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On April 24, Apple is calling on all Apple Watch users worldwide to close their Activity rings. Those who complete all three rings on that day will receive an exclusive digital award, animated stickers for messages, and can pick up a matching pin at participating Apple Stores. The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness about exercise, health, and fitness in everyday life—topics that have been closely linked to the Apple Watch for years.
The Apple Watch is now not only the world's best-selling watch, but also a popular fitness and health companion. Millions of people around the world use it daily to track their activity, analyze their workouts, or obtain information about their health. With functions for sleep monitoring, heart rate measurement, cycle tracking, and medication reminders, the Apple Watch offers more than just exercise tracking. For ten years, the Activity Rings have been one of its core features. They motivate you to stay active regularly—with a clear visual system that shows how much you've moved during the day, how often you've stood up, and whether you've met your exercise goal.
Global Close Your Rings Day – what happens on April 24th
On April 24, all Apple Watch users can earn a limited-edition award by closing their three activity rings: the Move ring (active calories), the Workout ring (at least 30 minutes of exercise), and the Stand ring (stand up at least once per hour for 12 hours). Those who manage to do so will receive:
- A special digital award
- Ten animated stickers for messages
- An animated badge
Additionally, a physical pin will be available at Apple Stores worldwide, while supplies last. This pin, too, is inspired by the digital award and is available only on this day. Apple encourages people to get active on April 24, try something new, or do what they enjoy most—and share their participation on social media using the hashtag #CloseYourRings.
Scientific findings on the effect of activity rings
As part of the Apple Heart and Movement Study, Apple, in collaboration with Brigham and Women's Hospital and the American Heart Association, investigated the effects of regularly closing the rings. Over 140,000 participants' data were analyzed. The results:
- People who close their rings regularly (at least 50 s/m of time) are 48 s/m less likely to experience poor sleep. Poor sleep was defined here as a sleep efficiency below 87.5 s/m.
- They were 73% less likely to have an elevated resting heart rate – a key indicator of good heart health.
- They also reported less severe stress (measured with the PSS-4 questionnaire, which measures perceived stress).
These associations hold regardless of age or gender. The study is still ongoing in the US and now has more than 200,000 participants.
Activity rings and health functions in everyday life
The Activity app is one of the most popular features on the Apple Watch. It motivates you to stay active every day. The three rings—Move, Workout, Stand—are based on individual daily goals that you can customize. You can even set them differently for individual days of the week or pause them when you need a rest day. In addition to the Activity app, the Apple Watch offers:
- A workout app with precise tracking for a variety of exercise types—including running, swimming, cycling, and hiking. Heart rate and calorie calculations are based on validated algorithms.
- Trend reports, weekly summaries, and the ability to share progress with others.
- Insights into sleep patterns, heart health, cycle patterns, medication intake, and ambient noise.
The health features are based on scientific principles and strict accuracy standards. Apple regularly publishes technical validation reports describing how the measurements are generated, including through machine learning models trained on large data sets.
Technical requirements
To participate in the promotion and receive the award, you need an Apple Watch with at least watchOS 5.0. The stickers and badge will be automatically unlocked when you complete all three rings on April 24.
Your Apple Watch gets you going
April 24th is a great opportunity to put your Apple Watch to good use and give it an extra incentive to get moving. The promotion is simple, motivating, and offers a small reward for your efforts. Whether you like running, dancing, hiking, or simply taking a walk—the main thing is that you're moving. And maybe this very day is the starting point for a more active routine. Top accessories and HomeKit options—all in our Amazon Storefront! (Image: Apple)
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