The future of Apple Fitness+ is reportedly “under review” following an internal reorganization that has placed the service under new management.
According to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the workout platform is being moved under Apple’s health vice president, Sumbul Desai, with the entire health division now reporting directly to services chief Eddy Cue.
This is a significant development for Apple Watch users, as Fitness+ is one of the most deeply integrated services for the hardware.
The platform’s struggles, which Gurman notes include “high churn and little revenue,” suggest it isn’t providing a sticky enough experience to retain subscribers, despite its tight integration with the watch’s real-time metrics.
Apple Fitness+ launched in 2020 as a key value-add for the Apple Watch, costing $9.99 per month or bundled into the Apple One Premier plan. While the service is reportedly inexpensive to run and has a small, loyal fanbase, this leadership change signals new pressure to improve results.
With the health group now reporting to the services chief, the focus will likely shift from just being a brand ‘halo’ for the Apple Watch to a service that must prove it can retain subscribers and grow revenue.
For users, this “under review” status will likely mean a rethink of the service’s content and structure as Apple tries to crack the code on user retention and find the spark that makes it an indispensable part of owning an Apple Watch. Ultimately, only time will tell if it can.
