It’s that point of yr once more when Apple expands its wallpaper and watch bands with new entries to rejoice Satisfaction Month. At present, the corporate introduced its 2025 Satisfaction Assortment, that includes a brand new Satisfaction-themed Sport Band with an identical dynamic watch face and companion iPhone and iPad wallpapers.
This marks the tenth yr that Apple has commemorated Satisfaction Month with particular version watch bands, though it’s solely the ninth model that’s accessible to the general public — no less than formally.
Apple’s first rainbow-colored Apple Watch band was given as a present to workers in 2016. The occasion was meant to rejoice 30 years of Apple Satisfaction — the corporate’s first Variety Community Affiliation. Workers had been advised the restricted version band was “an emblem of our dedication to equality.” It wasn’t lengthy earlier than the phrase bought out, and the bands ended up promoting for $400 or extra on eBay.
The demand for these bands outdoors of Apple probably impressed the corporate to show this into an annual occasion. In 2017, Apple launched the identical model on the market to most people for $49 (with no apologies to the parents who paid $400 for one of many originals). It was a Woven Nylon Apple Watch band with the usual pleasure flag colours, and it wasn’t purely a brand new gross sales alternative; Apple additionally pledged to donate a portion of the proceeds from every Satisfaction Version band to learn the necessary work being completed by LGBTQ advocacy organizations to result in optimistic change.
Apple adopted up that 2017 traditional with one other woven nylon band in 2018. In 2019, it switched to the Sport Loop type and moved to a Sport Band in 2020 — the primary model to drop nylon in favor of fluoroelastomer. Apple returned to the braided Solo Loop in 2021 whereas additionally increasing on the unique rainbow colours to symbolize extra various teams, together with black and brown to represent Black and Latinx communities in addition to those that have handed away from or live with HIV/AIDS, plus mild blue, pink, and white to symbolize transgender and nonbinary people.
The 2022 version was one other Sport Loop. Then Apple modified issues up in 2023, returning to the fluoroelastomer Sport Band of 2020 and changing the standard vertical stripes with a confetti-like array of colours — “a joyful rainbow of geometric shapes.”
Final yr’s 2024 version marked a return to type with a Braided Solo Loop that wove collectively “a vibrant, fluorescent design impressed by a number of pleasure flags.”
In 2018, Apple additionally started providing customized Satisfaction watch faces to match the bands. These had been initially constructed into watchOS 4.3, watchOS 5.2.1, and watchOS 6.2.5 updates. Because of downloadable watch faces in watchOS 7, the 2021 launch switched to letting customers obtain the brand new face instantly, with an App Clip on the Satisfaction Band bundle for fast entry (though you didn’t have to purchase a Satisfaction Band to get the brand new watch face). In 2023, the customizable Lock Screens of iOS 16 allowed Apple so as to add Satisfaction-themed iPhone wallpapers to the combination.
The unique Satisfaction watch faces have been misplaced to time as they had been constructed into now-defunct watchOS variations. Nevertheless, Apple included their designs into the Satisfaction Analog and Satisfaction Digital faces for its 2020 Satisfaction Assortment. This was adopted by Satisfaction Woven (2021), Satisfaction Threads (2022), Satisfaction Celebration (2023), and Satisfaction Radiance (2024).
The 2025 Satisfaction Assortment
Apple has gone in one other inventive path for this yr’s Satisfaction Assortment. We’re again to fluoroelastomer with the Satisfaction Version Sport Band, however this one is produced from a “tapestry of rainbow stripes that modify in form and measurement.”
Extra considerably, Apple notes that since every Satisfaction Version Sport Band is assembled by hand from these particular person stripes, no two bands will end up precisely alike.”
That includes a tapestry of rainbow stripes that modify in form and measurement, every Satisfaction Version Sport Band is assembled by hand from particular person stripes of vibrant coloration which might be compression-molded collectively, creating refined but hanging variations. No two bands are precisely alike, reflecting the individuality of all members of the LGBTQ+ group.
This yr’s watch face and wallpapers to enrich the watch band have been dubbed “Satisfaction Concord.” It’s an analog face that “presents daring, particular person rainbow stripes, which dynamically shift in sequence throughout the face of the show to type giant hour numerals as customers increase their wrist to test the time.” The accompanying wallpapers even have colours that change place once you transfer, lock, or unlock your iPhone or iPad.
These will probably be coming in watchOS 11.5, iOS 18.5, and iPadOS 18.5, which needs to be launched within the subsequent few days. The Satisfaction Concord watch face will also be downloaded by means of the Apple Watch app, however you’ll have to attend for the iPhone and iPad wallpapers. The Satisfaction Version Sport Band is out there to order on-line on the Apple Retailer now and will probably be in shops subsequent week.