Here's How to Get Free McDonald's Ice Cream This Week

July 16th is National Ice Cream Day—which, in my opinion, should be everyday—and McDonald's is helping all of us celebrate in the best way they know how: free McDonald's soft serve. According to Money, it's the first time McDonald's has participated in National Ice Cream Day. Of course, it's not just about the "holiday." McDonald's free ice cream promotion is happening for two reasons: To encourage people to use the fast food restaurant's app, where you can find the free McDonald's ice cream deal, and to highlight their ice cream's new ingredients list. Yep, you heard that right: Late last year, McDonald's started to phase out artificial flavors, colors, and preservatives in their vanilla soft serve. (And yes, that includes McFlurries and shakes, too.)

Luckily, it's really easy to get your hands on the new and improved McDonald's soft serve. All you have to do is download McDonald's mobile app. On July 16th, take a look under "My Deals" for the free soft serve coupon. Then, you simply need to visit a restaurant and present your phone screen to the cashier—either in-store or at the drive-through—to redeem your free ice cream. Easy enough!

McDonald's is kicking off the promotion with a Twitter campaign at the start of the week. They're doling out compliments to their followers using the hashtag #SoftSwerved. Very sweet, for sure, but we'll wait for Sunday to get the real good stuff.