Oura ring not connecting and syncing to the Oura app on your phone? Steps to fix it

Oura ring on its own

Though it doesn’t happen often, occasionally, your Oura ring won’t connect and sync to the Oura app on your Apple or Android phone (or tablet.) We frequently see this issue after updating the Oura ring to its latest firmware version.

When the ring can’t connect and sync to the app, the app cannot collect or show any recent data and cannot upload or back up to your Oura Cloud account.

This article outlines steps to get your Oura ring to connect and sync with the app again.

So let’s get to it.

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How to get your Oura ring to connect and sync with your phone’s Oura app Oura Ring app top menu

There could be several reasons why your Oura ring is not connecting or syncing to the Oura app, from using multiple devices to Bluetooth issues on your phone to problems with the Oura app or Oura ring firmware updates.

Remember, with Oura, it’s one ring, one account, and one device

If you connect your Oura ring to multiple devices (like a phone and a tablet), choose just one device to connect with.

Pairing the ring with multiple devices leads to connection issues, missing data, and reduces your ring’s battery life.

If you want to check your Oura stats on a second device, use your Oura Cloud account instead (via an internet browser.)

Additionally, you should only have one Oura ring connecting to your phone

So, if you still have previous Oura rings listed in your phone’s Bluetooth devices under Saved devices, Other devices, or they show up as Not Connected, remove them. two Oura rings showing up in Bluetooth settings on iPhone

The same holds true if other people in your household have Oura rings that show up in your phone’s BT devices list. Remove them too.

To remove them from your phone’s Bluetooth options, tap it and choose to Forget This Device or Forget.

Repeat Forget this device for all Oura rings except the one you currently use.

  • If you aren’t sure which Oura ring is yours, open the Oura app and tap the Bluetooth or Target symbol (ring) in the top-right corner. Oura app menu for Oura Ring
  • Swipe to the second page to see all the details about your ring, including its MAC address (which is what shows in the Bluetooth settings.) Ring info in Oura app

How long can the Oura ring store data without syncing data to the app?

Your Oura Ring can store about one week’s worth of data with daily use without syncing to the Oura app (assuming typical day and night use.)

So when your ring can’t connect and sync to the app, you can expect it to continue collecting all your data, including sleep tracking, for up to 7 days.

If you’re setting up your Oura ring for the first time (or moving to a new phone) and it’s not connecting, try this

If the Oura app seems to be stuck trying to connect to the ring and shows that it’s “Connecting,” follow these steps: Oura app stuck at connecting to Oura ring

  1. Force close the Oura app on your phone, so it’s no longer running. 
  2. Ensure no other Oura rings are listed in your phone’s Bluetooth settings. If you see other rings, choose to forget them. Forget Oura ring from Apple iPhone Bluetooth
  3. Temporarily change your phone’s auto-lock setting to Never or the longest allowed period.
    1. For Apple, go to Settings > Display & Brightness > Auto-Lock and choose Never. iPhone screen auto lock settings
    2. For Android, go to Settings > Display > Screen timeout and choose the longest period available (usually 30 minutes.) screen timeout settings for Android
  4. Restart your phone.
  5. Now, open the Oura app on your phone, place your Oura ring on its charger, put it near your phone, and run through the set-up steps again. Connect your Oura ring to the Oura app and your phone via Bluetooth
  6. When you get to the Connecting screen, wait and let it run even if it seems like a ridiculous amount of time (10 minutes+.) Your phone’s screen should remain on during this time.

Hopefully, your ring connects with the Oura app. If so, remember to return your phone’s auto-lock setting back to your previous preference.

Try these basic troubleshooting steps for syncing your Oura ring with the app

  1. Place your phone next to your ring and see if it syncs and shows the “updating” message at the top of the app. Sometimes, just getting them near each other does the trick.
    1. If you have a lot of days’ worth of data to sync, try placing your phone and ring on their chargers and putting them next to each other. Then, open the Oura app.
  2. Charge your Oura ring fully–wait for the charger light to turn solid green. This takes 20-80 minutes, depending on the ring’s charge level that’s available before you put it on the charger.
    1. While the ring is on the charger, open the Oura app on your phone and see if it connects and syncs. Place Oura ring on its charger until the light turns green for 100 percent charge
  3. Verify that you turned on your phone’s Bluetooth settings and that the Oura ring appears on the device list. It should show up as a connected device. If the ring is not connected, tap it and see if it connects.
    1. You can also try toggling Bluetooth off, waiting a few minutes, and toggling it back on and see if your Oura ring then shows up and connects. iPhone Bluetooth Oura ring connected
  4. Open the App Store or Google Play Store and check for an update to the Oura app. If an update is available, tap the update button. Update Oura app on Android using Google Play Store
  5. Reboot your phone to force a data refresh. restart Apple and Android devices including iPhone with slide to power off
  6. Close and then reopen the Oura app on your phone.
    1. To close the app on most phones (Apple and Android), swipe up from the phone’s bottom until you see smaller app previews. Swipe left or right to locate the Oura app, then swipe its app preview off the top of your screen. Force close and quit the Oura app on iPhone and Android
    2. If you haven’t synced your Oura ring in a few days, you may need to close/reopen the Oura app a few times to get all your data to show.
    3. Android phones also offer the option to clear the Oura app cache. Go to Settings > Apps > Oura > Storage & cache and tap Clear cache. Oura app clear cache
  7. Uninstall and reinstall the Oura app on your phone–this tip works if you see the message “Something went wrong. Please try again later.” Something went wrong in Oura app

Check if your Oura is in Airplane mode

Open the Oura app and take a look at the top. If you see an Airplane icon, your ring is in Airplane mode. Oura app and ring airplane mode

When you intentionally or unintentionally place your ring into Airplane mode, your ring immediately turns off all its connectivity. That includes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi; consequently, your Oura ring cannot connect to the Oura app.

By default, when you turn on Airplane mode, it remains active for seven days or until you manually turn it off. Because your ring doesn’t connect to the app, the only way to turn off Airplane mode is to connect it to its charger.

So, try placing your Oura ring on its charger. Remove Oura Ring Airplane mode by putting ring on charger

Then open the Oura app and wait for the ring to reconnect (usually takes about 10-20 seconds.)

Airplane Mode should automatically disable each time you put your ring on Oura’s charger.

Once you place the ring on its charger and Airplane Mode turns off, the app then immediately initiates a data sync between your ring and the app.

Make sure you allow Oura to refresh data in the background

To keep up with your current stats, the Oura app needs to refresh its data periodically. And Oura can now sync data without you having to open the app!

When you open the Oura app, it should always refresh its data. But you don’t need to open the app to have Oura update your information. It can do this in the background, even when the app isn’t open or you aren’t actively using it.

This is what background app refresh does, and not allowing it causes all types of problems. So let’s check those settings.

Turn on Background App Refresh on Apple devices

iPhone Oura app permissions

  1. Go to Settings > Oura and toggle on Background App Refresh.
  2. Also, verify that you toggled on Bluetooth and Local Network. Make sure Location is set to Always or while using the app.
    1. If you want Oura to collect data when away from Wi-Fi, also toggle on Cellular Data (recommended.)

Turn on Background Data and other settings on Android devices

  1. For Android, go to Settings > Apps > Oura > Mobile data & Wi-Fi and toggle on Background data and Unrestricted data usage. Android Oura app data settings
  2. You also want to set Oura’s battery usage to Unrestricted (recommended setting) or Optimized. Find this option in Settings > Apps > Oura > App battery usage. Oura app battery settings
  3. And make sure that you Allow nearby devices and locations access in the Oura app’s permissions.
    1. Go to Settings > Apps > Oura > Permissions and tap Nearby devices and choose to Allow it. Android allow nearby devices for Oura app
    2. Go back to Settings > Apps > Oura > Permissions, tap Location, and choose to Allow all the time or while using the app.

Reset network settings

If your Oura ring still won’t connect and sync with the app, resetting the phone’s connection to its various networks often helps.

When you reset network settings on your phone, it removes all stored information about Bluetooth devices, Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular data settings, and any VPN data. So you need to add these all into your phone again.
 
Do not reset your network settings if you don’t know the passwords or credentials to any networks you frequently connect to.
  • For Apple, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset Network Settings. Reser menu options on iPhone
  • For Android, go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth. Android reset network settings

Reboot your Oura ring

There is a way to restart your Oura ring, even if it’s not connecting to the Oura app. 

Oura calls this process a soft reset, and it won’t delete any of the ring’s data or unpair it from your phone (unlike a factory reset.) Oura ring soft reset using charger

  1. Close the Oura app on your phone.
  2. Place your ring on its charger and put your fingers on top of the ring to secure it in place.
  3. Grasp the charger and lift and tap it firmly and rapidly 3-5 times on a firm surface like a table, ensuring the ring stays in place.
  4. Wait about one minute, then reopen the Oura App to check if its connection is re-established.

Contact Oura support

If none of the above steps work, contact Oura customer support for further assistance. We recommend contacting Oura Support inside the app rather than emailing or social media.

  • Inside the app, tap the Menu button (three horizontal lines) at the top left, then choose Help. Reach Help and customer service in Oura app
  • Scroll down and tap Contact Us. Oura app Contact Us
  • Choose your Request type (recommend I’m having an issue) and then fill out what’s happening in the Tell us what’s up section. Contact sheet for Oura app
  • After filling it out, tap the Submit button.

If you cannot access the app, try sending a message via Twitter–it seems to be the most responsive of all social media.

One common problem is your ring’s battery starting to fail. Ask the Oura Support team to look at your ring’s data and check if something is wrong with its battery. 

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A. Beth Whittenberger
I started my love affair with computers way back in elementary school with the Apple II. Since then, I've worked with technology in my career as a media educator and videomaker. I have an MFA in media making from Temple University, where I also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member. Additionally, I was a writer, content producer, and editor on the popular tech blog AppleToolBox. So I know a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides! After a cancer diagnosis, I turned to mobile technology like my Apple Watch to help me monitor my health throughout my chemotherapy treatment and later, to regain my wellness once in remission. I love sharing how to understand and use mobile tech, like smartwatches and phones, as a tool for empowerment to live our best and healthiest lives! Connect with me on LinkedIn!

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