One of Samsung’s biggest new products this year is the Galaxy Ring. Not only is the Galaxy Ring a completely new product for the company, it also makes Samsung the first smartphone brand to enter the smart ring market, which has so far been dominated by smaller companies like Oura.
The Galaxy Ring is an ultra-compact accessory that fits on your finger. When you wear it, it tracks your health metrics like your heart rate and sleep, and it also uses AI algorithms to provide you with insights like an energy score and sleep score.
You don’t necessarily need a Samsung Galaxy smartphone to use the Galaxy Ring, as it works with any Android phone that has Samsung Health. But if you’re using an iPhone? Well, you’re out of luck, as the Galaxy Ring simply isn’t compatible with iOS. And if you ask me, that’s the Galaxy Ring’s biggest flaw.
Smart rings should be accessible to everyone
The Oura Ring (left) and the Samsung Galaxy Ring Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I primarily use an iPhone 15 Pro, and for the past few years, I’ve also used an Oura Ring (I’ve also spent some time with the Evie Ring). Beyond those two options, the world of smart rings also includes the Slim Circle Ring, the Ultrahuman Ring Air, the RingConn Smart Ring, and more.
With the exception of the Evie Ring, all of the rings I mentioned work on both iOS and Android. And even in the case of the Evie Ring, it’s confirmed that an Android app is coming soon.
However, the problem with the Galaxy Ring is that it seems like Samsung has no plans to make it compatible with iOS, and I just wonder why?
A smart ring is a wearable that doesn’t have a screen. Unlike a smartwatch, it doesn’t run software like a Galaxy Watch 7 with Wear OS. It makes sense that Samsung and Apple would only make their smartwatches compatible with their respective platforms, but smart rings? They simply use a Bluetooth connection to connect to your phone. There’s no proprietary software involved on the ring itself.
One hit and one miss
An Oura ring fits between an iPhone and an Apple Watch. Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
By arbitrarily excluding iPhone users, Samsung is also excluding half of the Galaxy Ring’s potential customer base. Again, I’ve been using the Oura Ring for several years now and would love to give the Galaxy Ring a try. But its lack of iOS compatibility makes it much less appealing, so I have no choice but to stick with the Oura.
Although this is probably easier said than done, it makes me wonder what is going on. Really What’s stopping Samsung from making a Samsung Health app for iOS? After all, Google’s Fitbit app is still on the App Store, which means wearables like the Fitbit Charge 6 work seamlessly with both iOS and Android. It makes sense that a Galaxy Watch Ultra wouldn’t work with an iPhone, but the Galaxy Ring? I’m not buying it. Plus, if an iPhone user likes the Galaxy Ring enough, they might eventually try other Samsung products and maybe even upgrade to a Samsung phone, smartwatch, etc.
Not giving iPhone users the option to try the Galaxy Ring without an Android phone is a complete failure in my opinion. This could have been an opportunity to convince iPhone users that the grass might be greener, but alas, it isn’t.
Of course, if Apple were to ever create an Apple Ring, I doubt it would offer it to Android users. After all, both Apple and Samsung have their own loyal users within their respective walled gardens and ecosystems.
When we have such closed ecosystems, where even accessories like a smart ring can only work on a specific platform, consumers lose out.
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