Apple may be prepping a smart ring

Apple has been exploring the concept of an Apple Ring, or smart ring, for almost a decade, filing various patent applications over the years.

Malcolm Owen for AppleInsider:

During Samsung’s Unpacked event for 2024… Samsung declared it was working on a smart ring, the Galaxy Ring, that could be released later in 2024.

Smart rings have been around for a while, with the most well-known model being the Oura Ring. The wearable, which appears like discrete jewelry, is lined with sensors in a similar manner to a smartwatch, with it tracking data points for heart rate, blood oxygen level, movement, and nightly body temperature.

With a massive tech company like Samsung wading into the smart ring market at some point in the future, the attention therefore shifts over to Apple. As the current dominant force of the smartwatch market, a smart ring seems like a progression forward for the Apple Watch maker.


MacDailyNews Take: In October 2015, Apple filed a patent application entitled “Devices and Methods for a Ring Computing Device” with the US Patent and Trademark Office that imagined a wearable device that you’d wear on your finger.

The ring described would offer a small display, a built-in microphone and camera, motion sensors, and haptic feedback to provide vibrations and other sensations in response to certain tasks. You would communicate with the ring using taps, touch gestures, and/or speech input. A biometric sensor would detect how you hold or position your hand. For example, extending or curling up your ring finger could trigger a certain command. Tapping on another finger or making a fist would trigger a different command.

As envisioned, Apple’s smart ring would control other devices: Apple TV, Mac, iPad, HomePod, smart home appliance, and even CarPlay. Two people, both of whom are wearing the smart ring, could shake hands, exchanging messages, contact information, and even Apple Pay Cash with each other.

One of the most sublime experiences that Apple Watch offers is a seemingly simple one: controlling your Apple TV via the Remote app. It’s intuitive, accurate and easy. If Apple can deliver similar experiences with an “Apple Ring,” we’ll be first in line.MacDailyNews, October 1, 2015

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