Put Fitness+ workouts on my TV

Question

I do not have an AppleTV, but I have a TCL tv with Roku which has an AppleTV app. The TV says the app is up to date but I see no way to view fitness+ workouts.

I have also tried using AirPlay from my iPad and my iPhone which does put the audio through the TV speakers but the video stays on the device.

Do I currently need AppleTV hardware to put fitness+ workouts on my TV?

Answer 1

Apple Fitness+ can't be used with the standalone Apple TV app.

According to Apple:

Apple Fitness+ requires Apple Watch Series 3 or later with watchOS 7.2 or later and one of the following Apple devices: iPhone 6s or later with iOS 14.3 or later, iPad with iPadOS 14.3 or later, or Apple TV with tvOS 14.3 or later.

Just having the app on a TV will not work. As you've seen, Fitness+ doesn't airplay well when run from an iPad or iPhone. I hope this is just a bug that they'll fix later.

Answer 2

It will only send the audio over AirPlay. The HUD and fitness instructor video will only appear on your silent iPhone.

Tested on iPhone Xs, current series Apple Watch LTE as of March 21, and LG B9 tv which supports AirPlay quite well (only option to watch HBO Max on TV for example).

Seems like a con to force users to buy AppleTVs.