One of Apple’s most popular accessories is the Apple Watch. It is designed to help you with almost every area of your everyday life, from exercising to sleeping. Regarding device connectivity, however, the iPad falls short on the list with Apple Watches. But that does not mean the two devices can not connect to the same program. That said, what can an Apple Watch and an iPad link to?
The Apple Watch initially can not connect to the iPad as how it can connect to iPhone 5s and later versions. However, your iPad and Apple Watch can connect to the Apple Fitness+ with WiFi. To get this to work, you must ensure that you have the Home and Fitness app installed on your iPad.
Many Apple fans are dissatisfied with the result of not being able to connect their Apple Watch to their iPad initially to access all the valuable features, as is done with iPhones. However, where Fitness is involved, you can expect that Apple Watch may have a part to play that iPad enthusiasts may appreciate. With that in mind, here’s what you need to know.
Linking An iPad And Apple Watch To Fitness
Because many individuals buy an Apple Watch to help them exercise, connecting to the Fitness app is frequently the top priority. While the Watch app is exclusively available for iPhones, the Fitness app is available for a wide range of Apple devices.
Any iPhone or iPad running iOS 11.0 or later is eligible. In other words, any iPad that is too old to run iOS 11.0 or later versions is incompatible with the Apple Watch. However, which iPads are compatible with at least iPadOS 11.0? Below is a list of iPads compatible with Fitness+ and Home.
- iPad Pro (all versions)
- iPad Air
- iPad Air 2
- iPad (4th generation)
- iPad Mini 4
- iPad Mini 3
- iPad Mini 2
You’re ready to go if you own one of the iPads listed above. So, how exactly do you connect your iPad to the Fitness app? If you use the identical Apple ID as your Apple Watch, your iPad should send all of its data to the Fitness app.
Launching the Fitness+ app on your iPad will prompt you to “Workout with Watch.” Start your exercise by clicking this button. It will assist you in getting the most out of your gadgets and exercises.
What Is The Fitness App?
The Fitness app is one of the components of Apple’s introduced Fitness+ program in 2021. The Fitness app may be loaded on your iPad and pre-installed on Apple Watch, Apple TV, and iPhones running iOS 14.3. You may use the Fitness app to watch fitness sessions conducted by some of the world’s greatest health coaches, including HIIT, yoga, cycling, dancing, and treadmill running.
But remember that you’ll need a Fitness Plus membership to use the service and an Apple Watch 3 or later to set it up. The former can be avoided by signing up for Apple’s free trial, which then converts into a monthly membership of roughly $10 or an annual fee of around $80.
The program is also included in the Apple One Premium bundle, which includes Apple Music, Apple Arcade, Apple TV+, and 2TB of iCloud storage for roughly $30 per month.
How To Install Fitness And Home App On iPad
To install the latest Fitness app on your iPad, launch the App Store and search for Fitness. You should see the app or, at the very least, the App Story ‘Work out with Apple Fitness+’ – hit this, and you’ll be able to choose the Fitness app icon from the bottom of the display screen and tap Get.
In addition, you would want to install the Home app on your iPad to ensure a connection is linked between your iPad and your Apple Watch.
With the Home app, you can navigate and control your HomeKit accessories from all of your Apple devices. For example, turn off the lights, check who’s at the front door, crank up the music, alter the temperature in your living room, and so much more. You can find the Home app by searching “Home” in Appstore.
If it is your first time using the Home app, you will get some prompts that will pop up to verify your Apple iCloud account, confirm access, and terms and conditions. Once you have installed the Home app, it would be best to ensure that your Bluetooth is switched on your iPad and that your Apple Watch is connected to your WiFi network.
What To Do If The Fitness App Fails To Install
Some iPad users have reported difficulties installing the Fitness app owing to an App Store glitch that states, ‘This app requires certain capabilities not available on this device.’
However, if this is the case, try updating the latest software on your iPad to the most recent version of iPadOS to see if that resolves the issue. For example, updating to iPadOS 14.3 on an iPad Air (2020) was enough to resolve the issue for many tech reviews – and make sure your Apple Watch and iPhone are running the up-to-date versions of their respective operating systems.
Whether none of these works, consider contacting Apple Customer Support to see if the problem can be resolved.
How To Find And Connect Your Apple Watch To Your iPads Fitness+
To ensure a successful connection between your Apple Watch and iPad, you must ensure that you have both the latest version of Fitness+ on your iPad and the Home app (mentioned above). Furthermore, you would also need to confirm that your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date.
Finally, once you have those two apps installed, follow the steps below to confirm connectivity between your Apple Watch and iPad.
- Use the same Apple ID on your Apple iPad as your linked iPhone (and Apple Watch) to connect to Fitness+ and the Home app.
- On both the iPhone and iPad, enable the Keychain setting found in the iCloud settings.
- Install the Home app on both the iPad and the iPhone, then launch it on both devices. Then, enable the Home app under your iCloud settings for both devices.
- Once that is done, restart your iPad and your Apple Watch.
- Turn off WiFi and Bluetooth on your iPad, wait 20 seconds, then turn Bluetooth and WiFi back on.
- If your iPhone is close, consider briefly turning off Bluetooth so that your Apple Watch connects to your iPad rather than your iPhone.
- Turning on Detect Gym Equipment in the Workout watch option by opening the Settings app on your Watch > Workout > toggle on Detect Gym Equipment.
- Turn off the Workout App’s Power Saving Mode on your Apple Watch by going to Settings > Workout > turn off Power Saving Mode.
Troubleshooting Connectivity Issues With iPad And Apple Watch
Unfortunately, many iPads struggle to connect to and recognize Apple Watches for Fitness+. If you followed the steps and want to ensure you have connected to your iPad, open Fitness+ on your iPad and check whether the image connected with your Apple ID appears in the upper right corner of the Fitness+ app start screen.
If you don’t see your image, there’s an issue with Apple linking Fitness+ to your Apple ID, which may often occur when you use several Apple IDs, such as one for the App Store and another for iCloud Photos. Fortunately, there are two methods to work around this.
Method One
- Uninstall the Fitness app from your iPad
- Reboot your iPad.
- The app should then be reinstalled.
- Check to see if your iPad now recognizes your Watch.
Method Two
If it doesn’t work, uninstall the Fitness app once again before logging out of your Apple ID for Media & Purchases.
- Wait 30 seconds after signing out.
- Log in again with your Apple ID to Media & Purchases. Check that Media & Purchase is now linked to the right Apple ID.
- Install the Fitness app again.
- Always use the same Apple ID you use with your Watch’s associated iPhone.
If none of these suggestions work, try logging out of your iPad’s Apple ID and then signing back in. Despite its length, it almost always works!
Conclusion
Even though there is currently no option to connect your iPad to your Apple Watch, being able to actively use it to collect information and interact with Fitness with your iPad uniquely hones its value. Along with many iPad enthusiasts, we hope to see full Apple Watch compatibility being accessible in the future.
Where To Next?
This blog is a blog dedicated to using modern computing devices to run and manage a business. If you’re interested in using an iPad for your business, either as an entrepreneur, a small business owner or for your employees to use I recommend reading the following articles:
