Meta finds a fitness pipeline in the Apple ecosystem

The news: The metaverse will finally meet Apple’s walled garden when Oculus Quest 2 headset users receive an update that lets them send their workout data to Apple’s Health app.

Why it’s worth watching: The metaverse is a mostly isolated VR ecosystem, but a new update to Meta’s VR headsets will let users share their fitness data with Apple Health, which could result in wider adoption, per AppleInsider.

• Fitness VR apps in Oculus like Supernatural and Beat Saber are some of the more compelling metaverse experiences because they combine virtual coaching, high-intensity workouts, and popular music.
• However, a lot of the fitness data in these apps is difficult for users to export or encode into fitness tracking apps or wearables.
• Meta says that this fitness data will become syncable to the Oculus Mobile app on iOS and to the Apple Health App.
• "This means all your exercise stats, including your activities both in and out of VR, can be tracked and available in one place,” Meta said in a blog post.

What this means for Meta: Since VR fitness has been one of the stickiest applications in the metaverse, the integration with Apple Health can go a long way in retaining users—especially those who already use Apple devices.

What this means for Apple: iOS and Apple Watch device users have an added incentive to try out VR fitness apps and work toward closing their activity rings. Apple can also use this integration to develop its own VR or AR fitness service for its future goggles.

The bigger picture: This is the first major integration for Meta’s Oculus Quest 2 outside the metaverse and it is in an area that resonates with consumers and which they don’t mind spending on.