This free Oura ring update fixes my biggest problem with the fitness tracker

The newest fitness tracker craze seems to be smart rings. They’ve been around for a while now, with Oura arguably the most popular option. I’ve used one, and while it’s great – it isn’t perfect.

My biggest problem has been with the Automatic Activity Detection feature, or (in my experience) lack thereof. But this free update for all users fixes this problem, along with plenty of other improvements across the board.

• Read more: Oura’s new smart ring fixes some of my biggest gripes with the last one

The update includes a reworked step-counting algorithm that ditches estimated steps in favour of actual pedometer-style tracking. I don’t know why this wasn’t here to begin with, but at least it’s arrived now. Oura also tuned up how it tracks active calories, now factoring in heart rate to better understand the intensity of your movement.

Crucially, Automatic Activity Detection has been tweaked to work at any time of day, including very early morning jogs. You can also backdate workouts from up to seven days ago, a handy feature for those of us to forget to log them at the time. This means your Readiness and Activity scores will actually reflect reality now – not just what the ring decides to notice.

If you’re into tracking your running splits, there are new views for that too. Plus, Oura’s using your phone’s data to pad out runs and walks with more detail. There’s even a new trend view to make sense of your active minutes. There’s also a nice sprinkle of additional third-party integrations. The ring now plays nice with CorePower Yoga, The Sculpt Society, Technogym, or Open. Oura will feed data directly into those platforms, and even offer subscription discounts for members.

All of these updates are rolling out from today for free to all Oura users. Naturally, the newly released Ring 4 gets the update, but so do the older models.

• Related: Dumb phones and smart rings won’t help when I need a tech detox

Connor Jewiss

About

Connor is a writer for Stuff, working across the magazine and the Stuff.tv website. He has been writing for around nine years now across the web and in print too. Connor has attended the biggest tech expos, including CES, MWC, and IFA – with contributions as a judge on panels at them. He's also been interviewed as a technology expert on TV and radio by national news outlets including France24. Connor has experience with most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he's a fan of gadgets of all sorts. Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup and venture capital scene, which puts him at the front of new and exciting tech - he is always on the lookout for innovative products.

Areas of expertise

Mobile, macOS, EVs, smart home