Apple Employees Begin Receiving Rewards for 'Close Your Rings' Internal Challenge

In February, Apple updated its website with a new section explaining the advantages of closing the Apple Watch's three Activity rings. At the same time, the company kicked off an internal challenge for its employees that tasked them with closing their Move, Exercise, and Stand rings every day for the entire month.

apple watch close your rings 2018


Those who managed this feat have now begun receiving their rewards, and posting shots of the loot on Reddit. Included in the gift is a card that congratulates employees on achieving their personal Activity ring goals for an entire month, along with an exclusive all-black Woven Nylon band that has a hint of the Activity ring's blue/green/red color scheme on the band fastener.

This was the second "Close Your Rings" fitness challenge for company employees, with the rewards last year including an Activity rings pin and a matching T-shirt. For the 2018 challenge, eBay users have already begun taking advantage of the Woven Nylon band's exclusive status, with Buy-it-Now prices going as high as $250-$350 at the time of writing. Apple sells Woven Nylon bands for $50.

Besides internal challenges, Apple frequently launches public Activity challenges on Apple Watch, with recent ones focused on International Women's Day, Heart Month, and the New Year.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 11
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro and Air Feature

Two iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air Colors Appear to Scratch More Easily

Friday September 19, 2025 10:02 am PDT by
As reported by Bloomberg today, some of the new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air models on display at Apple Stores today are already scratched and scuffed. French blog Consomac also reported on this topic. The scratches appear to be most prominent on models with darker finishes, including the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max in Deep Blue, and the iPhone Air in Space Black. Images Credit: Consoma ...
Apple Foldable Thumb

Foldable iPhone Like 'Two Titanium iPhone Airs' Joined at the Hinge

Monday September 22, 2025 2:16 am PDT by
Next year's rumored foldable iPhone will showcase an ultra-thin design resembling "two titanium iPhone Airs side-by-side," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in the Q&A section of his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman says Apple's first foldable device will be "super thin and a design achievement," combining Apple's thinnest iPhone form factor with cutting-edge folding...
iOS 26

Everything New in iOS 26.1 Beta 1

Monday September 22, 2025 12:44 pm PDT by
Apple released the first beta of iOS 26.1 today, just a week after launching iOS 26. iOS 26.1 mainly adds new languages to Apple Intelligence, but there are a few other features that are worth knowing about. New Apple Intelligence Languages Apple Intelligence is now available in Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Portuguese (Portugal), Swedish, Turkish, Chinese (Traditional), and Vietnamese. AirPo...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.1 Coming Soon, Likely With iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro Fix

Thursday September 18, 2025 9:17 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to release iOS 26.0.1, according to a private account on X with a proven track record of sharing information about future iOS versions. The update will have a build number of 23A350, or similar, the account said. It is likely that iOS 26.0.1 will fix a camera-related bug on the new iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Pro models. In his iPhone Air review, CNN Underscored's Henry T. ...
iPhone 17 Pro Colors

iPhone 17 Pro Max Teardown Reveals Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 Modem for 5G

Friday September 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
While the iPhone Air is equipped with Apple's custom C1X modem for cellular connectivity, all of the iPhone 17 models are outfitted with Qualcomm modems still. A teardown video shared on Chinese platform Bilibili today (via Reddit) appears to confirm the iPhone 17 Pro Max is equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon X80 modem in particular. The same modem is likely used in the iPhone 17 and iPhone ...
iPhone 17 Pro and Air N1 Feature

Some iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone Air Users Experiencing Intermittent Wi-Fi Issue

Monday September 22, 2025 8:44 am PDT by
Apple's latest iPhone models launched on Friday, and some early adopters of the devices are experiencing intermittent Wi-Fi issues. Affected customers say Wi-Fi connectivity periodically cuts out on the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and iPhone Air, with hundreds of comments about the issue posted across the MacRumors Forums, Reddit, and the Apple Support Community over the...

Top Rated Comments

sc0rch3d Avatar
98 months ago
I work for a Fortune 100 company (not Apple) and this device thing is catching on very quickly. Our company formerly gave us some insurance discounts as long as we had a yearly physical. They have now traded that for fitness challenges (for example, log 30min of exercise for 50 different days in a quarter) and health coaching to earn HSA dollars. In the end, it's a better value. I find, when it comes to health, you're more likely to motivate people with a carrot rather than a whip.

I'm already a runner but my Apple Watch has motivated me to be more active than I already was.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
now i see it Avatar
98 months ago
We created a lifestyle that promotes sedentary unhealthy habits and posture, then we created a device to encourage you not to do that.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Biff... Avatar
98 months ago
The rings are probably the least appealing aspect of an Apple Watch to me. It blows my mind that people want a device to beep at them to stand, move, etc. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that could be more annoying from a piece of technology.
It is not about the beep, or reminders- I turn those off. For me its about the sense of accomplishment, seeing those rings closed stands for one more accomplishment I achieved for that day. I know its a small thing, but so far I've managed to exploit it for all its worth and have workout consistently for the last 6 months, lost 25 pounds.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tl01 Avatar
98 months ago
I want! Wish we could get little loops like that tri color loop to add to our bands. That would be fun!!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
44267547 Avatar
98 months ago
The rings are probably the least appealing aspect of an Apple Watch to me. It blows my mind that people want a device to beep at them to stand, move, etc. I’m hard pressed to think of anything that could be more annoying from a piece of technology.
I disagree. I think the Apple Watch serves as a reminder to maintain your goals and to not allow yourself to become complacent for your workout regiment. I can understand you’re annoyed by the reminders, for many, that’s the purpose of the reminders is to motivate them somewhat to keep the mindset they neeed to move when they necessarily don’t want to.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
duervo Avatar
98 months ago
Hahaha...haha..ha....can't stop laughing.(Bolded part)
If I worked at Apple and got one of them, I’d sell it on eBay too. In a world where leather bags sell for thousands of dollars, it’s not surprising there would be people willing to pay up to $350 USD for a nylon watch band. If anything, I’m more inclined to be surprised that they aren’t fetching a higher price.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)