Circular clarifies plans for blood pressure & glucose tracking
Circular has issued a clarification following pushback from backers about how blood pressure and glucose trend tracking will be delivered. Some have flagged a mismatch between the original campaign messaging and the company’s current plan for rolling out those features.
Circular outlines a two-tier model for blood pressure tracking
In a statement provided to Gadgets & Wearables, the company says it is evolving its approach based on community feedback. It reaffirmed its intent to deliver blood pressure tracking by the end of 2025, with glucose trend tracking expected in early 2026. According to Circular, both features have always been considered stretch goals on their Kickstarter campaign made possible by the funding received during the campaign.
The clarification outlines a two-tiered system for blood pressure monitoring. All users will receive a free version that includes a daily, colour-coded blood pressure score based on data from the ring. Historical data access is included.
For those looking for deeper insights, the company is introducing a premium tier. This will offer specific values, trend graphs and context from Kira, Circular’s AI assistant. These additional features will be accessible using “Circular Coins,” a digital currency earned through regular use of the ring.
Why Circular Coins exist if they’re not actual money
Circular Coins, the company says, were introduced two years ago and were always intended to unlock enhanced functionality over time. The company explains that users will have several months to accumulate Coins before premium features become available. No specific coin thresholds were mentioned.
It is a bit confusing as Circular Coins don’t actually cover any costs by themselves. You earn them just by wearing the ring. What they do is let Circular control how many people use heavy-duty features like blood pressure tracking. This helps them keep cloud costs manageable. The two-tiered model, they say, allows the company to keep core insights free while offering optional advanced analysis in a sustainable way.
It also helps keep users engaged with the product, and it presumably leaves the door open for real payments later if Circular decides to sell extra Coins. The system isn’t really about cutting costs now, but more about managing how many people access certain features and creating a path for possible revenue in the future. Circular says they may take a similar approach with glucose trend tracking, but they haven’t shared much detail yet.
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The company also acknowledged community feedback, stating that trust is earned through action and that it remains committed to refining its communication, improving its product, and listening to user input going forward.
At this point, it remains to be seen how the clarification will be received by the broader community of backers and customers.
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I’m a superbacker of Kickstarter and a backer of this campaign, and Circular has done a good job with overall communication with a lot of frequent updates. For sure they could have done better around this specific coins and premium features but I’ve seen some old youtube videos where the founders were talking about it before the campaign. The issue is that there are a lot of 1st project backer on this campaign and they don’t really understand how Kickstarter works. In 2 month they’ve done more than 15 updates and I just received my tracking number for the shipment of my ring. Can’t wait.