Apple Watch Owners Challenged to Earn Thanksgiving Day Activity Achievement

Apple is celebrating Thanksgiving this year by urging U.S. Apple Watch owners to bag a special achievement by recording a minimum walking or running distance on Thursday, November 28.

thanksgiving apple watch challenge 2019
As with past holidays, Apple Watch owners can earn an exclusive badge and an iMessage sticker if they complete the challenge.

To earn the turkey-themed badge and sticker, Apple Watch wearers must clock up a 5-kilometer (3.1 mile) walk, run, or wheelchair workout. Apple's Thanksgiving Day challenge was first spotted by Kyle Seth Gray, who shared his discovery on Twitter.

To record the activity, wearers need to use Apple's stock Workout app or a third-party app that feeds data to Apple's HealthKit. An ‌Apple Watch‌ user's history of achievements can be viewed any time via the Achievements tab on the iOS Activity app.

Apple first challenged Apple Watch owners to get out on Thanksgiving Day in 2016, and then again in 2017, but no challenge was forthcoming in 2018.

Thanksgiving is a U.S. holiday, so the challenge obviously won't show up for Apple Watch users set to other regions. The last special activity challenge Apple promoted occurred on Monday for Veterans Day.

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

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock Light

iOS 19 Leak Reveals All-New Design

Friday January 17, 2025 2:42 pm PST by
iOS 19 is still around six months away from being announced, but a new leak has allegedly revealed a completely redesigned Camera app. Based on footage it obtained, YouTube channel Front Page Tech shared a video showing what the new Camera app will apparently look like, with the key change being translucent menus for camera controls. Overall, the design of these menus looks similar to...
2024 App Store Awards

Apple Explains Why It Removed TikTok From the App Store in the U.S.

Sunday January 19, 2025 6:58 am PST by
Apple on late Saturday removed TikTok from the App Store in the U.S., and it has now explained why it was required to take this action. Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the platform would be banned. That law went into effect today, and companies like Apple and Google...
iPhone 17 Air Size Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With Rear Camera Bar Allegedly Shown in Leaked Photo

Tuesday January 21, 2025 12:46 pm PST by
A leaker known as "Majin Bu" today shared an alleged image of a component for the rumored, ultra-thin "iPhone 17 Air" model. The blurry, pixelated image shows a pair of rear iPhone shells with a pill-shaped, raised camera bar along the top. On the left side of the bar, there is a circular cutout that appears to be for a single rear camera. On the right side of the bar, there appears to be an ...
iPhone SE Dynamic Island Majin Bu

iPhone SE 4 Leak Shows Dynamic Island, Casts Doubt on Rumored 'iPhone 16E' Name

Monday January 20, 2025 9:01 am PST by
A new iPhone SE is widely rumored to launch this year, and the device has potentially been confirmed today by known leaker Evan Blass. In a private social media post, Blass shared an image of what appears to be source code mentioning an iPhone SE (4th Gen), which casts doubt on the alternative "iPhone 16E" name rumored for the device. However, the name in the source code could be a...
airtag 4 pack blue

AirTag 2 Launching This Year With These 3 New Features

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:11 am PST by
After a four-year wait, a new AirTag is finally expected to launch in 2025. Below, we recap rumored upgrades for the accessory. A few months ago, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was aiming to release the AirTag 2 around the middle of 2025. While he did not offer a more specific timeframe, that means the AirTag 2 could be announced by the end of June. The original AirTag was announced...
iOS 19 Roundup Feature

iOS 19 Rumored to Be Compatible With These iPhones

Saturday January 18, 2025 10:28 am PST by
iOS 19 will not drop support for any iPhone models, according to French website iPhoneSoft.fr. The report cited a source who said iOS 19 will be compatible with any iPhone that can run iOS 18, which would mean the following models: iPhone 16 iPhone 16 Plus iPhone 16 Pro iPhone 16 Pro Max iPhone 15 iPhone 15 Plus iPhone 15 Pro iPhone 15 Pro Max iPhone 14 iPhon...
apple power beats pro 2

Powerbeats Pro 2 Coming Soon: Apple to Announce Them 'Imminently'

Sunday January 19, 2025 8:25 am PST by
In September, Apple said that it would be launching Powerbeats Pro 2 in 2025, and it appears the wireless earbuds are coming very soon. Powerbeats Pro 2 images found in iOS 18 code In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the Powerbeats Pro 2 are "due imminently." In addition to Apple filing the Powerbeats Pro 2 in regulatory databases last month, Gurman said Apple is...
ipad pro 2024

New iPad Pro Reportedly Launching This Year

Tuesday January 21, 2025 6:40 am PST by
Apple plans to release at least one new iPad Pro model this year, according to a supplier-focused report today from Korean website The Elec. It is likely that the 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models would be updated simultaneously. After receiving an OLED display last year, the report said the iPad Pro will receive only "minor" changes this year. Overall, the next iPad Pro is expected to...
Generic iOS 18

Everything New in iOS 18.3 Beta 3

Thursday January 16, 2025 12:39 pm PST by
Apple provided the third beta of iOS 18.3 to developers today, and while the betas have so far been light on new features, the third beta makes some major changes to Notification Summaries and also tweaks a few other features. Notification Summary Changes Apple made multiple changes to Notification Summaries in response to complaints about inaccurate summaries of news headlines. For...

Top Rated Comments

Justin Cymbal Avatar
68 months ago
Sounds like fun! I’m up to the challenge! I’ll be in Cleveland visiting relatives for Thanksgiving so my cousins and I can go for a walk after we eat!

I am flying in Thanksgiving morning, get in at 11 am so I’m sure I’ll get a lot of walking at the airports as well..
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
darkslide29 Avatar
68 months ago
Just a heads up after learning this the hard way.. You need to specifically go into the Workout watch app and start an outdoor run/hike etc. You simply don't just go on a 5k/~3 mile walk or hike, as it's not the cumulative movement in your day.

Oh yes, that 5 mile hike on National Parks Day was nice, but I didn't start a 'workout' so I didn't get the badge.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Fozziebear71 Avatar
68 months ago

Pretty pointless having achievements outside the US. Just switch them off and don't market them.
I learned a long time ago they are pretty pointless anyway. I have many of these "rewards" disappear when I have upgraded watches and/or phones and no one at Apple has ever been able to get them back for me or explain why it happens in the first place.

I am a runner so I get them when they show up regardless. But I mostly ignore them because I know at some point they will disappear anyway.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
28Gauge Avatar
68 months ago
I will do it.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coumerelli Avatar
68 months ago

Sounds like fun! I’m up to the challenge! I’ll be in Cleveland visiting relatives for Thanksgiving so my cousins and I can go for a walk after we eat!

I am flying in Thanksgiving morning, get in at 11 am so I’m sure I’ll get a lot of walking at the airports as well..
you have to do an activity of 5k or more to earn the badge.Your airport walking won't count unless you walk/run/wheelchair for at least 5k with the app running. "Total miles" doesn't count.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)