US patent application 2026/0219706 A1 was published on July 30. This does not confirm that an Amazfit Helio Ring 2 is around the corner, but it gives us a useful look at the ideas Huami has explored for its smart ring platform.

The patent claims priority from an earlier Chinese filing made in October 2023. That means the underlying work began before the first Helio Ring reached the market, and several parts of the design overlap with the current model.

Those include optical heart rate and blood oxygen tracking, skin temperature measurement and electrodermal activity. In our Amazfit Helio Ring review, I found the first-generation device particularly strong during exercise, an area where many smart rings still struggle.

The more interesting parts of the patent describe features that the current ring does not offer. This includes body composition measurements and ECG recording.

One pair of electrodes could do several jobs

The proposed ring has two large, curved electrodes running around most of its inner surface. Together, they can cover more than two-thirds of the ring’s internal circumference, giving them a larger contact area with the finger.

Huami says these electrodes could collect electrodermal activity, body impedance, ECG and temperature signals. They could also act as charging contacts when the ring is placed inside its case.

Using the same electrodes for several functions would reduce the need for separate contacts and free up space inside the ring. The patent describes switching circuitry that changes how the electrodes connect depending on whether the ring is collecting health data or charging.

The drawings also show a curved battery and circuit board occupying separate sections around the ring. Huami says this arrangement can use the available space more efficiently and reduce the thickness of the device.

A charging case would be another useful change. The original Helio Ring uses a small dock, which worked reliably during our testing but could be fiddly when aligning the ring.

Body composition looks like the strongest upgrade

Body composition is one of the potential new features. The patent describes using bioelectrical impedance analysis to estimate measurements such as body fat.

A basic version could use the two electrodes inside the ring. A more advanced setup could add conductive areas to the outside, allowing the wearer to touch the ring with another finger and create a longer electrical path through the body.

Huami also describes combining the ring with another wearable. One example uses an electrode on a smartwatch as an additional contact point, allowing the watch and ring to perform a multi-electrode body composition measurement together.

ECG and improved optical tracking are also possible

The electrodes could also capture ECG signals. The patent does not describe a finished ECG feature or explain how the wearer would complete a reading, but an outer contact could let someone touch the ring with their opposite hand in much the same way as a smartwatch ECG.

Huami also explores more elaborate optical sensor layouts. These can include multiple light emitters and detectors, convex lenses and several optical paths with different distances between components.

Using several paths could help the ring find a cleaner signal when its position changes or when the fit is less than perfect. It could improve heart rate, blood oxygen and movement performance without relying solely on tighter contact with the finger.

The patent briefly mentions blood pressure and glucose among the measurements an optical sensor might support. However, it provides no detailed method for either feature, so those references are too broad to treat as evidence of a glucose or blood pressure ring.

There is no guarantee that all this will appear in a second-generation Helio Ring. Still, the document shows where Huami sees room to expand. A future model could be slimmer, easier to charge and capable of body composition or ECG.

That would give the Helio line a clearer identity in an increasingly crowded category. The first model already holds its own among the best smart rings available today, but these extra features might make the next version stand out more.

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The update starts rolling out globally today and is free for existing users. It applies across Ultrahuman’s wider ecosystem, including the Ring AIR and Ring PRO, the M1 and M2 Live glucose monitoring services, Blood Vision and the Ultrahuman Home.

The app now focuses on what to do next

UltraSphere sits at the centre of the redesigned home screen. It turns health data into more than 60 suggested actions based on sleep, recovery, HRV, movement, stress, skin temperature, cycle phase and glucose readings.

These can include getting outside for morning light, taking a short walk during an afternoon energy dip, cutting off caffeine or beginning an evening wind-down routine. The recommendations can also adjust for location, weather, circadian timing and different routines, including shift work, parenthood and frequent travel.

The company’s Jade AI health assistant now gets its own tab. It connects information from across Ultrahuman’s devices and services rather than treating ring, glucose and blood test data as separate streams.

The redesign also moves longer-term measurements such as UltraAge, Pulse Age, Blood Age and Brain Age into a dedicated Longevity tab. Meanwhile, the new Windows view places time-sensitive information, including caffeine timing and circadian phases, onto a single daily timeline.

More insights now work offline

Emerald moves more analysis onto the phone, allowing sleep, recovery and movement scores to calculate without an internet connection. Live heart rate, stress, steps and UltraSphere recommendations can also remain available while offline.

This should be useful during flights, travel and time spent in areas with poor reception. It also means more of the app remains functional without a continuous connection to Ultrahuman’s servers.

Sleep Screener brings sleep duration, temperature, respiratory information, rhythm data and the Ultrahuman Smart Alarm into one nightly view. AFib Detection, where supported, also sits here after previously launching through Ultrahuman’s PowerPlugs platform.

Workout tracking gets an upgrade

Ultrahuman says it has also rebuilt workout tracking for Ring AIR and Ring PRO, with improved automatic detection, activity tagging and heart rate algorithms. This is an area worth watching, as workout heart rate was one of the weaker points in my Ultrahuman Ring AIR review.

The VO₂ Max algorithm has also been revised. Ultrahuman says it tested the estimate against CPET laboratory results from more than 100 athletes, with readings falling within 5 mL/kg/min of the lab measurement.

Emerald’s main change is a cleaner way of presenting Ultrahuman’s existing data and services. The redesigned interface and offline processing should make the app easier to use, while the new heart rate and VO₂ Max claims will need testing once the update reaches more users.

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Users want the missing features saved

Oura quietly added a discontinuation notice to its support pages in June, saying Oura on the Web would close later this year. The company did not initially provide a date, although an official Oura representative has since told users on Reddit that the dashboard will remain available until September.

The announcement has now started generating more pushback. On social media, some users are encouraging others to contact Oura and explain which parts of the dashboard they want preserved.

Oura on the Web lets members place two metrics on the same graph, adjust the period being examined and see a correlation value showing how closely the data points move together. Someone could compare activity with REM sleep, for example, or look at whether one day’s activity appears to influence HRV the following night.

Oura itself describes the dashboard as a tool for exploring long-term health patterns and comparing personal metrics. Its mobile app includes trends and tags, but it does not currently offer the same flexible correlation view found on the website.

Data access is another concern

Another issue is exporting data. At the moment, Oura on the Web lets users select metrics and download them directly as a CSV file, making it relatively easy to analyse the information elsewhere.

Once the dashboard closes, users will still be able to request an export through the Oura Membership Hub. That option is available with or without an active membership, but Oura warns that the download may take up to 10 days to arrive.

The Oura API will also remain available, which gives developers and technically minded members another route to their data. Still, an API is not a direct replacement for a ready-made dashboard that anyone can open in a browser.

Oura has spent much of this year adding more information and health features to its software. The company launched a sizeable feature bundle with Oura Ring 5 and later brought many of those additions to older Oura rings. Removing a mature analysis tool at the same time feels like a step in the opposite direction.

Oura has heard the complaints

The Reddit user shared a screenshot of their conversation with Oura support. The representative acknowledged that the web dashboard provides an alternative way to access data without opening the app and said the feedback would be passed to the appropriate team.

That does not mean Oura is reconsidering the closure. For now, the company still plans to retire the dashboard and says it will publish more information before that happens.

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A bigger second attempt

Ring One 2.0 builds on the same basic idea as its predecessor. Muse wants to make a smart ring that does more than monitor sleep, activity and recovery.

According to the company’s Ring One 2.0 launch page, the new model will track sleep, exercise, mindfulness and general wellness while adding cuffless blood-pressure readings, AFib detection, sleep-apnea detection and vascular-health insights. Muse also claims six to seven days of battery life, with the charging case extending total use to around one month.

The company is placing greater emphasis on software this time. New AI applets are there to target specific goals such as sleep, recovery, fasting, metabolic health, weight management and mental wellbeing.

Muse is also keeping Ring One’s wider digital ambitions. Ring One 2.0 is being promoted as a contactless payment device, a key for compatible Tesla vehicles and smart doors, and a tool for passwordless authentication. There will be no mandatory subscription.

It is an impressive list. The question is how much of it will work at launch, where each feature will be available and whether health functions such as AFib and sleep-apnea detection will carry the necessary regulatory clearances in different markets.

The first Ring One took a difficult route

Let’s look back.

Muse launched the original Ring One campaign on Indiegogo in late 2023. It raised close to $1.7 million from more than 7,500 backers, helped by a feature list that included blood-pressure readings, contactless payments, haptic feedback and a rotating outer control.

Delivery was initially expected a few months later. Instead, the campaign slipped through a long series of revised production and shipping schedules, with many international backers waiting well into 2025 before receiving anything.

As we reported when Ring One began shipping internationally, the finished device also differed from the original pitch. There were no blood pressure readings, rotating control disappeared, payments were not ready for most owners and several software features remained under development.

Muse later activated on-demand blood-pressure readings. Even so, availability is not the same as validation. The company has not yet published enough independent evidence to establish how closely its cuffless blood-pressure estimates compare with a validated upper-arm monitor across a broad population.

Current owners are not uniformly happy

The response on social media to the Ring One 2.0 announcement has been noticeably sceptical. Recent comments include original backers asking about undelivered orders, outstanding refunds and replacements for failed first-generation hardware.

Charging cases appear to be a recurring source of frustration. Several owners say their cases stopped charging the ring after a relatively short period, while others report waiting months for redesigned replacements. There are also complaints about overheating, cracked internal resin, pairing failures and inconsistent syncing.

Payments remain another weak spot. Muse has introduced payment support in some markets, but recent owner discussions suggest that card enrolment and transaction support still vary considerably by country and provider.

Of course, not every report is negative. Some owners say they like the ring’s sleep data and general health tracking. And in fairness, Muse has also continued issuing app and firmware updates rather than abandoning the original device.

Muse still has something to prove

Ring One 2.0 could fix some of the original model’s biggest weaknesses. Muse says it has improved the design, with better build quality, a redesigned charging case and more polished software all on the list.

But after everything that happened with the first Ring One, it is worth keeping the usual crowdfunding caveats in mind. Backing an Indiegogo campaign is not the same as buying a finished product from a shop. Shipping can slip, features can change and your money is at risk if the project does not deliver.

Muse has already opened a reservation page offering early supporters discounts of up to 50%. Final pricing, delivery estimates and the full specifications are still under wraps, so we should know a lot more when the campaign goes live on August 4.

The post Muse returns to Indiegogo with the more ambitious Ring One 2.0 appeared first on Gadgets & Wearables.

The patent application, titled “Techniques for evaluating ambient light exposure and chronotype via wearable devices,” was published on July 16. It combines ambient light readings with sleep data, physiological measurements and a person’s chronotype, rather than treating light as another isolated metric. 

The ring could reuse its existing optical sensors

So how would Oura collect this data? The patent says a ring could use the same light-receiving components already involved in physiological measurements, although a separate ambient light sensor is also covered.

In one example, the ring takes a normal health reading while its LEDs are active, then measures environmental light while those LEDs are switched off. That would allow the photodetectors to pick up light from the room or outdoors without requiring a large new sensor on the outside of the ring.

This is entirely possible as RingConn already has a similar feature. That device uses its built-in PPG optical sensors not just for heart rate, but also to detect ambient light levels. This allows it to measure the intensity of environmental lighting throughout the day.

Oura wants to take this further. The filing covers the timing, intensity, duration and colour of the light reaching the wearer, including ultraviolet exposure and different parts of the visible spectrum. It could then compare those patterns with sleep timing, recovery and the wearer’s usual body clock.

Oura could then change the room

The more unusual part of the patent is what happens next. Oura describes a system that could communicate with connected lights, curtains, blinds and shades around the wearer.

The setup could dim bedroom lighting as bedtime approaches, close blinds when evening light is likely to interfere with sleep or open them in the morning. Some actions could happen automatically, while others might appear as suggestions inside the Oura app.

Users could also create simple rules. A light might switch off once the ring detects that the wearer has fallen asleep, or blinds could open when they remain asleep beyond a chosen time.

This does not mean Oura is about to launch a smart home platform. It does show the company thinking beyond the ring itself and looking at how the surrounding environment might affect the data it already collects.

Light could become another recovery input

The patent also suggests using ambient light to help explain changes in Oura’s scores. If sleep timing, heart rate variability or recovery suddenly shifts, the app could recognise unusual light exposure as a possible reason rather than treating the change entirely as a physiological problem.

Oura also covers UV exposure, skin-related insights and estimates linked to vitamin D production. Those ideas look less straightforward because a ring cannot know exactly how much light reached the eyes or how much skin was exposed, but the filing allows data from location, weather and other sensors to fill in some of the gaps.

There is no guarantee any of this will appear in a future Oura Ring. Patent applications often cover broad ideas that never make it into a product, but this one fits Oura’s current direction unusually well.

This article originally appeared on Gadgets & Wearables, the first media outlet to report the story.

Source: USPTO

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The problem and the fix

The frustrating part was that the ring often seemed to be working. Owners could still see heart-rate information from the night, but the app would leave Sleep and Readiness blank the next morning.

In some cases, this continued for several nights. Reports on Reddit and Facebook described people charging the ring, syncing it again and trying a soft reset without bringing the missing results back. The presence of overnight heart-rate data suggested that the ring had not simply run out of power or been worn incorrectly.

That lines up with Oura’s own description. The company says Ring 4 and Ring 5 could collect enough information to recognise a sleep session, yet fail to display it in the iPhone app.

Oura has now marked the problem as fixed and directs affected iPhone users to install app version 7.18.2. Cases connected with recent ring firmware, which could also remove Readiness information, are listed as resolved.

What to try if your data is missing

Start by updating the Oura app through Apple’s App Store. Once the update is installed, place the ring on its charger and sync it again.

If the results are still missing, Oura recommends changing the app’s location permission to either Always or Never. Close the app, reopen it and run another sync.

Some owners have found that removing the ring from the phone’s Bluetooth settings and reconnecting it restores normal tracking. This is an unofficial workaround but may be worth trying if updating and resyncing do not help.

The final step is to contact Oura support and share the ring diagnostics. Support can then check whether the device is syncing properly or whether the hardware needs further attention.

The fix follows a larger Oura rollout

The correction arrives as Oura expands its software across several ring generations. In our previous Oura update article, we covered Ring 5 features moving to older models alongside live activity tracking, lab uploads and additional health tools.

Those additions are less useful when the underlying overnight record is incomplete. Sleep and Readiness remain central to the Oura experience, so losing an entire night has a noticeable effect on the following day’s guidance.

Ring 4 and Ring 5 owners using an iPhone should check that the Oura app has reached version 7.18.2. Anyone who continues to see gaps after updating, checking location access and resyncing the ring should contact Oura support.

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When we covered the campaign in May, the appeal was clear. The Kickstarter route put Ring PRO at $299 for early backers, well below the $479 store bundle, although it came with the smaller Mini Charger rather than the fuller PRO Charging Case.

But production appears to have hit a few snags. Ultrahuman’s own store also now shows Ring PRO shipping from mid August, so it is not a Kickstarter-only delay.

What the update actually says

The latest message, sent to backers as Project Update number four, thanks people for their continued support and lays out the new timeline in plain terms. Shipments are now expected to begin from August 10th.

Ultrahuman frames the slip as a quality control issue rather than a supply problem. The update says the company is taking extra care as it scales production. Each ring is being individually finished and checked before it leaves the line, and this process is taking longer than planned.

It closes with a note that the backer survey used to collect shipping details has already gone out. Anyone who has not received it is asked to get in touch directly.

Worth remembering before getting too frustrated

Crowded projects often run into delays. Everyone would probably agree, it is better than rushing out a smart ring with charging issues, sensor problems or inconsistent battery life.

And none of this means the ring will not arrive. Ultrahuman has shipped Kickstarter hardware before with the original Ring and Ring Air. The company’s language around quality checks during scaling is a common explanation in wearable manufacturing. Titanium unibody builds with a cut away safety feature like ProRelease are not the easiest components to mass produce quickly without defects.

But, while a single delay is easy enough to shrug off, once the shipping date moves more than once – backers are naturally going to start comparing notes. Predictably, the community reacted swiftly to this latest postponement on social media platforms like Reddit, expressing frustration.

We still don’t doubt the Ring PRO will ship soon, especially now that both Kickstarter and the regular store point to August. For now, anyone still waiting should keep an eye on their inbox for the backer survey, as that looks like the next step before orders actually start moving.

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When Oura Ring 5 launched in May, the interesting bit was not only the new hardware. Oura also said a chunk of the new software would come to older devices. Well, they stayed true to their word.

Health, workouts and finding your ring

Health Radar is probably the feature many users will notice first. It looks for shifts in background health signals, including nighttime breathing changes and other cardiovascular patterns, then sends proactive notifications when something changes.

Live Activity Tracking pushes Oura a little further into workout territory. Users can see real-time stats such as pace, distance and heart rate, which makes the ring feel less like a sleep-first device that only tidies up exercise data afterwards.

Locate is more practical, and probably overdue. It can show the last known location of a misplaced ring or charging case on a map, and it also uses Bluetooth search to help track down a nearby device.

GLP-1 Insights is more specialised, but it shows where Oura is heading. Users can log dosing, track symptoms, monitor weight and follow progress over time, while people not using GLP-1 medication can still track related progress manually.

Oura Labs gets a bigger role

The update also expands Oura’s health data ambitions. Lab Uploads will let users upload PDF lab results and view them next to sleep, stress and activity data, with rollout beginning in early July.

Connected Care is coming through Oura Labs, powered by Counsel Health, and is available in 43 US states. The idea is to move from ring insights to licensed physician care without forcing users to leave the Oura experience.

Health Records goes in the same direction. It brings historical allergies, conditions, medications and procedures into the Oura app, while Oura Advisor can use that extra context alongside daily biometrics.

Brain Health Check-In is another Labs feature. It adds cognitive tasks and surveys in the app, with an option to securely share selected data to support brain health research.

Older rings just became harder to dismiss

That rollout has now started. According to the update notice shared with users, the new features are arriving for both Oura Ring Gen 3 and Gen 4 owners.

That is good news for existing users. Smart rings live or die on the software layer, and this update gives older Oura hardware a more current feel without asking owners to buy another ring straight away.

This does not make Gen 3 or Gen 4 identical to Ring 5. Hardware still counts, especially if Oura’s newer sensors and smaller design prove better over time. But existing users now have less reason to upgrade to the Gen 5 device.

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The confirmation came from Samsung’s head of digital health, Dr Hon Pak, who told Forbes: “We are working on the next generation.”

Samsung stopped short of calling it the Galaxy Ring 2. But that is almost certainly what the device will become. It is the first official confirmation that a successor is on the way.

Expect evolution, not a complete redesign

Samsung is already pumping the brakes if you are hoping for a totally wild rethink of the smart ring. Pak basically admitted there is only so much you can actually change with the hardware since all these little devices use pretty much the exact same sensors. That means we are looking at basic, incremental upgrades like slightly better tracking accuracy and a bit more battery life rather than a massive overhaul.

It appears, the real push will be going into software, AI, and the whole health platform. This just proves the ring is meant to be a tiny piece of a bigger connected puzzle instead of a standalone gadget. If you want to get the absolute most out of it, you will pretty much need to pair it up with a Galaxy Watch and a Samsung phone anyway.

iPhone support may finally happen

One interesting development concerns iPhone compatibility. While Pak did not completely spill the beans on iOS support, he dropped some hints that Samsung has some news cooking that iPhone fans are going to love. If they actually make that move, it will kill off a big annoyance of the current ring, which completely locks out anyone without an Android phone.

On the minus side – Samsung refused to rule out introducing a subscription in the future. Nothing has been decided yet, but the company is clearly keeping that option open as it expands its health services.

Legal issues and launch timing remain question marks

Just because Samsung finally admitted a sequel is coming doesn’t mean we will see it anytime soon. They are still totally bogged down in that messy patent fight with Oura, something we discussed in our previous coverage. That whole legal headache is bound to mess with both their timing and launch strategy.

Predicting an exact arrival date is pure guesswork right now. We see absolutely zero reliable leaks or regulatory filings. Even the usual factory floor gossip is completely silent. This situation aligns with reports from ET News claiming a launch this year is a total pipe dream, pushing the real target to early 2027.

The Galaxy Ring 2 is definitely happening, but Samsung is changing its playbook. They are stepping away from chasing major hardware upgrades. Instead, the focus shifts to building a much tighter health platform around the device. We will be waiting a while for this one.