Apple has embraced pickleball with a host of updates to its Fitness+ streaming service.
The online fitness platform will now include “Strength, Endurance, and Agility for Pickleball” alongside its more traditional workouts, such as yoga and indoor cycling. They are hosted by Catherine Parenteau, who has been the number-one ranked in the world.
Apple said that the new classes came in recognition that “one of the world’s fastest-growing sports, beloved by casual and competitive players alike”, and reflected feedback from its users.
Pickleball has seen intense growth in recent years, especially in the US, with players suggesting that it is both easier to enjoy and more intense than similar sports such as tennis or squash.
Alongside those pickleball classes, Apple will also add a new progressive strength programme, yoga classes focused on particular poses and an introduction to breath meditation. It also brings new artists and celebrities to its classes, including an artist spotlight episodes focused on Janet Jackson, Bruno Mars, Coldplay and Kendrick Lamar.
The platform itself will also now better interact with Strava. When users complete a workout in Fitness+, it will now show rich details in Strava, including the name of the class and other information, and some Strava athletes will appear in Fitness+ programming.
The new content will be available from Monday, 6 January, Apple said. It will be part of the normal subscription offering, which costs £9.99 in the UK or the same in dollars in the US.
Apple launched Fitness+ at the end of 2020, and it remains its newest online service. It was initially focused primarily on the Apple Watch – and still offers some extra features when it is used alongside one – though is now available without one, and on most of the rest of Apple’s platforms.