One of Samsung’s biggest new releases this year is the Galaxy Ring. Not only is the Galaxy Ring a brand new product for the company, but 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 a super compact wearable that fits on your finger. While you’re wearing it, it tracks your health metrics like heart rate and sleep, and also uses AI algorithms to give you things 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 with Samsung Health installed. But if you’re using an iPhone? Well, you’re out of luck entirely, as the Galaxy Ring just isn’t compatible with iOS. And if you ask me, that’s the Galaxy Ring’s biggest flaw.
Smart rings should be for everyone
I primarily use the iPhone 15 Pro, and for the past few years I’ve also used the Oura Ring (I also spent some time with the Evie Ring). Apart from these two options, the world of smart rings also includes Circular Ring Slim, Ultrahuman Ring Air, RingConn Smart Ring and more.
Except for the Evie Ring, all the rings I mentioned work on both iOS and Android. And even in the case of the Evie Ring, it has been confirmed that it will get an Android app later.
However, the thing about the Galaxy Ring is that Samsung doesn’t seem to have any plans to make it compatible with iOS, and I just have to wonder why?
A smart ring is a wearable device that does not have a screen. So, unlike a smartwatch, it doesn’t run software like the Galaxy Watch 7 with Wear OS. Does it make sense why Samsung and Apple only make their smartwatches compatible with their respective platforms, but also with smart rings? They just use a Bluetooth connection to pair with your phone – there’s no proprietary software included in the ring itself.
Swing and miss
By arbitrarily turning off iPhone users, Samsung is also turning off half of the potential customer base for the Galaxy Ring. Again, I’ve been using the Oura Ring for a few years now and would like to check out the Galaxy Ring. But the lack of iOS compatibility makes it much less appealing, so I have no choice but to stick with the Oura.
While it’s probably a lot easier said than done, it makes me wonder what it is really stopping Samsung from making a Samsung Health app for iOS? After all, Google’s Fitbit app is still in the App Store, which means wearables like the Fitbit Charge 6 work with iOS and Android without a problem. Does it make sense why the Galaxy Watch Ultra doesn’t work with the iPhone but with the Galaxy Ring? I don’t buy it. Also, if an iPhone user likes the Galaxy Ring enough, then they may eventually check out other Samsung products down the line and maybe even upgrade to a Samsung phone, smartwatch, etc.
Not giving iPhone users a chance to try out the Galaxy Ring without an Android phone just misses the mark for me. This could have been an opportunity to convince iPhone users that the grass could be greener, but alas, it is not.
Of course, if Apple ever makes an Apple Ring, I doubt Apple will make it available for Android users to try. After all, both Apple and Samsung have their own loyal users in their respective walled gardens and ecosystems at this point.
When we have such closed ecosystems, where even accessories like a smart ring can only work on a certain platform, users lose out.
