Apple Fitness Plus and Strava are taking their partnership to the next level with a newly revamped integration. The collaboration brings more detailed workout summaries, Strava athletes featuring in Fitness Plus programming, and a free three-month trial to the service for Strava subscribers.

The updated integration, available starting today, allows users to view a thumbnail of the Fitness Plus workout, along with information such as episode number, music genre, trainer, metrics, and achievements. This design overhaul brings Fitness Plus more in line with other Strava integrations from services like Peloton and Ladder.

While Apple Watch users have been able to import their workouts into Strava from the beginning, the previous integration was limited, providing only basic information like activity type, calories burned, and heart rate metrics. The new integration provides a more comprehensive view of Fitness Plus workouts, making it easier for users to track their progress and engage with the service.

The partnership also extends to featuring popular Strava athletes as guests in Fitness Plus workouts. This includes a strength workout with runner Hellah Sidibe on January 13th and a treadmill workout with Kayla Jeter. This marks a significant departure from Apple's usual practice of featuring well-known athletes as guest hosts in its programming.

According to Jay Blahnik, Apple's vice president of fitness technologies, the collaboration with Strava presents a new opportunity for Fitness Plus to reach a more dedicated and self-motivated audience. Blahnik notes that Fitness Plus can serve as a supplemental resource for cross-training and discovering new activity types, particularly for seasoned athletes who may not need motivation but rather a more comprehensive fitness experience.

Zipporah Allen, Strava's chief business officer, echoes this sentiment, highlighting the potential for Fitness Plus to provide valuable resources for athletes looking to expand their fitness repertoire. Both Blahnik and Allen hint at the possibility of further evolving the integration in the future, with Blahnik mentioning "bold ambitions" for sharing data and features between the two services.

In the short term, the partnership is a beneficial move for both companies. Strava has faced criticism from users following changes to its API for third-party apps, and the free three-month trial to Apple Fitness Plus may help appease some of these users. Meanwhile, Fitness Plus gains access to a dedicated and engaged community of athletes who are more likely to stick with their fitness goals.

The integration is available to new and existing Strava subscribers in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, regardless of whether they have an Apple Watch. Users will need an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV to access the service. As the fitness technology landscape continues to evolve, this partnership marks an exciting development in the pursuit of a more seamless and comprehensive fitness experience.