The Galaxy Ring Might Have a Subscription Future After All

A black titanium Samsung Galaxy ring rests on a white surface.

Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority

TL;DR

During its Galaxy Unpacked presentation, Samsung showed a slide suggesting that future Samsung Health features using the Galaxy Ring could come with a subscription.

The Galaxy Ring’s current features don’t require a subscription to use, but some competing smart rings do.

Samsung’s slide text doesn’t explicitly state that future Samsung Health features will require a subscription, but it leaves the possibility open.

While smart rings aren’t new, Samsung’s Galaxy Ring is the first such product from a major consumer tech brand. After much anticipation, it finally launched just under two weeks ago at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event, alongside new foldables, earbuds, and smartwatches. Samsung’s smart ring is particularly notable because, while it’s a bit more expensive than its main competitors at $399.99, it doesn’t require a subscription fee to use its features. That may not always be the case, at least for future features.

The Samsung Galaxy Ring comes equipped with several health sensors, such as a heart rate monitor, sleep tracker, blood oxygen tracker, step counter, and more. These sensors power the Galaxy Ring’s various health and fitness tracking features, which include continuous sleep monitoring, heart rate monitoring, activity tracking, workout detection, cycle tracking, and more. Since the Galaxy Ring doesn’t have a display, all the health and fitness data it collects must be viewed through the Samsung Health app on the Android smartphone it’s paired with.

At the Galaxy Unpacked conference, Samsung promised that none of the Galaxy Ring’s features would require additional subscription fees. However, in the footnote of one of the slides presented during the presentation, there was text suggesting that this promise only applies to “currently available Samsung Galaxy features.” For “future Samsung Health features,” Samsung warns that “different terms may apply.”

“The Galaxy Ring must be paired with a Samsung Galaxy smartphone with Android 11.0 or higher and a minimum memory of 1.5 GB. The Samsung Health app (v6.27 or higher) and Samsung account login are required. Service availability may vary by country or region. Currently available Samsung Health features that use the Samsung Galaxy Ring are provided without a monthly subscription. Different terms may apply to future Samsung Health features.“

Samsung Galaxy Ring Footnote

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

While this doesn’t guarantee that Samsung will charge a subscription fee for future Galaxy Ring features, it does leave the door open for such a possibility. As for whether that will actually happen, we can’t say. Previous rumors suggested that Samsung was planning to charge a monthly subscription fee for some Galaxy Ring features. Some articles published after the Ring’s launch make it clear that Samsung has no plans to charge for Ring features now or in the future, while others suggest that’s only the case for now.

If Samsung were to eventually charge a subscription fee for Galaxy Ring features, it wouldn’t even be out of the ordinary for them. After all, the Galaxy’s AI features are currently available for free on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series, but there’s a caveat: they’re only guaranteed to be free until 2025. That caveat was also buried in a footnote at January’s Galaxy Unpacked event, so it’s clear that Samsung doesn’t want to guarantee free access to all features, especially resource-intensive AI ones, in perpetuity.

Several Samsung Health features already fall under the realm of Galaxy AI, including the Galaxy Ring’s Energy Score and Wellness Tips features. Given that Samsung isn’t guaranteeing that the Galaxy’s AI features will be free after 2025, both of these features could theoretically be removed after 2025. However, given that both of these features are currently available (provided you pair a Samsung Galaxy phone with the Galaxy Ring), it’s likely that Samsung won’t charge for them in the future, given its launch commitment.

Health Assist Features in One UI 6.1.1

Mishaal Rahman / Android Authority

The Galaxy Ring’s main competitor, the Oura Ring, starts at $299 but requires a $5.99/month subscription. So while some of the Oura options cost less up front, many people consider Samsung’s option to be a better value. If Samsung were to charge a subscription fee in the future, however, that calculation could change. However, we’ll have to wait and see if they actually decide to charge a subscription fee in the future, and if so, how much they’ll charge and what features they’ll lock behind the subscription.

See the price on Amazon

Samsung Galaxy Ring

No subscription required

Ultra-thin design (7mm wide)

Water resistant (IP68)

Grade 5 titanium construction

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