First Gear: Beginner Run Coach
Easy walk to run by heart rate
Free · In‑App Purchases
Working toward a first 5K? Easy runs and walks, coached by heart rate on your Apple Watch, or on iPhone with AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2. Try 7 days free.
Starting running, or starting again? First Gear guides easy jogs and walking breaks using your live heart rate. Your Apple Watch speaks the cues, so your phone can stay home.
ON THE WAY TO A FIRST 5K
Most beginner 5K plans run on a stopwatch: jog for 60 seconds whether you are ready or not. First Gear listens to your heart instead, so the easy effort that builds toward a 5K never turns into a slog, and a hard day gets more room to walk instead of a failed workout. Your coach calls out each mile or kilometer as you pass it.
A ROUTINE YOU CAN KEEP
Sessions aim for 20 minutes, or the length you set from 10 to 60. Start with three days a week, with room to walk whenever you need to. Six stages shape your coaching range while keeping the run length you choose. Qualifying sessions can offer the next stage. You choose whether to try it or stay where you are.
COACHING THAT PAYS ATTENTION
Your coach can give you more room for walking recovery on warm days, after a break, or when recent sessions felt hard. It explains the adjustment before you start. After a run of shorter outings, it can set a shorter goal instead. There is no daily readiness rating. You choose your run length and how the top of your heart rate range is set: First Gear's estimate, MAF, Zone 2 (Apple's own on iOS 27) or your own number.
ON YOUR WATCH, THEN ON YOUR PHONE
• Voice cues guide when to jog and when to walk
• Two coach voices, Lana and Cal
• Guided mobility before you set off
• Outdoor route maps shaded by effort
• Session history, heart-rate charts, and Easy score trends
• Workouts saved to Apple Health
Your Easy score shows time inside your coaching range during scored portions of a session. It is feedback on that session, not a fitness test.
NO WATCH? RUN WITH YOUR IPHONE (BETA)
With AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2, your coach can run on your iPhone instead. It reads the heart rate your earbuds measure and speaks through them, and your run shows on the Lock Screen while the phone stays in your pocket. Phone runs are outdoors for now, and they count like any other run.
NO STREAKS. NO GUILT.
No catch-up workouts. A break does not take away your stage. Your coach makes room for your return, and your badges stay yours.
No account required. Set up on iPhone, run with Apple Watch, and review your sessions afterward on your phone. First Gear requires an iPhone with iOS 18 or later and, for watch runs, an Apple Watch with watchOS 11 or later. Phone runs, in beta, need iOS 26 or later and AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2, and setup offers them only when none of its heart-rate questions applies to you.
SUBSCRIPTION
First Gear Coaching. 7 days free, then billed monthly or yearly, at the price shown in your local currency before you confirm. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the period, and you can manage or cancel it in your Apple Account settings. Cancel at least a day before the free week is up and you pay nothing.
Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Privacy Policy: https://firstgear.run/privacy
Ratings & Reviews
- Phone runs are out of beta: you can be coached from AirPods Pro 3 or Powerbeats Pro 2 with no watch.
- Run export: share any outdoor run as a GPX or TCX file.
The developer, Rubber Bands LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
- Purchases
- Identifiers
- Usage Data
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
- Location
- User Content
- Usage Data
- Diagnostics
- Other Data
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Rubber Bands LLC
- Size
- 160.5 MB
- Category
- Health & Fitness
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 18.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 18.0 or later. - Apple Watch
Requires watchOS 11.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Location
- This app may use your location even when it isn’t open, which can decrease device battery life.
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
18+
- 18+
- Frequent
Medical Treatment information
Contains
Health or Wellness Topics
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- First Gear Annual $29.99
- First Gear Monthly $4.99
- Copyright
- © 2026 Rubber Bands LLC