Meet Your Five Coaches: How ChronoVoice Makes Workouts Feel Personal
Beep. Beep. Beep.
That's the coaching experience in most interval timer apps. Three beeps for "go," one beep for "rest," and silence in between.
It works. But it's the bare minimum of guidance. You're still counting in your head, guessing how much time is left, and losing focus halfway through set three.
ChronoVoice replaces beeps with coaches.
What Voice Coaching Actually Sounds Like
During a workout, your ChronoVoice coach does several things a beep can't:
Announces exercises. "Push-ups. Let's go." You don't have to look at your phone to know what's next. This matters more than you'd think, especially in circuits with 4+ exercises.
Gives time cues. "Halfway there." "Ten seconds." "Last five." You always know where you stand without checking a screen.
Transitions clearly. "Rest. Fifteen seconds." "Next up: mountain climbers." The gap between exercises stops being a moment of confusion.
Pushes you. "One more round. You've got this." It's subtle, but having a voice acknowledge that you're working hard changes the experience. Even when you know it's AI.
The Five Personas
We didn't want one generic coach voice. Different workouts and different moods call for different energy. So we built five:
The Ace
Your default. Confident and direct without being aggressive. Good for everyday training. Speaks like a workout partner who's done this a thousand times.
Guardian
Calm and measured. Great for longer sessions, mobility work, or days when you're recovering. Guardian doesn't yell — they guide.
Lass
Pure energy. If you need someone to match your pre-workout caffeine, Lass is it. Enthusiastic countdowns, extra encouragement, celebrates your effort.
Samurai
Minimal, focused, intense. Samurai gives you exactly the information you need and nothing else. Good for heavy lifting days when you want to be in your head.
Siren
Smooth and motivating. Makes hard intervals feel manageable. Siren's tone says "you can do this" without being patronizing about it.
Why On-Device Matters
Every coach voice runs through Apple's built-in text-to-speech engine. That means:
- Zero latency. Cues play instantly. No buffering wheel while you're mid-burpee.
- Works offline. Airplane mode at the gym? No problem. Outdoor workout with no signal? Fine.
- No data sent. Your workout audio isn't streaming to a server. It's generated on your phone in real-time.
This was a deliberate trade-off. Cloud-based TTS (like ElevenLabs) sounds more natural. But a half-second delay on a "Go!" cue during a HIIT workout is worse than a slightly robotic voice that's perfectly timed.
Coaching Personality Shows Up in Small Moments
The differences between coaches aren't just tone — they say different things in the same situations.
When you hit the halfway point of a tough set:
- Ace: "Halfway. Stay strong."
- Guardian: "Halfway through. Steady pace."
- Lass: "Halfway! You're crushing it!"
- Samurai: "Half."
- Siren: "Halfway there. Keep that rhythm."
When the last round starts:
- Ace: "Final round. Let's finish this."
- Guardian: "One more round. You've done the hard part."
- Lass: "LAST ROUND! Leave it all out there!"
- Samurai: "Last round."
- Siren: "Final round. Make it your best one."
These small touches make your workout feel coached, not just timed.
Switching Coaches
You can change your coach before any workout. Some people stick with one persona. Others match the coach to the session — Lass for HIIT, Guardian for yoga intervals, Samurai for strength circuits.
The Ace is available on the free tier. All five coaches unlock with Premium ($2.99/month, $19.99/year, or $34.99 lifetime).
Try them all during the 14-day free trial and see which voice gets you through that last set.