RingConn sleep apnea tracking enters Beta: Here’s how to participate
Earlier this year, RingConn announced the upcoming integration of sleep apnea tracking into its smart ring by the end of 2024. Now, beta studies for the feature have started within the smartphone app. Here’s how you can register to become a tester.
RingConn, a relative newcomer to the smart ring market, has quickly established a strong reputation. Originally launched as a crowdfunding project, the company has now become a success story.
As highlighted in our hands-on review, the device excels in accurately tracking a broad spectrum of recovery metrics. The recent addition of a dedicated Exercise Mode further enhances its capabilities. This ups the sampling mode for heart rate during exercise and taps into your smartphone’s GPS signal for precise tracking of distance and location.
Essential reading: RingConn vs Ultrahuman Ring Air: Which smart ring deserves your finger?
At CES 2024 in January, the company unveiled several exciting upcoming features, including sleep apnea tracking and blood pressure monitoring. The first of these, sleep apnea tracking, is currently in the beta testing phase through RingConn’s smartphone app.
RingConn Sleep Apnea tracking in Beta
Sleep apnea, a condition marked by pauses in breathing during sleep, can pose significant health risks. Traditionally, diagnosing it required specialized medical equipment.
It’s worth mentioning, there already exist smart rings that can monitor for sleep apnea. One is the popular Oura Ring, another example is the Wellue O2Ring. RingConn aims to join this exclusive club by the end of 2024, and even secure FDA approval for its pulse oximeter and OSAHS (Obstructive Sleep Apnea Hypopnea Syndrome) monitoring features.
The beta version of this feature is now available in version 2.3.0 of the smartphone app. If you own a RingConn smart ring and wish to participate in the beta testing, you’ll need to register for the trials.
As detailed in this Facebook post, first you’ll need to fill out a Survey Questionnaire which can be found on this link. Presumably this is a limited Beta program so you’ll need to wait to be approved. Only registered users can see the new sleep functionality.
After a few days, restart your app, log out, and then log back in. If approved, you’ll find a “Research” tab at the bottom of your dashboard.
To enable sleep apnea tracking, initiate the “Start monitoring” function before going to bed. Your smartphone will need to remain powered on and within a maximum of 2 meters throughout the night. Upon waking in the morning, slide the button to stop monitoring. Results will be available in the app shortly after, along with historical reports.
Free or subscription based?
Currently, all data produced by the smart ring is accessible through the free smartphone app. And we applaud RingConn for going in this direction. However, there is talk that the sleep apnea detection feature may be part of an upcoming premium tier subscription, indicating a slight shift in RingConn’s service model. But no official confirmation yet.
There’s also no word yet on the blood pressure feature. If RingConn delivers on this, it would be a significant breakthrough, as their main rivals, Oura and Ultrahuman, currently lack this capability. This could truly solidify RingConn’s position as one of the leading contenders in the smart ring space.
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