The danger of all the data that wearables collect is that it can be overwhelming and also counter-intuitive. For example, waking up to a low ‘Sleep Score’ – calculated on a range of metrics from restfulness to latency – can make for a depressing start to the day. However, if you are able to retain a healthy rather than obsessive approach to the findings, Oura’s app is as good as it gets in the smart ring field.
It’s easy to read and understand, with enough information offered to inform you, but not too much that you’ll be put off. There are three main tabs: Today, Vitals and My Health. All feature basic scores, tiles with brief information summaries, or simple scales to show where you are for particular metrics like heart health or stress. You can dive deeper into all your data if you wish, but it doesn’t get too heavy unless you look for it.
The app lets you take quick actions like adding a meal, speaking with the AI advisor (more useful than most), or recording a live workout. The latter is new, but like other health features I mentioned above, it is also available on previous Ouras. It lets you view live metrics on your smartphone screen during a workout, which is useful when you are tracking activity. It recorded my dog walks the same as Apple Watch would, monitoring heart rate and distance during the outings.
The setup of Ring 5 is very simple, too, and location tracking is better. It doesn’t integrate with Apple’s Find My or Google’s Find Hub, which is a missed opportunity, but you can see the last known location of your Oura in the app if you misplace it.
