Something like this, but made by Apple instead of Samsung (Image credit: Zachariah Kelly / TechRadar)

You'll notice Apple isn't mentioned in our best smart rings guide – but might it be soon? Rumors continue to swirl that the tech giant will decide to launch a ring wearable in the future, and here we've collected together all the leaks and predictions we've heard to date.

There are obvious parallels with the Apple Watch. When the original Apple Watch showed up in 2015, Apple bided its time, waited while other companies launched and refined their smartwatch products, and then entered the market with one of the best examples of the form factor – one that's not radically changed to this day.

The patent trail

The Oura Ring 4 (Image credit: Oura)

There are no guarantees that patent filings are eventually going to lead to actual consumer products, but they do give us an indication of the ideas that a company is exploring – and they are in the public record. Apple Ring-related patents go back several years, including one for a "wearable electronic ring computing device" that appeared in 2019.

That patent outlined a device that was more of a controller for an iPhone or a Mac computer, with its own tiny touchscreen and an integrated microphone – though there were also biometric sensors included. Overall, it sounded like a mini Apple Watch, which may well be what the Apple Ring ends up being.

The Apple patents have continued to show up down the years: one in 2020 described a smart ring with extensive gesture support, for wirelessly controlling devices such as an Apple TV streaming box, while another in 2023 included details of physical sensors that could be activated to carry out actions on other connected Apple gear.

That connectivity – with iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, the Apple AirPods Max headphones, and so on – seems to be crucial for whatever kind of smart ring Apple is currently developing. If and when it does appear, it'll almost certainly be built to interact effortlessly with whatever other Apple devices you've got.

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Apple has even been busy filing patents for wearable devices that could extend to anklets and lanyards – so you might not have to necessarily wear the Apple Ring on your finger. The company is clearly thinking about a variety of different types of wearables, intended to be worn for most (if not all) of the day.

Cancelled... or not?

The Apple Watch Series 11 (Image credit: Jacob Krol/Future)

Patents aside, plenty of people in the know have been holding forth on whether or not Apple will actually get around to launching a smart ring. In October 2024, notable Apple tipster Mark Gurman reported that Apple had no near-term plans to develop a smart ring, and we certainly haven't seen one since.

That was quickly backed up by the CEO of Oura, Tom Hale, who said that he didn't think his company would be having to deal with a competing smart ring from Apple anytime soon. Part of the reason for his scepticism was that a smart ring may affect sales of the Apple Watch, which would be measuring a lot of the same metrics.

The TechRadar experts, however, aren't quite convinced by this line of reasoning. Smart rings are distinct from smartwatches in numerous ways, including the battery life you can expect and how unobtrusive they are to wear, so the existence of the Apple Watch doesn't necessarily mean we won't get an Apple Ring. It's not stopped Samsung having a crack at it.

Another well-respected leaker with a decent track record has suggested that a "ring-type wearable" is indeed still in the works, along with several other secret products that are yet to see the light of day – which to be fair is what we'd expect from a tech company of Apple's size and standing.

In other words, don't give up on an Apple Ring just yet. While numerous launch events have come and gone without any sign of the smart ring, we know Apple is heavily invested in health and fitness now, and has been exploring the form factor in patents – it may just be a question of Apple waiting to get the design, features, and price point just right.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.

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