Walgreens Launches New Medication Reminder App

Apple Watch’s health apps have drawn some attention, and now there’s yet another one to add to the list.

Walgreens announced yesterday (June 8) that it has developed a new app with Pill Reminder and Refill Reminder features to allow Apple Watch to monitor medical prescriptions.

With millions of customers and 8,232 drugstores, Walgreens has a huge pool of potential customers for its app and services to foster loyalty. Earlier this year, Joe Rago, Walgreens’ director of its mobile innovation program, reported that more than 60 percent of online traffic that leads to Walgreens began with a smartphone. And Walgreen has been quick to tap into that trend. The Walgreens app was originally launched on iOS devices, BlackBerry phones and Android in 2010 and has been improved ever since. It was only a matter of time until it launched an Apple Watch version of the app.

The way it works is simple. The Apple Watch sends “actionable alerts” to let the user know if a medication was taken or skipped. A picture of the medication even shows up on the screen. Refill Reminders, as its name indicates, tells the user when medication is running out and by one simple touch can be quickly refilled, followed by a notification of when the medication is ready for pickup.

But that’s not all. Walgreens’ Balance Rewards will be integrated in Apple Pay, allowing its members to earn and see how much they can redeem. Members simply hold their iPhone near the contactless reader with a finger on Touch ID and the appropriate rewards information will be sent. On Apple Watch, they just double-click the side button, select their Balance Rewards card, and hold the face of Apple Watch up to the reader. Both Amazon and American Express made a similar move last year when allowing their users to continue collecting rewards via Apple Pay.

“Walgreens’ apps and services are designed to provide customers with ultimate access, choice and convenience – we want to help remove friction and make the customer experience as simple as possible,” said Sona Chawla, president of digital and chief marketing officer for Walgreens, in a press release. “Whether that’s launching new wearables technology that promotes adherence and proper health regimens or making it easier, safer, and more private to redeem Balance Rewards points through mobile payments with Apple Pay, we want to help customers manage their lives.”

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