It's another year, so it's another donation campaign for Apple to support the national parks in the United States. Today, the company announced its latest campaign, which will donate money for every purchase at Apple using Apple Pay.
In a press release, the company said "Today through August 25, Apple will make a $10 donation to the National Park Foundation for every purchase made with Apple Pay on apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store in the U.S."
In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said “Every time I visit a national park, I’m struck by their extraordinary beauty and incredibly rich history. We’re proud to partner with the National Park Foundation to help preserve these natural treasures that inspire so many people. Their important work helps ensure that future generations will be able to experience that same sense of awe, wonder, and reverence for the planet we call home.”
National parks are coming to Apple Maps this fall
While Apple is donating to the National Park Foundation this summer, it plans to do more with national parks in the United States this fall. With iOS 18, users will be able to navigate thousands of hikes in the Apple Maps app with turn-by-turn directions. You'll also be able to explore topographic maps on the iPhone Apple Maps app with contour lines, trail details, and more.
You'll also be able to create custom routes for hiking and, of course, save your trails to the iPhone so you can use them offline when you aren't connected to Wi-Fi or cellular service.
If you don't want to wait until iOS 18 to enjoy some national parks goodness on your iPhone or Apple Watch, there's a new Apple Watch challenge on the way. As the company, explains, "On August 25, Apple Watch users around the world can earn a limited-edition award and animated stickers for Messages by recording any workout of 20 minutes or more."
At least we can get some exercise in while we wait for Apple to try and Sherlock AllTrails this fall!