Apple Supports National Parks With Apple Watch Activity Challenge and Apple Pay Donations

Apple today introduced an Apple Pay donation program and a new Activity Challenge on the Apple Watch in support of U.S. national parks.

apple watch activity challenge national parks
From August 24 through August 31, Apple said it will donate $1 to the National Park Foundation, the official charity of the U.S. National Park Service, for every purchase made with Apple Pay at any Apple Store, on Apple.com, or through the Apple Store app for iPhone and iPad in the United States.

Proceeds will support the National Park Foundation's mission to protect national parks through projects like habitat restoration and historic preservation, and support programs like Open OutDoors for Kids, according to Apple.

Apple CEO Tim Cook:

America's national parks are treasures everyone should experience, and we're proud to support them again this month by donating a dollar for every purchase made with Apple Pay at one of our stores. These awe-inspiring places are our national inheritance, and Apple is doing our part to pass them on to future generations — just as extraordinary, beautiful and wild as we found them.

On September 1, Apple Watch users around the world who complete a walk, run, or wheelchair workout of 50 minutes of more will earn an Activity app award and animated iMessage stickers, inspired by national parks. The challenge pays homage to Redwood National Park's 50th anniversary celebration this year.

The App Store will also highlight a collection of some of the best apps to help users easily navigate and explore U.S. national parks.

Apple supported U.S. national parks in these same ways in July 2017.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch 10, Apple Pay
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)

Popular Stories

ios 17 iphone 15 pro status bar sos crop feature2

iPhone SOS: Verizon Experiences Major Outage Across the U.S. [Update: Fixed]

Monday September 30, 2024 9:03 am PDT by
Verizon is currently experiencing a major outage that is affecting many customers across the U.S., including iPhone users. Affected users may be unable to send or receive phone calls, send or receive text messages, or use cellular data. As a result of the network being down, many affected iPhone users are seeing "SOS" displayed in their device's status bar. In a support document, Apple says...
15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

15 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.1

Friday September 27, 2024 6:14 am PDT by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.1 in October, bringing the first set of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update marks a significant step forward in Apple's AI integration, offering a new Siri contextually-aware experience and a range of additional capabilities powered by on-device machine learning and large language models. There are a couple of handy new...
m3 mbp space black

What to Expect From an Apple Event in October: iPad Mini 7, Redesigned Mac Mini, and More

Friday September 27, 2024 11:47 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Tuesday October 1, 2024 5:47 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
iphone 16 pro colors 1

iPhone 16 Pro Max Charging Speed Test Proves 45W Rumor Was Wrong

Monday September 30, 2024 8:16 am PDT by
While a Chinese regulatory filing showed that all iPhone 16 models are rated for up to 45W charging speeds, tests have since shown that the devices do not actually charge this fast. However, there are still improvements. ChargerLAB last week tested the iPhone 16 Pro Max with a variety of Apple and third-party chargers, and it found that the device achieved maximum sustained charging speeds...
iPhone SE 4 Thumb 2

Apple's Next New iPhone to Debut in the Spring: What to Expect

Tuesday October 1, 2024 3:14 am PDT by
Apple's budget-friendly iPhone SE is set for a major overhaul with a fourth generation model expected to launch in spring 2025. The upcoming model will mark a significant departure from its predecessors, adopting several features from higher-end iPhones while maintaining its position as the most affordable new model in Apple's lineup. According to recent reports, the iPhone SE 4 will sport a ...
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

MacBook Pro, iMac, and Redesigned Mac Mini With M4 Chips on Track to Launch 'This Year'

Tuesday October 1, 2024 1:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to release new MacBook Pro, iMac, and Mac mini models with the M4 series of chips "this year," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman initially said these Macs would likely be announced during a virtual event this October, but he has been more vague about the timing lately, with wording such as "in the coming weeks" and now merely "this year." In any case, it is clear that...
iPad iOS 16 WP Display Feature eric edit

Apple May Launch First iPad-Like Smart Home Accessory Next Year

Monday September 30, 2024 2:55 am PDT by
Apple could release an iPad-like smart home accessory based on its homeOS platform as early as next year, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Writing in his latest Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that the display will run Apple apps like Calendar, Notes, and Home, and will feature an interface "optimized for controlling home appliances and quickly seeing information." Apple's...

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
80 months ago
I think they should have a "product Green" line to support the environment, just like they have product Red for AIDS charity.
And if you wanna support both simultaneously…



Attachment Image
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
recoil80 Avatar
80 months ago
I think they should have a "product Green" line to support the environment, just like they have product Red for AIDS charity.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fozziebear71 Avatar
80 months ago
Wow - how generous. If you buy any Apple product, which range in price from $20 charging cables where they likely make $18 profit to $15K computers where they likely make $12K profit, they'll donate a whole $1.

This week only. Oh, and only if you use Apple Pay, because they really want to get you using that.
They are a company that exists to make money.

Exactly what was your point?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jimbobb24 Avatar
80 months ago
I love parks so this is great. I do the fetish on "restoration" is a little funny such natural areas have no "true" form (what are we restoring them to). The American Indians used to burn whole forests so they could chase buffalo but most of those areas are being replaced by trees now. Things change, there is no correct state for nature, but I do love hiking, biking, and camping in the parks and hope they continue to thrive.

I like when they do specialty badges. They need to do more and up their game with the activity app.

Also people giving Tim Cook a hard time for donating 5 million is the height of pettiness and envy.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fozziebear71 Avatar
80 months ago
This ever increasing view in our society that corporations that make a lot of money is an awful thing is getting so tiresome.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TaviDuprix Avatar
80 months ago
Wow - how generous. If you buy any Apple product, which range in price from $20 charging cables where they likely make $18 profit to $15K computers where they likely make $12K profit, they'll donate a whole $1.

This week only. Oh, and only if you use Apple Pay, because they really want to get you using that.
Unless you are donating money, save your disdain for something else.
[doublepost=1535055635][/doublepost]
Yes, but how much did it save him in taxes? Sure, it's great he donated 5 million, way more than I ever could, but every time I see things like this it ends up being some huge benefit in taxes to the giver, to the point where it was something they were required to do to keep more money than to pay it out in taxes.
You do not understand the tax code if you even for a second believe that when rich people give money to charity they somehow make out better than if they had not donated at all.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)