Will Apple's next big thing be a smart ring? We analyze the state of play and answer the key questions.
The concept of an Apple smart ring has been gaining attention since the company was first awarded a related patent in 2015. However, nothing substantial has materialized in the decade since.
Despite numerous concepts and features envisioned in patent sketches, there have been no credible reports indicating that an Apple Ring is a serious consideration for the Cupertino giant. What we have heard implies quite the opposite.
Yet, with companies like Oura finding great success in the smart ring space, and rivals like Samsung recently debuting their designs, it’s also more likely than ever that an Apple ring will arrive over the next few years.
In this guide, we’ll be summarising everything there is to know about an Apple smart ring.
You’ll find hints at what an Apple ring would do, how much we think one would cost, and when it could launch.
Will Apple launch a smart ring in 2025?
Everything we’ve heard suggests the launch of an Apple smart ring in 2025 is very unlikely.
With no rumors of in-house development, and Apple prioritizing different technologies and its existing products, the chances are slim that we’ll see any release over the next few years.
However, based on patents we’ve uncovered over the last couple of years (detailed below), Apple does appear interested in a smart ring as an input device.
And with the Apple Vision Pro and mixed reality being the brand’s next big play, a ‘smart ring’ could manifest itself as a gesture-based controller on the finger over the next half-decade.
It’s still somewhat of a long shot, but this appears to be the most likely avenue for an Apple smart ring release. This focus also suggests that an Apple ring wouldn’t overlap with the Apple Watch line, which is reportedly a concern within the company regarding a smart ring.
With all that in mind, let’s take a wild guess and estimate that an Apple ring-like device will be released in 2030. Why not, right?
Potential Apple smart ring features and functions
It would be logical to suggest that an Apple smart ring would follow current smart ring trends, focusing on health monitoring.
This is possible, especially with Apple’s focus on Apple Watch health features. However, most patents envision a ring integrating as a controller within the Apple ecosystem.
Let’s look at some of the most notable patents that have emerged over the last few years.
Touch-sensitive controller
A patent we reported in 2020 builds on an earlier filing relating to the idea of a smart ring acting as a controller, discussing “faster, more efficient methods and interfaces for controlling external electronic devices” in the fine print.
While other patents relate to gesture or voice control, this filing details the possibility of a screen appearing on a ring device.
“The ring computing device can also receive information from external devices in the form of messages or images on a touchscreen, pulses or vibrations of haptic actuators, and sound,” the patent includes.
AR/VR headset control
As detailed in two recently granted patent applications—one in December 2022 and the other uncovered by Wareable in June 2024—the potential ring could be used directly alongside an AR/VR headset.
“A finger device may be used as a controller for a virtual reality or mixed reality device (e.g., head-mounted equipment such as glasses, goggles, a helmet, or other device with a display),” the earlier patent’s description reads.
The application also references haptic feedback as part of the experience, with the position of the non-ring-wearing fingers able to register based on the position of the ring-wearing finger.
The later filing describes a ring-like design equipped with force sensors that can detect the exertion of a finger press and transmit it to a VR/AR headset.
Gesture and swipe control for phones and earbuds
In this patent granted to Apple by the USPTO, the company again views the smart ring form factor as a controller. As in other concepts, the function is primarily related to interacting more easily with AR/VR devices, laptops, and phones.
However, while other patents relate to touch control or location tracking, this filing instead looks at gestures. It even details the concept of a scrolling ball, similar to a computer mouse.
“Ring input device can be utilized to provide wireless inputs for a wide variety of devices. Ring input device could be used to provide inputs to handheld devices such as smartphones (scrolling through a list using the outer band),” the patent reads.
The ring controls wearables, headphones, smart home devices, and computers.
Blood pressure and blood oxygen monitoring
In another December 2022 smart ring patent won by Apple, entitled ‘Wearable Self-Mixing Interferometry Device Used To Sense Physiological Conditions’, the company deviates from its typical idea of a smart ring being a controller and instead focuses on health tracking applications.
The patent describes a ring that tracks heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and blood pressure, featuring an OLED display in one figure.
It’s similar to a newer filing Wareable discovered in June 2024, which details the same SMI technology to detect physiological conditions.
In this later patent (discussed in-depth here), the SMI tech uses light configured to output towards the user’s skin to “detect displacements of the skin relative to the sensor, such as expanding and contracting of the skin due to a user’s heartbeat,” the patent says.
“The data collected by the wearable device may be used to determine one or more physiological conditions for a user such as a heart rate.”
Most wearable devices with optical heart rate sensors use photoplethysmography (PPG) sensors, which utilize infrared LED lights to illuminate the skin to detect cardiac-related data. However, the patent descriptions suggest that SMI and PPG methods could combine to create more accurate measurements.
Is Apple actually working on a smart ring?
Unlike the constant stream of rumors about other Apple categories, we’ve heard little from industry insiders regarding the production of a smart ring.
The Apple Vision Pro headset signifies the brand’s latest significant hardware advancement, and prioritizing the technology while developing its ambient computing platform alongside Apple Intelligence will likely be the company’s primary focus this decade.
As such, more limited projects like a smart ring don’t seem to be a priority. Even the fabled ‘Project Titan’ – relating to the long-rumored Apple Car – was reportedly scrapped once and for all in 2024. The team working on it was also believed to have been shifted to its artificial intelligence teams.
The latest development in this area came from the ever-connected Mark Gurman, who reported in October 2024. He stated that Apple has no plans to release a smart ring, believing one would “detract from the Apple Watch” and could “cannibalize” sales.
That’s pretty damning. However, the steady flow of patent filings indicates that those responsible for Apple’s innovation still have one eye on smart rings.
It’s likely that an in-house team is conducting due diligence related to the form factor and developing prototypes. If they are, however, it’s much more probable that it’s a non-traditional smart ring, as discussed above.
How much would an Apple smart ring cost?
Without clear indications of what Apple might develop a smart ring to accomplish, predicting the approximate cost is as challenging as it seems.
Based on what we know from the rest of the company’s products, though, it’s fair to expect that there would be a slight premium compared to the rest of the market.
Given current industry leader Oura has the Ring Gen 4 available around the $400-500 mark, this is the minimum an Apple smart ring could arrive at.
With some inflation included, it’s likely that the Apple ring’s price would be even higher than this. However, the price depends on many factors.
For instance, an Apple ring might be offered as an accessory rather than a premium device, which could result in a price closer to the $200-$300 range.
