Start 2026 the right way with the Apple Watch ‘Ring in the New Year’ challenge

The Apple Watch ‘Ring in the New Year’ challenge is back once again in January. Its aim is to help you start off 2026 the right way.

Users will soon receive a notification informing them what they need to do to win medals in the Activity app. Additional prizes come in the form of stickers for use in Messages and FaceTime.

Essential reading: Top fitness trackers and health gadgets

As in some of the previous years, the task boils down to closing the Apple Watch activity rings for a week in the month of January. This can only be done by meeting all stand, exercise and move goals for 7 days. But remember, you need to achieve this seven days in a row. Otherwise it doesn’t count! So it’s not as simple as it sounds.

The difference this year is that it doesn’t start on the first day in the New Year. It starts on January 7th.

“Start the year strong and stay active! Earn this award by closing all three Activity rings for seven days in a row in January.” The challenge will run from January 7 through January 31.

The challenge was mysteriously missing in 2019. But it has been back since then. This means 2026 will be the seventh year in a row we are seeing it. Here are the stickers you can earn.

The New Year challenge will be available both to those in the US and other countries. So wherever you are, it will be there to help with those New Year resolutions. The challenge might also come in handy when it comes to shedding those extra holiday pounds!

Source: 9to5Mac

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