A small, but exciting bit of news for Peloton owners.
“Sessions” returns.
Peloton has re-introduced the popular feature today and in the process made some tweaks.
Similar to watching a streaming movie together you can create Sessions by inviting friends to a 20-minute or longer on-demand cycling class (from the iOS app). You can then send a link invitation to the class. When the class starts there’s a fresh Leaderboard for that specific ride, and you can enjoy a group ride.
In addition in the announcement Peloton says you can “join any existing Session every 5 minutes from the on-demand library.”
All you need to do to use Sessions is to make sure you’re running the latest Peloton software on your Bike, Tread and iOS device (iPhone, iPad). From there you can enjoy your own personal classes with family and friends — just what we need as we head into the later stages of the pandemic and a return to (near) normal.
How it Works: Schedule a Session with Friends
You can learn more about Sessions on the Peloton blog. But here’s the CliffsNotes version:
- Choose any 20-min+ on-demand cycling or running class on your iOS app
- Set a date and time
- Invite friends to join the Session using a link (i.e. email or text it to your friends)
- A notification will pop up 5 minutes before class
- Start the ride in sync
The Stark Insider Take
Based on what I’ve been seeing in Reddit and on Twitter and other places Sessions is a highly prized feature. That Peloton brought it back and tweaked it (presumably) based on user feedback is another good example of a company iterating and responding proactively.
With remote work and remote life impacting us all, having the ability to create virtual classes of friends and family and then to share a workout experience together is a small thing, yes, but something that helps fill the missing void that social distancing and shelter-in-place have created. So I say that’s a good thing for sure.
ALSO SEE: Peloton Top 10: Best accessories for your bike
Sessions is still in Beta so there may be a bug or two here or there. Snafu? Then again, I’ve used Peloton “Beta” features before and not experienced any crashes or issues. It seems their engineering team is quite good on the software QA front. Hardware? That’s a different story. However, it’s nice to see Peloton CEO John Foley recently focus more attention and resources on logistics and supply chain among other facets impacting deliveries and bike quality.
So there you have it. Sessions are back. Just update your software and invite your friends and family and enjoy a virtual ride, and some shared happiness (and sweat).
