Nova for clients — complete user guide (iPhone/iOS)

This guide walks you through everything you can do as a client in Nova on an iPhone: from creating an account, to training with gamification, tracking progress, logging your nutrition, and chatting with your trainer. No prior knowledge needed. Follow the sections in order the first time, or jump straight to what you're wondering about using the table of contents.

Platform: iPhone (iOS). On an Android phone? See Nova for clients (Android). A few things (Apple Health, Sign in with Apple) are iPhone-only and are covered here.

1. Getting started

What you need

An iPhone (a recent iOS version is recommended).
An email address you have access to, or an Apple account.
An internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) for first sign-in.

Installing the app

Open the App Store.
Search for Nova Fitness (or use the link your trainer gave you).
Tap Get and wait for the download to finish.
Tap Open to launch Nova.

Tip: If you're a beta tester in our early phase, you install Nova through the TestFlight app instead of the App Store — you'll get a separate invitation link from us. Once Nova is publicly available, you grab it as usual from the App Store.

Tip: The first time the app loads, it may take a few seconds. That's normal.

2. Creating an account

Open Nova and tap Create account.
Choose the Client / athlete role.
Fill in:
- Name — what your trainer will see.
- Email — one you have access to.
- Password — at least 12 characters, with upper- and lowercase letters, at least one number and one special character (for example, StrongTrainer!2026).
Type the password again in Confirm password.
Tap Register.

You're then taken straight to onboarding (see the next section).

On iPhone you can also choose Sign in with Apple instead of filling in an email and password. Tap the button, confirm with Face ID, Touch ID, or your passcode, and you're in — no separate Nova password to remember.

Along the way you can choose Hide my email. Apple then creates an anonymous forwarding address for you, and your real email is never shared with Nova. Everything in the app works as usual — you sign in with Apple the same way each time, and any emails from Nova are forwarded to your real address.

Common messages

"Password is too weak" — add more characters, a number, or a special character.
"Email is already in use" — you probably already have an account. Go back and tap Log in instead.
"Passwords don't match" — make sure both fields are exactly the same.

Already have an account? Tap Log in on the start screen instead of Create account. If you used Sign in with Apple last time, use Sign in with Apple again.

3. Onboarding — tell Nova about you

Onboarding is a short series of questions that lets Nova tailor your experience and find the right trainers and programs for you. Take your time, and feel free to go back if you change your mind.

You'll typically be asked about:

Your goal — for example, losing weight, building muscle, getting stronger, or improving fitness.
Experience level — beginner, intermediate, or advanced.
How many days a week you want to train.
Where you train — at home, at a gym, outdoors.
Location/municipality — so you can find trainers nearby if you want to meet in person.

Tap Next to continue, or the back arrow to change an earlier answer. When you're done, tap Finish.

You can change anything later under Settings and Your profile. Nothing is locked in.

4. Connecting to Apple Health

Right at the end of onboarding, Nova asks for access to Apple Health — the Health app that comes with iPhone. This lets Nova read things like steps, heart rate, and sleep to give you a more complete picture of your training.

When the permission dialog appears, you'll see a list of which health data Nova is asking for.
Turn on the data types you want to share and tap Allow.

If you don't want to connect

That's totally optional. Tap Don't Allow / Skip — the app works fine without it; you just won't get health data from your phone in Nova.

Changing access later

You can connect or disconnect any time. Inside Nova you manage it under Settings. You can also fine-tune exactly which data types Nova can read directly in the Health app: open Health app → Sharing tab → Apps → Nova, and turn data types on or off from there.

Tip: If you regret a choice you made during onboarding, it's totally safe — nothing is locked in, and you can turn access on or off later without losing anything in Nova.

5. The home screen

Home is the first thing you see when you open Nova. The content adapts to how far you've come.

As a new client (no trainer or program yet) you'll see:

A greeting at the top.
Get Started — a checklist with your next steps: choose a trainer, get a program, log your first workout.
Nova Picks — trainers we think suit you, based on your onboarding.
Recommended for you — ready-made training programs (Nova Originals) you can start on your own.

Once you're up and running the greeting is replaced by a gamification card showing your level, XP, streak, and avatar, and you'll see things like this week's progress.

At the bottom of the screen is the navigation menu: Home, Chat, Tools/Training, and Settings.

Pull down on the home screen to refresh the content.

6. Finding and choosing a trainer

Nova is a marketplace for professional trainers. You choose who you want to train with — the trainer pays 0% commission, so you support them directly.

Browse Nova Picks

On the home screen, under Nova Picks, swipe sideways through the trainer cards. Each card shows a photo, name, and a few details. The list is sorted by how well the trainer matches your goal.

View a trainer profile

Tap a trainer card to open their profile. You'll find:

Photo, name, and title.
Specialties and certifications.
Pricing.
An option to get in touch.

Sending a request

If you want to train with the trainer, send a request from their profile. The trainer receives it and can accept. You'll see the status under Request status on the home screen.

Incoming requests — if a trainer reaches out to you first, it shows up here, and you can open their profile and respond.
Once a trainer has accepted, they become your active trainer, and you'll see an Active trainer card at the top of home.

Empty list or no matches? Adjust your goals/location in Settings to widen your search, or try a Nova Originals program in the meantime.

Trainers near you and on the web

Location/municipality: Trainer suggestions use your municipality. You set it during onboarding or under Settings — tap Use my location and Nova finds your municipality automatically via GPS, or type it in yourself.
The trainer directory on the web: At novafitness.no/trenere you can browse trainers by municipality and search by name and specialty — no login needed. Every trainer has a public profile page you can open and share.

7. Training programs (Nova Originals)

If you want to get started without waiting for a trainer, you can use Nova Originals — ready-made, professionally designed training programs.

Tap Recommended for you on home, or go to the Training tab.
Browse the categories: Strength, Cardio, Home, Mobility, Hypertrophy, and more.
Tap a program to see the details: duration (weeks), level, and what's included.
Tap to start / download the program.

You can always find purchased/downloaded programs under My purchases in the Training tab, regardless of whether the store is shown on home.

Get a trainer later? Your trainer can then assign you a custom program. When that happens, the Nova Originals store is hidden from home automatically, but My purchases is always available.

8. Training with the workout player

The workout player is the heart of Nova — where you do and log your sessions.

Starting a workout

Open an assigned or personal workout (from home, the Training tab, or your program).
Tap Start / the play button.

Logging a set

For each exercise you see your targets (for example, sets, reps, kg, rest). Here's how to log:

Enter the weight (kg) and reps (and any other fields the exercise uses).
Tap ✓ to confirm the set.
The set turns green once it's logged.

Comma or period? Both work for weight — 67.5 and 67,5 are both fine.

Rest timer

After you confirm a set, the rest timer starts automatically and counts down. When time's up, your phone notifies you with vibration/sound. Want to move on early? Tap Skip.

Watch an exercise video

Many exercises include an instructional video. Tap the video thumbnail at the top of the exercise card, and the video plays right in the app.

Supersets

If two exercises are grouped as a superset, you'll see a colored side border and a round counter. You alternate between the exercises, and the rest timer only starts after the last exercise in the round.

Personal records (PR)

Log heavier than last time on the same exercise and Nova celebrates it with a PR animation/badge. 🎉 (Warm-up sets don't count as a PR.)

Finishing the workout

Work your way through all the blocks, then tap Finish workout at the end. Your session is saved and you'll see the results — including XP and any new records.

9. Progress and stats

Nova turns your training logs into clear, easy-to-read charts.

This week's progress on home shows a mini bar chart, your workout count, total volume, and PRs.
Tap the card (or See all progress) to open progress charts with volume over time, a PR timeline, and more.

The numbers update automatically after each completed workout.

10. Gamification — avatar, level, streak, and gear

Nova makes training fun with an avatar that evolves as you train.

XP — you earn experience points for workouts and achievements. The XP bar fills up toward the next level.
Level — the more you train, the higher you go. Your avatar's look changes through several stages.
Streak — the number of days/weeks in a row you keep training. Don't break the streak!
Gear — over time, you unlock gear for your avatar (for example, sunglasses, headband, gloves, belt, medal). It stacks — the more you've unlocked, the more gear your avatar wears.

You see all of this on the gamification card on home and in Your profile.

11. Nutrition and food diary

Under Nutrition / food diary you can log what you eat and keep an eye on calories and macros.

Scan a barcode

Tap Scan.
Point the camera at the barcode on a product.
The product pops up — add a serving.

The first time, Nova asks for camera access — you need to allow it to scan. If the scanner can't find the product, you'll get a message and can search instead.

Search the food database

Tap Search and type the food (for example, "egg").
Pick the right match.
Set the serving size and add it.

Create your own meal

Choose Custom meal / custom food.
Enter a name and nutrition values (calories, protein, carbs, fat).
Save — now you can add it to your diary any time.

The daily totals update automatically as you add items.

12. Chatting with your trainer

Under Chat you talk directly with your trainer.

Open Chat in the bottom menu and pick the conversation with your trainer.
Send a text message by typing and tapping send.
Send an image with the attachment button.
Send a voice message by holding the microphone button while you speak, and releasing when you're done.

Messages reach your trainer in real time. Images can be opened full size, and voice messages can be played back.

The first time, Nova asks for microphone and camera access for voice and image messages. You'll need to allow them to use those features.

13. Booking sessions (1:1)

If your trainer offers 1:1 sessions, you can book them in the app.

Go to your trainer's profile or the booking page.
Pick an open time slot.
Confirm the booking.

The booking shows up in your list, and your trainer sees it too. Taken slots can't be double-booked.

Double-check that the time matches your time zone before confirming.

14. Group sessions and QR check-in

If your trainer runs group sessions (drop-in, clip card, or subscription), you can sign up in Nova.

Find the group session (via your trainer's storefront or the group tab).
Sign up.
At the session itself, your attendance is registered with a QR code — either you show your own code, or you scan your trainer's, depending on the setup.

Your attendance is confirmed on screen. Each session only counts once, even if the code is scanned twice.

15. Weekly recap

Every Monday, a weekly recap pops up automatically (once a week) showing the week behind you: workouts, total volume, streak, XP, and any PRs.

Tap See all progress to dive into the charts. If you had a week without workouts, you'll get a friendly "let's get going" message instead.

16. Your profile

Open your profile to see and manage your own progress.

You'll find:

Your avatar with level and earned gear.
XP bar and streak.
Key training stats.

17. Settings

Under Settings you control your account and your experience.

Language — switch between Norwegian, English, German, French, and Spanish. The whole app changes immediately.
Notifications — turn reminders on/off (see the next section).
Health — connect / disconnect Apple Health.
Profile and goals — change your goals, level, training days, and location.
Privacy / my data — download or request deletion of your data (see Privacy).
Log out.

18. Notifications

Nova can remind you about — and celebrate — your training with push notifications:

Achievement / gear unlock — when you unlock something new.
Streak reminder — so you don't lose your streak.
Workout reminder — on the days you've planned to train.

Important — say yes to notifications the first time. The very first time, iPhone asks whether Nova may send you notifications. Tap Allow. If you tap Don't Allow, you won't get any push notifications at all, and the reminders above won't reach you.

Not getting notifications? Check that notifications are turned on for Nova: open your iPhone's Settings → Nova → Notifications, and make sure Allow Notifications is on. Tapping a notification opens the right screen in the app.

19. Using Nova offline

You can still train even if you lose your connection mid-workout.

Start your workout as usual.
If you lose signal (or turn on airplane mode), you can keep logging sets and finish the workout offline.
Once you're back online, the workout syncs automatically — and is only recorded once (no duplicates).

If a workout is missing or shows up twice after syncing, let your trainer or support know right away.

20. Privacy and your data

Nova is built with privacy in mind, and your data is encrypted.

Download your data: Settings → Privacy / my data → Export data. You'll get a copy of the information Nova has about you.
Delete your account: Same place → Delete account. This removes your data in line with GDPR. Note that deletion can't be undone.

21. Troubleshooting — common questions

I see a completely black screen. Close the app fully (swipe it up and away in the app switcher) and reopen it. If that doesn't help, check that you have the latest version in the App Store. If it keeps happening, let support know along with your iPhone model and iOS version.

I can't log in. Double-check your email and password. Use Forgot password if you're not sure. If you used Sign in with Apple last time, use Sign in with Apple again. Check that you have an internet connection.

The scanner / microphone / camera doesn't work. Nova needs permission. Go to your iPhone's Settings → Nova and turn on Camera and Microphone where they're missing.

Health data isn't coming into Nova. Check that Nova has access in the Health app: Health app → Sharing tab → Apps → Nova, and turn on the data types you want to share. You can also reconnect under Settings → Health in Nova.

The text is in the wrong language or I see strange code-like words. Switch language under Settings → Language. If something still looks off, note exactly which text and which screen, and let support know.

I'm not getting any push notifications. Check notification permission in your iPhone's settings (Settings → Nova → Notifications, see Notifications). If you tapped "Don't Allow" the first time, you need to switch Allow Notifications on here.

My trainer doesn't see my workout. Check that you have an internet connection so the workout has synced. Pull down to refresh. If it persists, contact support.

Tip: Need to send us a screenshot? On iPhone you take a screenshot by pressing volume up + side button at the same time (on older models with a Home button: Home button + side button). The image lands in Photos.

Need more help?

Reach out to your trainer directly in Chat, or contact Nova support via the support page. It helps to have ready: what you did, what happened, your iPhone model, and your iOS version — that helps us help you faster.

Last updated: 2026-08-20.