubleshooting, and potential future enhancements to keep the app running smoothly and compatible with the latest Apple Watch OS updates.

Timeline: Expect a development period of around 3-9 months, depending on complexity.

Cost estimate: Ranges from thousands, to tens of thousands of dollars; depends on specific developer fees and features requested.

Option 2: Lease an Apple Watch app from an OTT Platform

For a more streamlined approach, OTT platforms like Uscreen provide custom branded apps, allowing you to launch an Apple Watch app with at a significantly lower cost, and a fraction of the time.

Pros:

• Lower cost. OTT platforms are generally subscription-based, making them much more affordable than custom development. Estimated to be in the hundreds of dollars range across different platform providers, these fees often include other benefits like technical support, marketing tools, and analytics all included at no extra cost.
• Quick launch. With most of the infrastructure ready to go, your Apple Watch app can be live within a few weeks to a few months, depending on the setup time required for customization.
• Full-service support. Platforms like Uscreen handle ongoing maintenance and updates, allowing you to focus on content and user engagement rather than technical issues.

Cons:

• Limited customization. OTT platforms offer many features but may have some limitations in terms of fully customizing the app’s functionality.
• Subscription costs. While less expensive upfront, ongoing subscription fees can add up over time. Uscreen and similar services often charge based on usage and additional features.

Timeline: Generally, it takes around 2-4 weeks to launch on an Apple Watch app through Uscreen, depending on how long it takes for Apple to approve it. 

Cost estimate: Typically starts at a few hundred dollars per month, depending on your subscription plan and any additional features you choose.

📖 Check our our help guide for the step-by-step process of setting up your app for Apple Watch

It’s simple with Uscreen.

Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.

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3. Prepare for launch: plan an engagement strategy

Now that your app development is underway, it’s time to get strategic about how you’re going to use this new fitness app to engage with your members and improve their overall experience of your fitness membership.

Here are a few ideas that you can use to drive adoption and maximize the app’s impact on member engagement and retention…

Create engaging community challenges

Leverage the app’s tracking capabilities to create community challenges that keep your members engaged and motivated to keep moving. 

For example, a “30-Day Heart Rate Zone Challenge” where you encourage members to hit specific heart rate zones during workouts for 30 days straight. 

Alternatively, a “Step Count Competition” is a lower impact option, which you can couple with a weekly leaderboard to keep members active between workouts. 

These challenges not only promote app usage but also foster a sense of community and friendly competition among your members.

Get Inspired: Here’s an example of how Jump Rope Dudes host and celebrate challenges in their community channels.

Introduce heart rate coaching

Use the real-time heart rate data to enhance your workout content. Create sessions specifically designed to hit certain heart rate zones, encouraging members to stick within these zones as they train.

Whether they follow along with your live streams or on-demand content, your members will be able to monitor their heart rate zones and know that they’re optimizing their training.

Get inspired: Here’s an example from Spinning Digital, where the instructor calls out heart rate zones to hit throughout the workout.

Enhance one-on-one coaching sessions

If you offer one-on-one coaching as part of your membership, use the Apple Watch App data to provide more personalized advice.

Help members set personalized, data-driven goals, and use the app’s data to track progress towards these goals. This data-driven approach can make your coaching more effective and valuable to your members.

Encourage progress tracking

Motivate your members to regularly track their progress using the Apple Watch App. You could dedicate a community channel to this, or create regular “progress check-in” events where members can share their achievements.

Pair this with Uscreen’s upcoming Streak feature to encourage daily engagement with your content, creating a habit of regular exercise and progress tracking.

Feature active app users

Regularly feature members who are actively using the Apple Watch App and seeing results. Share success stories in your community forums, highlighting how these members have used the app to reach their fitness goals. 

You could create a “Members of the Month” spotlight, showcasing how they’ve integrated the app into their fitness routine and the results they’ve achieved. Encourage featured members to share tips and tricks with the community, fostering a culture of peer support and motivation.

4. Launch day: promote your app

Once your app is live and ready to be downloaded from the app store, it’s time to officially launch it and tell everyone that it’s here. 

If you want to use your Apple Watch App to win over new members and delight your existing ones, they need to know that it’s part of your offering.

That might sound obvious, but it’s easy for people to overlook these exciting updates. Which is why we recommend that you promote your Apple Watch app in a few different ways…

Host an introductory live stream

Schedule a special live stream event to introduce the Apple Watch App to your community, and encourage them to start tracking their workouts. You can use this opportunity to demonstrate the app, showcase its features, and address any questions your members might have as they arise. 

Once the technical stuff is covered, you can round off the event with an interactive demonstration, and jump in to a live workout session. Encourage members to track this session and monitor their stats as they follow along. 

Highlight the app on your site

Start by updating your membership site to showcase your Apple Watch App. You want to make sure that this unique feature gets the attention it deserves, so give it a dedicated section on your homepage to show off the app and highlight its core benefits.

Get Inspired: Here’s how Pilates Project does it on their homepage.

Mention the app in member onboarding

Next, include some information about the Apple Watch App in your member onboarding process. This not only helps them get started but also showcases the app’s user-friendliness and benefits right from the get-go.

You can provide a step-by-step guide on how to set up and start using the app. And, if you want to go the extra mile for your members, consider making a short video tutorial that walks new members through the process. 

Get Inspired: Here’s an example from SarahBethYoga.

Promote the app in your community

Don’t forget to bring the announcement into your community areas. Create a post that announces your new Apple Watch App and highlights its different features and benefits. 

Encourage questions and get early adopters excited to share their experiences with the app in your community channels.

Not sure how to put it into words? Here’s some messaging to copy-and-paste to get you started.

“Optimize your results in every session. See your vital stats synced on the big screen as you follow along with on-demand workouts and live streams. Get real-time insights into your performance, allowing you to push harder, maintain your target heart rate, and achieve optimal results every time you work out.” “Sync your personal stats with your Health App. Challenge yourself and track your progress for every workout. All sessions are automatically stored in your Apple Health  and Activity apps, giving you a complete picture of your health and fitness over time. Use these insights to set new goals, celebrate your achievements, and continually improve your fitness level.” “Your wrist is your new remote. Use your Apple Watch to control the video player straight from your wrist. Press play, pause, and rewind to match perfectly with your exercise rhythm. This seamless control means you can focus entirely on your workout, maximizing your time and effort.”

Wrapping things up

An Apple Watch app is a smart way to expand your offering to meet the expectations of your members, and to attract new tech-savvy ones who want to engage with fitness brands who already cater to their favorite wearable device. 

It gives your members a convenient way to engage with your membership, and embed it into their daily lives while you stand out from the competition and show your audience that you are investing into the technology trends that matter to them, making your membership the right choice. 

Uscreen is an industry-leading membership platform with features designed to help online fitness and yoga instructors motivate and retain paid members, build a strong brand, and become a 6-figure business.

Get in touch to find out how we can help you reach your membership goals and develop your own app for Apple Watch.

It’s simple with Uscreen.

Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.

Get a Demo

Apple Watch app development FAQs