Peloton will move away from Apple’s GymKit, opting for Peloton One-Tap tracking starting on February 27 instead.
The new change, confirmed via email this week, means that Peloton users will no longer use Apple’s encrypted health data to see their fitness stats like heart rate and calories burned on their Peloton bikes. GymKit was once exclusive to the Peloton Bike+, costing $2,495, but the company rolled out Apple Watch integration to all its fitness equipment in 2022.
More recent Peloton purchasers will not have even noticed the lack of GymKit integration, with health data now directed towards Peloton’s app, which then shares the data with Apple’s Health app. This means that rather than directly sending your health information to the Health app, Peloton users now use the Health app API. In short, for most users, you won’t even notice the difference, but it could be disappointing for Bike+ owners who purchased the more expensive exercise bike for GymKit integration.
Peloton strays away
In 2020, I purchased a Peloton Bike+ specifically for Apple GymKit integration. Now, just a few years later, I’m not only still paying my interest-free Peloton payments, but the one feature I was adamant I needed the higher-end exercise bike for is getting discontinued.
Yes, the change here isn't likely to affect the end user, and you’ll still be able to get all of your health tracking information from within Apple’s Health app, but it’s still disappointing to see such a huge aspect of Peloton’s marketing get switched off — especially when you had to pay extra for it in the first place.
Health data accuracy is very important, so while the change isn’t likely to have an impact, it could introduce variances in the way your health data is tracked. Could the Peloton One-Tap tracking add a couple of calories to your workout? Would this impact your long-standing exercise diary? Only time will tell, but for most users, keep cycling as you were — just next time, don’t buy a Peloton for an advertised feature.
