Apple's coaches now also speak German - somehow

Martin Jungfer

12/12/2025

Translation: machine translated

Five years after its launch, Apple Fitness+ is getting an update: the coaches now also guide you through meditation, strength training and yoga exercises in German and Spanish. The voices were generated by the computer.

The course starts on 15 December. The first workouts and meditations will then be available in German - as well as in Spanish, with Japanese to follow in January. Step by step, hundreds of fitness training sessions will be available in the new languages, according to Apple.

Apple is recording the sessions in its own studios. The 28 English-speaking trainers and coaches guide you through the lessons, almost always accompanied by music. For me, the fact that the coaches speak English has not been an obstacle so far. If necessary, there have been subtitles in German for some time. Nevertheless, it is not always easy to understand the instructions for complicated yoga poses. Especially when I'm lying with my forehead on the mat and can't see the desired body contortion result on the iPad. So it's understandable that Apple is hoping to attract even more subscribers with synchronisation.

But it's not as if the Apple coaches have suddenly all learnt German. Apple relies on «digitally synchronised language». According to Apple «, this is the biggest expansion of the service since the launch of» and the company is also relying on AI models. Perhaps also so that Apple can keep up with the competition with Fitness+. Suppliers such as Peloton have had German-speaking coaches for some time.

A weight training video provides a preview of the new service. My first impression is mixed: the voice sounds just like the trainer's voice. However, some of the instructions seem to be translated at an angle. There are differences between an American motivational speech and what you would expect from a trainer in Switzerland or Germany. You can get your own impression here:

Pardon the rather mediocre recording quality. Apple has only made the video available on the portal for journalists. I filmed it there. (Yeah, kind of heavy, early-2000s cinema film vibes...)

I'll be sure to watch a few other videos in German after the official launch on 15 December. However, if the video selected for the media release is the best Apple could find, I probably won't be switching to the computer voices.

Martin Jungfer

Head of Content

Martin.Jungfer@digitecgalaxus.ch

Journalist since 1997. Stopovers in Franconia (or the Franken region), Lake Constance, Obwalden, Nidwalden and Zurich. Father since 2014. Expert in editorial organisation and motivation. Focus on sustainability, home office tools, beautiful things for the home, creative toys and sports equipment. more

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