Oura Ring announces set of new features for Apple iPhone and Watch users

Oura ring on its own

Oura Ring is bringing new app features for iPhone and Apple Watch users. The new features coming from Oura allow users to get quick insights at a glance on their Apple devices.

The company plans to roll out new iPhone lock Screen widgets, Apple Watch complications, and a brand new companion app for Apple Watch.

Related reading:

About Oura on Apple Watch Apple Watch message on Oura app

The Oura team has put together a demo video describing the suite of features, instructions, and what to expect when using these features. 

The new initiative Oura on Apple Watch has been an ongoing effort at Oura, and today, one of the team members showcased the features in a video on Reddit.

Oura data at a glance via Apple Watch brings some of the popular Oura Ring metrics to your Apple Watch via the new companion Apple Watch app.

Some of these metrics would include the following:

  1. Readiness score and readiness metrics like resting heart rate, HRV, body temp, and others.
  2. Sleep score including sleep efficiency, resting heart rate during sleep, and others.
  3. Activity score and activity metrics, including steps, total burn, and others.
    Watch app by Oura

At this time, you cannot record workout heart rate or add a tag using the Apple Watch companion app–you can only do these using the iPhone app.

The Oura ring continues to sync with your iPhone at all times during the day in the background, and then the data is transferred to your Apple Watch and shown via the new Apple Watch app.

Whenever your Oura Ring syncs to your phone, the Oura App also sends your Oura Ring data to your Apple Watch.

Add Oura as a watch face complication Apple Watch OUra app complications

Oura’s new Apple Watch app also offers many new complications that users can embed into their favorite watch face. Oura supports circular, rectangular, and corner complications.

These complications include scores, ring battery level, and activity goal progress, along with detailed screens to analyze your sleep data, scores, and charts for daily movement and historical temperatures for the last four weeks.

It is unclear if the company is going to increase the subscription fees from its current $5.99/month to a higher number for users who want to take advantage of these new features.

Update – 01/30/2023

We heard back from Oura on its commitment to its community. Here is what the company emphasized ( via their PR services).

  • At this time, membership remains at $5.99/month so users do not need to worry about prices increasing because of these features
  • New features/partnerships like this are exactly why Oura implemented the membership – so that the company could consistently be delivering new features and content that users want
  • The membership is geared towards ensuring that users get continuous value through the Oura Ring, mobile app, cloud app, algorithms, personalized insights, and content. 

There are no new app-related features for Android users as of now. The new features are primarily being targeted at Apple Watch users.

Does adding the Oura app to your Apple Watch make sense?

First, the Oura watch app does not offer any additional features. Rather, it’s a companion app that mirrors Oura’s iPhone app.

If you have an Apple Watch and use it frequently to check your health stats instead of your iPhone, installing the Oura watch app allows you to review your Readiness, Activity, Sleep Scores, heart rate, body temperature, and ring battery level without opening the Oura app on your phone.

The downside of this companion app is that it does not automatically update in real-time since it must first sync to your paired iPhone.

So, if you want to wear the ring with your Apple Watch and go for a run or other exercise without your iPhone, the Oura app on your watch won’t update until it regains its connection to your iPhone.

To install the app on your watch, you must meet these minimum requirements:

  1. Own a Gen2 and above Oura Ring.
  2. Update the Oura App to version 4.8.1 or above.
  3. An iPhone 8+ or SE that runs at least iOS 16.
  4. An Apple Watch Series 4+ that runs watchOS 9 or higher.

You can install the Oura companion app via the Watch app or using the App Store on the Apple Watch itself.

What about a recovery score on Apple Watch?

Currently, the Apple Watch does not offer Recovery scores. Users primarily use third-party apps such as Training today or Athlytic to get recovery scores based on HRV and other data. 

Once Apple introduces stress scores and recovery scores, Apple Watch users may have to decide if they want to continue using Oura ring or switch over to the Apple Ecosystem.

This is probably a smart move on Oura’s part as many Apple iPhone users use the smart ring today, and the company wants to make it easier for these users to obtain their data at a glance from their Apple Watch and lock screen widgets on the iPhone.

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Sudz Niel Kar
I am a technologist with years of experience with Apple and wearOS products, have a BS in Computer Science and an MBA specializing in emerging tech, and owned the popular site AppleToolBox. In my day job, I advise Fortune 500 companies with their digital transformation strategies and also consult with numerous digital health startups in an advisory capacity. I'm VERY interested in exploring the digital health and fitness-tech evolution and keeping a close eye on patents, FDA approvals, strategic partnerships, and developments happening in the wearables and digital health sector. When I'm not writing or presenting, I run with my Apple Watch Ultra or Samsung Galaxy Watch and closely monitor my HRV and other recovery metrics.

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