Why Is My Oura Ring Battery Life Going Down For Some Users?

There are reports from owners of the latest Oura Ring that the battery is running down faster than it ought to, with some people getting only a couple of days between charges. Most members still get multiple days of runtime, and software tweaks and support interventions are in progress to help outliers, the company says. Here’s what is likely behind the drop — and how Oura is reacting.

What Oura Ring Users Are Seeing With Faster Battery Drain

On the r/ouraring forum, users have opened long threads on charge cycles that used to last about a workweek but now fail every other day. At least some owners also report that battery warnings are now coming up earlier, occasionally while the ring is still indicating approximately half a charge, making for more frequent recharging and the sense of reduced runtime.

That’s perhaps in part due to Oura talking up the extended battery life upon launch. Of course, in the real world of mixed use — daytime wear, nightly sleep tracking, and an occasional workout or two (or three) — some owners have reported more like two to three days rather than those upper-range estimates. Yet others reported five to eight days. The difference indicates a combination of the aging of hardware, settings, and environment.

Why Oura Ring Battery Life Diminishes As Time Goes By

All wearables rely on lithium-ion chemistry, which is degraded by both “variable aging” (a function of time spent at high or low states of charge) and “cycle aging” (charge-discharge cycles). Battery researchers and industry guides like Battery University, as well as analyses from the U.S. Department of Energy, observe that high temperatures and leaving them fully charged all the time accelerate degradation; so can deep discharging. A small battery, such as that in a smart ring, is more sensitive because it has less headroom to start with.

Seasonal swings also matter. The cold causes a reduction in the capacity of the battery pack, meaning it’s able to deliver less current, which appears as reduced runtime until the device is brought back up to room/body temperature. On the other hand, heat — say from hot yoga or long sauna sessions — can permanently age a cell far faster, even if the ring itself is still within its operating range.

Ring size matters as well. Smaller sizes contain smaller cells and therefore fewer milliamp-hours on tap. Two users with the same habits can experience different results, all because one ring holds a titch more energy by design.

Features Pulverizing Battery Life Ever So Quietly

The value of Oura is in always-on sensing and many syncs, but those conveniences consume power. Also, enabling overnight blood oxygen measurements and frequent daytime heart rate checks, or live heart rate during workouts, will increase sampling and processor activity. Algorithms that convert temperature variations and stress signals to vibration also rouse sensors more frequently.

Connectivity matters. If your phone falls out of range a lot — or if Bluetooth is finicky — the ring will spend more time advertising and trying to reconnect. Shorter advertising intervals, according to Bluetooth SIG documentation, also increase responsiveness and thus power demand; noisier connections can help pull firmware decisions toward more aggressive radio use.

And last but not least, software can alter the perception of battery life. A recent movement toward more proactive low-battery warnings and “estimated time-to-empty,” plus earlier “charge soon” indicators, has translated to fewer overnight shutdowns — but also nudged users who tend toward compliant behavior to recharge sooner than necessary on a percentage basis.

What Oura Is Doing About Battery Drain Complaints

Most users are still getting about five to eight days on a charge, although the company is rolling out software updates in an effort to address battery aging and overall power use, according to an Oura spokesperson. According to Oura, it deals with battery complaints on a case-by-case basis via customer support, which may include troubleshooting and, when appropriate, replacement rings.

The company’s social care team has been addressing members in public forums, redirecting them to support for diagnostics. In the background, firmware can adjust state-of-charge estimates and sensor duty cycles. Small adjustments — syncing less often, say, or sampling sleep periods within their monitoring windows — can gain back meaningful hours without killing core functionalities.

How to Stretch Your Oura Ring Battery Life Right Now

Ease off power-sucking features that you don’t use daily, and manage connectivity to avoid unnecessary drain.

• Turn off overnight SpO2 tracking if you’re not concerned about sleep-related breathing issues.
• Sample heart rate less frequently during the day.
• Use live heart rate only during workouts.
• If you frequently leave your phone behind, switch to airplane mode when Bluetooth is out of range and reactivate it later to sync.

Charge smarter to protect the cell and maintain calibration.

• Avoid leaving the ring at 100% for long periods; top it up before bed or during a shower instead of parking it on the charger.
• Keep the ring out of extreme heat, clean the charging pins, and ensure your app and firmware are up to date.
• If your ring drops rapidly from around 30% to shutdown, it’s time to contact support to check for a possible calibration problem or early cell degradation.

The Bigger Picture for Smart Rings and Battery Life

Mini wearables are cramming in more sensors and heavier algorithms with little more by way of battery. Consumer Reports and academic studies on wearables note that real-world battery life can differ significantly depending on how the device is used, its size, and changes to its software over time. Compared to watches, rings’ capacities are much smaller and susceptible to additional features and environmental variations.

For Oura owners, that means being aware of settings, ensuring your device is updated, and relying on help if performance plummets. For Oura, this means continuing to fine-tune the firmware and swap out units that don’t measure up. By making better power management and selective replacements, there’s a chance to close the gap between headline battery life and what people really experience during an average day.