Apple extends its COVID-19 (RED) partnership through the end of 2021

Apple World Aids Day 2020 Hero (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

Apple has extended its partnership with (RED) through the end of this year.
100% of eligible proceeds donated to the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response.

Apple has today extended its partnership with (RED) to allow 100% of eligible proceeds to be donated to the Global Fund's COVID-19 Response. The program was originally supposed to come to an end on June 30, reverting to HIV/AIDS programs.

Apple has had a partnership with (RED) for 14 years now, selling special (Product)RED versions of its products and donating funds.

Apple iPhone in red (Image credit: iMore)

For 14 years, our partnership with (RED) has led to almost $250 million in donations to fund HIV/AIDS treatment programs. Now through December 30, Apple is working with (RED) to redirect 100 percent of eligible proceeds from (PRODUCT)RED purchases to the Global Fund's COVID‑19 Response. This will provide critical support to health systems most threatened by the outbreak and, in turn, help preserve lifesaving HIV/AIDS programs in sub-Saharan Africa.

Apple first announced that it was redirecting funds to help fight COVID-19 in April 2020 but the project has been extended to allow it to help as many people as possible.

Apple sells (PRODUCT) RED versions of its iPhones, Apple Watches, accessories, and more. You can find more details about the program, and buy related products, on Apple's website. The red Apple Watch Braided Sport Loop is particularly fetching. As is the iPhone 12 of the same color. In fact, I'd argue that's the best iPhone color you can buy and I wish Apple offered it in the Pro lineup!

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.