Samsung Health is getting a major boost with new iFIT workouts. This move looks like a direct play to give Galaxy Watch users a real competitor to Apple Fitness+.
What’s new with Samsung Health?
Samsung is clearly trying to make Samsung Health a destination, not just a passive tracker. In a new announcement, the company revealed it’s partnering with iFIT to stream premium, expert-led workout content directly inside the Health app.This integration spans seven categories, including HIIT, yoga, strength, and mindfulness. It works on a “freemium” model: you get one on-demand video from each category per month for free. To unlock the full catalog of hundreds of videos, it’ll cost $9.99 a month or $99.99 for the year. As you’d expect, this ties in directly with the hardware. If you’re using a Galaxy Watch, it will display your heart rate and calories burned right alongside the workout on your device’s screen.
Why this addition?
Samsung Galaxy users now have workout options from iFit available directly from their existing hardware. | Image credit — Samsung
It’s all about the competition. For years, Apple Fitness+ has been a massive selling point for the Apple Watch. It’s slick, tightly integrated, and a core part of the “why” you buy into the Apple ecosystem.
Samsung has always had great hardware, but its software experience has often felt a bit fragmented. You had Samsung Health for tracking, but for premium content, you usually had to look elsewhere. This partnership is Samsung’s attempt to plug that gap. By bringing iFIT inside its own app, Samsung is creating a more unified, “sticky” ecosystem. It’s trying to give Galaxy users a native answer to Fitness+, making the Galaxy Watch a more complete health and fitness package.
Will it mark the difference, though?
I think this is a smart, and frankly, long-overdue move. The lack of a native, premium fitness service has been a clear weak spot for the Galaxy ecosystem, especially when compared to Apple.
That said, the execution feels a little clunky. The whole “one free video per category” thing is a bit messy and feels designed to push you to the paid tier immediately. Apple’s “one subscription, all content” approach just feels simpler. While this is great news for existing Galaxy Watch and phone users, I honestly don’t see it converting anyone from the Apple camp.
But maybe that’s not the point. This is about keeping existing Samsung users happy and giving them fewer reasons to look at the competition. It makes the Galaxy ecosystem stronger, and that’s a solid, necessary step.
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