Whoop launched a new social network called Humans on Thursday that requires every account to be tied to a real person wearing its fitness tracker, the company announced.
The feature is now available to Whoop members, who pay between $199 and $359 per year for a wearable and subscription, according to CNET. Users can share metrics such as recovery, strain, sleep, heart-rate variability and resting heart rate, and post Story-like "Moments" with photos and captions that include their workout data.
"This is the most verifiably human network ever launched. Every account represents a real person with a verified heartbeat," founder and chief executive Will Ahmed said in a press release quoted by The Verge and Mashable.
Whoop positions Humans as a response to social platforms it says are saturated with artificial intelligence, automated accounts and manufactured content. Physiological data comes directly from the wearable and cannot be faked, the company says.
Members choose which activities and metrics are visible. Activities marked as sensitive are not shared by default, and a "Stealth Mode" lets users temporarily hide health and performance data without changing sharing settings, The Verge reported.
The existing Teams feature, which lets members join groups and compete on leaderboards, will remain under the new Community tab alongside Humans. Whoop said 57 percent of members belong to at least one Team.
Mashable quoted Whoop member Mike Bublitz saying the data lets friends notice when someone is struggling: "Sometimes people don't tell you when they're not feeling their best. If I see a friend's Recovery is low, I can check in and say, 'Hey, it's okay to take it easy today.'"