Apple Watch wearers can pair their smartwatch to a Peloton Bike and benefit from the integration between the two, including syncing of heart rate, calories, and more. The Apple Watch is already a highly capable health and fitness device on its own, and thanks to its support for third-party cardio equipment, wearers are not resigned to just using products made by Apple.
The Apple Watch may have started out like many other smartwatches - primarily as a way to tell the time and receive notifications from a connected iPhone. But even back in 2014, Apple was focusing its wearable on health. In the years since then, that emphasis on fitness and wellbeing has evolved to become one of the major selling points of buying an Apple Watch. Today, the Apple Watch goes far beyond tracking someone's calories and steps. It's now capable of monitoring users' SpO2 levels, ECG readings, and more.
For people who use a Peloton Bike, there's the option to pair the Apple Watch with the exercise machine. This is made possible through Peloton’s Apple GymKit support. In fact, Apple GymKit allows an Apple Watch to connect to a variety of cardio machines, including treadmills and ellipticals. Providing the cardio machine supports GymKit, users should find they are easily able to pair the machine with their Apple Watch. However, before pairing an Apple Watch and Peloton Bike, the user will first need to make sure the smartwatch is set up to be able to connect to gym equipment. This can be done by opening the Apple Watch’s iPhone app, tapping 'Workout,' and then ensuring 'Detect Gym Equipment' is enabled.
Pairing Apple Watch & Peloton Bike
Once gym equipment detection has been enabled on the Apple Watch, users are ready to connect the wearable to a Peloton Bike. To do this, prepare a Peloton Cycling class (either live or on-demand) and position the face of the unlocked Apple Watch near the Peloton’s touchscreen camera. If using an alternate compatible device, then position the smartwatch's face near the contactless reader. Once close enough, the Apple Watch will respond with a connecting prompt on the screen. Tap 'OK' to confirm and grant permission to connect to the Peloton Bike. Once the Apple Watch is connected to the Peloton Bike, and the user starts their workout session, they will see a green symbol in the top right corner of the Peloton touchscreen confirming the connection.
There’s not much else for the Apple Watch wearer to do other than focus on their workout. When the session has ended, the Apple Watch will automatically disconnect again from the Peloton Bike. Therefore, users will need to repeat the quick connection process each time they start a new workout. It should also be noted that the ability to connect and sync an Apple Watch and Peloton Bike is only possible during cycling classes and not combined workouts, such as the strength and cardio-focused Bike Bootcamp.