Apple Watch is much more than the world’s most popular watch—it’s the ultimate fitness and health companion for millions around the globe.
With its advanced sensor technology, Apple Watch continues to motivate people every day and deliver powerful insights across a broad range of activities, from workouts and training to sleep and heart health.
Below, discover how Apple Watch is celebrating a decade of Activity rings with its special Global Close Your Rings Day, as well as the latest research that underscores just how deeply fitness and health are intertwined.
A Decade of Activity Rings
For the past 10 years, Activity rings on Apple Watch have provided a simple, engaging, and customisable way for users to stay active.
By closing the Move, Exercise, and Stand rings each day, people are inspired to take that extra step—sometimes literally—and see how small efforts can add up to significant health benefits over time.
“Apple Watch has changed the way people think about, monitor, and engage with their fitness and health. A decade ago, we introduced Activity rings — and since then, Apple Watch has grown to offer an extensive set of features designed to empower every user,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer.
“People write to us almost every day sharing how Apple Watch has made a difference in their life, from motivating them to move more throughout the day, to changing the trajectory of their health.”
April 24: Global Close Your Rings Day
On April 24, Apple Watch users are invited to participate in Global Close Your Rings Day. It’s a fun chance to do something you love, push a little further, or try something totally new.
By closing all three Activity rings on that date, participants can earn a special limited-edition award, along with animated stickers and an animated badge to share in Messages.
If you’re looking for a tangible keepsake to mark the occasion, Apple Stores worldwide will be offering a commemorative pin inspired by the limited-edition award. Supplies will be available starting April 24, so grab one before they’re gone.
New Apple Watch Activity and Health Research Insights
Fitness doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it connects to everything from sleep to mental well-being. In a new analysis from the Apple Heart and Movement Study, involving more than 140,000 participants, researchers uncovered positive links between regularly closing Activity rings and several aspects of health, including sleep quality and heart health. These findings were observed across genders and age groups.²
From Sleep to Stress: Key Findings
- People who frequently closed their Activity rings were 48% less likely to experience poor sleep quality—defined as waking up multiple times during the night.
- They were 73% less likely to report elevated resting heart rate levels, which can indicate better fitness and heart health.
- They were also 57% less likely to experience elevated stress, based on the Perceived Stress Scale-4 (PSS-4) questionnaire.
The Apple Heart and Movement Study is conducted in collaboration with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the American Heart Association, and Apple.³
With over 200,000 participants across the U.S., it continues to shed light on how ongoing activity can positively influence various facets of health.
Activity and Health on Apple Watch
Activity rings are just one piece of the broader suite of fitness and health features available on Apple Watch.
The Workout app lets users track everything from cycling and running to swimming and hiking, delivering advanced metrics tailored to specific workouts.
Meanwhile, weekly summaries, Activity challenges, and data sharing keep motivation levels high, ensuring that staying active feels both fun and achievable.
Beyond daily movement, Apple Watch can keep an eye on heart health, menstrual cycles, sleep patterns, medication reminders, and environmental noise levels.
Every health-related feature is grounded in science and backed by rigorous standards, with extensive machine-learning modelling based on data from thousands of participants spanning diverse populations.
Data Privacy at the Core
Apple’s fitness and health features place user privacy at the centre. When an iPhone or iPad is locked with a passcode, Touch ID, or Face ID, all fitness and health data (other than Medical ID) in the Health app is encrypted. That means you’re fully in control of who sees your personal information.
If you have a current version of watchOS, iOS, and iPadOS with two-factor authentication and a passcode enabled, your health data is stored in a way that even Apple can’t access it.
Get Moving and Celebrate
Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or just starting out, Apple Watch makes it easy and fun to work toward your personal goals.
Mark your calendar for April 24, join the #CloseYourRings conversation, and snag some limited-edition rewards. After a decade of revolutionising fitness and health, Apple Watch shows no signs of slowing down—so why should you?
