The new Apple Watch Pride Edition bands and watch faces just launched in support of the global LGBTQ+ community, just in time for Pride month in June.
- Apple has released two specially-crafted Pride Edition bands in support of the LGBTQ+ community along with accompanying watch faces.
- This marks the seventh year in a row that these themed Pride Edition bands and watch faces are released to showcase how Apple “stands with, supports and is proudly made up of the LGBTQ+ community,” in the company’s own words.
- Tim Cook in 2014, a few years after taking the helm at Apple, become the first chief executive of a Fortune 500 company to publicly come out as gay.
The new Apple Watch Pride Edition bands and faces
The following goodies are available in celebration of Pride month this June:
- Pride Edition Sport Loop band
- Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop band
- Pride Threads watch face
Both new Pride Edition bands can be had for $49 each and they work on all Apple Watch models. You can order yours from Apple’s website and in the Apple Store app starting today, with retail availability beginning May 26. The Pride Edition Nike Sport Loop is also coming soon to Nike’s online store.
Apple’s new Pride Edition watch bands
The Pride Edition band showcases a rainbow color gradient with the word “pride” woven directly into the band.
The team designed a color gradient that incorporates the original rainbow colors with those drawn from various pride flags, including light blue, pink and white, representing transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals as well as black and brown, symbolizing Black and Latinx communities. The colors also represent those who are living with or have passed away from HIV/AIDS.
The company says it’s developed a new technique for the removal of several of the nylon-woven textile loops on the band to reveal the word “pride.” The word is printed in cursive, inspired by the original “hello” greeting displayed on the first Macintosh in 1984. Read: 33 things to do after setting up your Mac
Check out the new Pride Thread watch face
As for the Pride Threads watch face, it too uses colors that Apple says represent the strength and mutual support of the LGBTQ+ movement.
From the official announcement published on the Apple Newsroom micro-site,
Mirroring the woven loops of the Sport Loop, each strand of vibrant thread contributes to the overall composition of the watch face. The colorful threads move as the Digital Crown on Apple Watch is rotated, the display is tapped, or the user’s wrist is raised.
The band packaging supports Apple’s App Clip to get your matching watch face.
How to download Apple’s new Pride Thread watch face
You can download the new watch face in your choice of a white or black background using the Face Gallery in the companion Watch app on your iPhone.
- Open the companion Watch app on your paired iPhone
- Select the “Face Gallery” tab at the bottom.
- Choose “Pride Threads” underneath the “New Watch Faces” heading.
- Hit the “Add” button to add the desired Pride Edition watch face to the watch.
The new Pride Threads face requires an Apple Watch Series 4 or later running watchOS 8.6, along with an iPhone 6s or later running iOS 15.5. As mentioned earlier, owners of a Nike edition of the Apple Watch will see a bit of tweaked Pride Edition watch faces that match the styling of the Nike edition band.
Shot on iPhone pride campaign on Instagram
The Cupertino giant is also introducing a new Shot on iPhone pride campaign on Instagram which captures “the essence of artists and figures within the global LGBTQ+ community.” The new campaign starts in June.
June as an LGBTQ+ month
June has been known as the month when the LGBTQ+ community takes to the streets to publicly and vocally promote the increased visibility of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) people as a social group. The history of June as an LGBTQ+ month dates back to US President Bill Clinton, who in 1999 and 2000 declared June as “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.”
Two subsequent presidents followed in Obama’s footsteps: President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2016, followed by President Joe Biden in 2021. The fact that three US presidents would officially proclaim June as the month of LGBTQ+ people has helped tremendously to improve public perception of the LGBTQ+ community around the world. Read: The 50 best tips for using iMessage on iPhone and iPad