John Hancock's Vitality Apple Watch Program Saw Users Increase High-Intensity Activity Days by 52%

Insurance company John Hancock and behavior change platform Vitality today released information on a study by RAND Europe of over 400,000 people in the United States, United Kingdom, and South Africa. The study concluded that those who wore an Apple Watch and participated in the Vitality Active Rewards program averaged a 34 percent sustained increase in physical activity, compared to those without an Apple Watch.

apple watch name your workout
Specifically focused on U.S. users, the study found significant improvements in levels of physical activity, including an increase in the number of active days by almost 31 percent, and an increase of high-intensity activity days by 52 percent. Participants with high levels of inactivity and body mass index improved more than other groups in the study with physical activity boosted by 200 percent in the U.S. for these individuals.

Additionally, John Hancock Life Insurance customers will now be able to get the Apple Watch Series 4 for as low as $25 through regular exercise. The program mirrors previous incentives that encourage insurance customers to engage in physical activity, reaching goals that earn them points to reduce or eliminate their monthly payments for the Apple Watch over a two-year period.

Customers have to pay a $25 initial fee (plus tax) when signing up for John Hancock Vitality PLUS. Afterwards, when they exercise they will earn Vitality Points that discount the total cost of the device. If they earn 500 Vitality Points per month for two years, no additional charges will be required for the Apple Watch Series 4.

"There is natural alignment between consumer health and longevity, and our goals as a life insurer. This type of shared value is good for everybody," added Brooks Tingle, president and CEO of John Hancock Insurance. "The Apple Watch has been an extremely popular and effective component of our program to date, helping our customers not only live healthier lives through better exercise and mindfulness habits – but also improve their financial wellness through the rewards our program offers, including lower premiums and discounts from some of their favorite national retailers."

Apple Watch Series 4 is Apple's latest wearable device, featuring a new design with a slimmer body, 30 percent larger display, and electrical sensors for taking ECG readings. The ECG feature is not yet live yet, but we now know that it will be enabled on Apple Watch Series 4 in the publicly released version of watchOS 5.1.2.

Related Roundup: Apple Watch 10
Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Neutral)

Popular Stories

iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iPhone 17 Air Pastel Feature

iPhone 17 Air Launching Later This Year With These 16 New Features

Thursday April 24, 2025 8:24 am PDT by
While the so-called "iPhone 17 Air" is not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the ultra-thin device. Overall, the iPhone 17 Air sounds like a mixed bag. While the device is expected to have an impressively thin and light design, rumors indicate it will have some compromises compared to iPhone 17 Pro models, including only a single rear camera, a...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
Global Close Your Rings Day Pin

Apple Stores Giving Away a Limited-Edition Pin For Free Today

Thursday April 24, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Starting today, April 24, Apple Stores around the world are giving away a special pin for free to customers who request one, while supplies last. Photo Credit: Filip Chudzinski The enamel pin's design is inspired by the Global Close Your Rings Day award in the Activity app, which Apple Watch users can receive by closing all three Activity rings today. The limited-edition pin is the physical...
Apple Logo Spotlight Blue

White House Hits Back at Apple's Massive EU Fine

Thursday April 24, 2025 5:57 am PDT by
Apple's $570 million fine from the EU has triggered a sharp rebuke from the White House, which called the fine a form of economic extortion, Reuters reports. The fine was announced on Wednesday by the European Commission, following a formal investigation into Apple's compliance with the bloc's Digital Markets Act (DMA), a landmark piece of legislation aimed at curbing the market dominance of ...

Top Rated Comments

SBlue1 Avatar
84 months ago
It's a win win for both, consumers who opt in to do this and the insurance that has healthier customers. As someone who laughs at people who are vocal against data mining but collect all kind of miles, bonus points, loyalty rewards and cash backs I would welcome my insurance to offer something like this. As long as it is optional.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QCassidy352 Avatar
84 months ago
That’s a level of intrusiveness I definitely don’t need. I’ll pay for the watch myself.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
esaleris Avatar
84 months ago
That’s a level of intrusiveness I definitely don’t need. I’ll pay for the watch myself.
Agree. This isn't about goodwill or getting a watch. This is everything about the insurer generating data and analytics en masse for future revenue opportunities.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steven3130 Avatar
84 months ago
Wow. This is very interesting. The life insurance is slightly cheaper than the plan I have now. Getting a free Apple Watch may just make it worth signing up. Will have to look into this company.
To me, I think it’s a win-win especially if you already have a healthy lifestyle and you are willing to share limited health data (steps, active calories burned, mediation minutes, and weight).

One thing that I see as a benefit that is not spoken about much is that you can actually get another Apple Watch after the 24 month installment plan is satisfied. I see this as my Apple Watch upgrade program.

I actually enrolled in this plan earlier this month and am still waiting for my watch to arrive. I read through all the fine details.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
steven3130 Avatar
84 months ago
That’s a level of intrusiveness I definitely don’t need. I’ll pay for the watch myself.
The data is being pulled directly from the Apple Health app...data you’re already storing locally on your phone or on iCloud. I’m ok sharing my workout data. We already share our data so much already even with things we have no clue about (Facebook, Google Maps, etc). It’s the world we live in now.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
EdT Avatar
84 months ago
I don’t see storing data locally on my phone as comparable to giving it to an insurance company.

Nor do I think that just because we share some data we should throw up our hands and share all data with everyone. For example, I have a Facebook account but basically have no personally identifying data on it (DOB, location, phone number, etc). It’s not all or nothing
Facebook, or for that matter any company that has reasons to collect data on current or potential customers, does not only have access to the data that they have collected about you. A lot of companies collect and sell information and it all can be linked to you. Some of that data, like city registry are public and probably do contain your name and address. If you’ve ever filled out some contest then your name, age, perhaps things like marital status, number of kids, own or rent a dwelling etc are all for sale, as is your credit history and rating. You don’t own that information and there’s no legal requirement that companies fix erroneous information.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)