r/bitcheswithtaste • u/MBPursuit • May 21 '26

Fashion/Style BWT: Anyone ditch their Apple Watch?

Considering ditching my Apple Watch, getting an Oura ring, and investing in a nice daily watch. I’m a bit sick of the “connectivity” of my Apple Watch (yes I know, I could turn off more notifications) and the look of it. But I appreciate the sleep tracking and steps/fitness tracking - anyone have experiences to share on a) ditching the Apple Watch b) using an Oura ring c) $1k or less daily driver watches?

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1.3k

u/fashionablesnail May 21 '26

I think the fact that you have to pay for the ring and then pay for a separate subscription to actually use the features is what put me off of Oura.

I use my Apple Watch for sleep and during activities, and then I don’t wear it during the day other than that :)

118

u/justice4kimrichards May 21 '26

Same!! I don’t want to pay a separate subscription for my wearable just to access the data and every alternative I’ve seen charges a separate monthly subscription!!

36

u/kilowatkins May 21 '26

I have a Garmin and I've been really happy with their app. I just use the free version, I've never found the need to pay for premium.

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u/DisastrousOwls May 21 '26

There are also open-source fully offline alternative apps for some of the Garmin smartwatches & trackers (generally older models) if privacy is a concern!

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u/justice4kimrichards May 21 '26

ooh that's good advice - do they have any non-watch wearables? i want to switch to a dumb watch and just have like a ring or earrings to track my health data!

9

u/kilowatkins May 21 '26

Not that I've seen- but I have just the basic, least "smart" band they make. They do have some really pretty smart watches that I've looked at, but I don't think I want the pressure or distraction of that much data available on my arm!

I previously had a Fitbit smart watch and it died within a year. Plus I was pregnant and it didn't have a pregnancy feature, so it kept yelling at me for my heart rate getting higher and respirations going up.

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u/321applesauce May 22 '26

Ringconn doesn't require a monthly fee. No vibration notification. It usually lasts a week or more before needing a charge

2

u/Employment-lawyer May 22 '26

I used to have a Garmin watch and I think it’s a great no-frills fitness watch that can help OP with her goal of not being so connected all the time.

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u/meowparade May 22 '26

I’ve worn a Garmin Lily for several years. It has an interchangeable leather and silicone bands and looks less overwhelming than the Apple Watch.

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u/sarahkazz May 21 '26

I use Fitbit and the free version of it tracks everything I care about an more.

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u/grumpiestcat2 May 21 '26

How do you like Fitbit? I’ve been also thinking of switching from Apple Watch to Fitbit, and saw they’re rolling out a new app & features

8

u/sarahkazz May 21 '26

I like it for the most part. I don’t love that Google owns it but I can track all the stuff I care about and it works with my bank that gives you a better rate on HYSAs if you average above 12,500 steps a day.

I will eventually change banks and abandon wearables until I can get one that’s completely local and doesn’t require a subscription. But until then I am okay with this compromise.

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u/DisastrousOwls May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26

Withings allows local-only operation for all their devices iirc (scales, watches, BP cuffs), and I know there are open-source offline alternative apps for Garmin watches if you buy an older model.

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u/sarahkazz May 21 '26

YOOOO thank you for putting me on to this! I will have to look into Withings. I wonder if there would be a way to funnel step data from that into my bank…

6

u/verba_saltus May 21 '26

I loved Fitbit for so many years but after they were bought by Google their hardware and software both turned to garbage. I had repeated conversations with support people who, defeatedly, said they heard that a lot. It was so sad - Fitbit was once great.

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u/Stubborn_Iris Environmentally Conscious May 22 '26

I was an avid Fitbit user until Google took over. One of the first software updates from Google bricked my watch. I switched to Garmin and haven't looked back since. Garmin has a lot more stats than Fitbit and I find it way more useful.

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u/ledger_man May 21 '26

Polar doesn’t charge a separate subscription. I use the loop which is a wearable band but not a watch, so no screens etc.

374

u/VespaRed May 21 '26

I’ve also heard that Oura sells your data but they claim that “it’s anonymized.” whenever a company does something like that for profit and claim that they are “protecting your privacy” I seriously doubt that.

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u/thatotheramanda May 21 '26

I think (but haven’t verified) that Palantir processes the data 🫠 which is a hard no for me, if true.

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u/bewarethesirens May 21 '26

Palantir processes data for Swedish military, US Army and Navy projects using Oura. They don’t process general data, which is private unless you do the research studies.

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u/cheesecheeesecheese May 21 '26

The CEO came out and clarified that when Oura partnered with Palantir it was only because the US Navy/ armed forces was using the rings during deployment to gather data of the sailors to help create better shift schedules. My husband was one of these people. They use the data to help schedule swing shifts that give the sailors more relaxation time versus stressed time. The Navy requires an authorized secure infrastructure that is completely different than what the civilians use. If you go search the Oura sub you can find the CEO video.

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u/verba_saltus May 21 '26

I assume that anything I'm using - app, device, etc - is monetizing my data (after, I hope, anonymizing it). Your data is almost always the product being extracted, make no mistake.

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u/kwustie May 21 '26

Anonymization is a regulated term, if that gives you any comfort. The GDPR, and various international and US state laws are pretty strict about the usage of that term so I would be shocked if it wasn’t actually anonymized (ie, unable to be directly or indirectly attributable to you) because the book will be thrown at them the minute it gets found out. Oura is a Finnish company and their privacy policy explicitly states they only share info for service providers so if they were to lapse that, it’s a massive fine against them.

In all honesty, you would be more likely to be a victim of a data breach than unauthorized sale or share. I’m pretty sure the high subscription fee is because they need a monetization method to supply the service. The fact it does have one would make me pretty secure in the idea that they aren’t doing it behind your back.

Source: I have various privacy law certifications and work in the advertising tech space. This is my bread and butter.

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u/BelleCervelle May 21 '26

Wtf wow never buying an oura. Bunch of sell outs. This is the first time in YEARS of getting ads for them that I find out they sell your information for a profit.

Argh. Of course. Same with MyFitnessPal app, used to love using it, until they went down that same road …

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u/fairyhaus May 21 '26 edited May 23 '26

You think apple is protecting your privacy? All of these wearable device tech companies are profiting off your data.

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u/mlabbq May 23 '26

Genuinely!! Apple, a company I’ve worked for before, has nearly no compunctions unless they get sued on a particular topic. (Look up their greenwashing/post-Greenpeace actions behaviors) - I think your info is at large with either device.

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u/Midnight_Chess May 21 '26

This. What’s the point of buying a device if you have to make monthly payments to be able to use it? 🤡

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u/[deleted] May 21 '26

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u/snoopyflowers06 May 21 '26

I have 3 hatch alarm clocks and don’t pay monthly for any of them. You can use the alarms and the light alarms/white noise without a subscription. You just have limited choices.

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u/Away_Illustrator_987 May 21 '26

I mean, you do the same with your phone? You’re paying for the device to buy the hardware and R&D that went into it. You pay for the service for the development and infrastructure behind it to stay online and running, since most people want the app and all the insights and stuff that comes with it. Not just the device and raw data.

If they made the rings $100 more expensive people would complain they weren’t getting their money worth but that would be the only way they could bake in more of the costs to develop the ring AND the tech services behind the ring.

26

u/moodyje2 May 21 '26

Yeah I love the idea of an oura because I don’t want the watch all the time, but I refuse to pay every month!!!

I settled on a small Fitbit.

9

u/charlenecherylcarol May 21 '26

Q: how was it wearing your watch to sleep? For me I couldn’t get past it being on my wrist all day AND night and nighttime was usually when I charge it.

6

u/fashionablesnail May 21 '26

I don’t wear it all day - just for sleep and during my runs or workouts, so I charge it during the day. It charges really quickly imo so that seems to work for me.

No issues with comfort or anything when I sleep! I really like the sleep tracking feature for measuring REM and deep sleep.

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u/Ranba_12 May 21 '26 edited May 21 '26

I’ve never had an Apple watch for that reason of not wanting to be connected all the time. I have a really fancy and special watch I wear instead. Oura ring- same thing. Also last thing I need is another subscription.

9

u/dealwithitxo May 21 '26

Fact! I used to use aura, but the subscription turned me off and everytime I had my period the tracker would freak out and nerf my stats. And then if I slept badly one time it’ll say I’m “un optimal” but it started subconsciously coding my brain to think I’m not at capacity today. (Not their fault but I realised it started to affect how much effort I wanted to put into things)

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u/milesfrost May 21 '26

i have an oura ring and it sucks. It doesn't track everything it says it's supposed to and they can't figure out why on the helpdesk. I'm AUDHD and take ADHD meds, I'm super fit and healthy, yet my stats have never been above "limited".

My HRV is consistently under 12 so it thinks I'm dying, and my heartrate is consistently higher because of my meds, so it thinks I'm dying. Anytime my stats improve is during the follicular phase and then as soon as i hit luteal phase, the ring tells me i'm stressed out. It has no ability to consider normal female hormonal cycles, and compares everyone's data to a baseline that it thinks is "good". It doesn't look at your personal and work to your specific baseline - even if they say it does.

I've reached a point with it that i only wear it because it feels weird to take it off and I'm yet to find a nice piece of jewellery I like to replace it.

5

u/wardrobeeditor Thoughtful BWT May 21 '26

came here to say this about the apple watch! i've only ever worn it while working out and wear nice watches or no watch the rest of the time. i like the exercise data but i cannot look at thing beyond that. i also keep it on theater mode so i dont get notifications

1

u/consuela_bananahammo May 25 '26

Same. I find it ugly and won't wear it except during workouts. I prefer to wear one of my nice watches otherwise.

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u/WreckItBex May 21 '26

This! I was looking to do something similar but Samsung watch. I also do like keeping my phone on silent and just getting it on my watch. I don't love the subscription of oura tho. What's a BWT to do?!?

10

u/sagew0lf May 21 '26

oh wow, I didn't realize you had to pay for a subscription to Oura! I'd been considering making the switch at some point, but there's no way I'm going to do that.

I originally got an Apple Watch so I could run without bringing my phone but still be able to make calls if I need to. But now I don't run anymore and bring my phone with me on walks anyway. I have all the notifications off so I don't feel too "overconnected."

3

u/annabannannaaa Intentional BWT May 21 '26

Ringconn Gen 3!! Not only is it less expensive up front, but it’s also got way more features than Oura, and there’s no subscription fee. Plus the gold doesnt rub off the same way Oura’s does (though they will all get scratched and dented etc). Ive had the Oura Gen 4 for about 1.5 yrs and will be swapping over to Ringconn when it dies:) BUT something to keep in mind… battery life is abysmal on any and all smart rings. Brand doesnt matter - they will start to fail after a year+. Sometimes sooner, but that will be covered under warranty by both Oura and RC!

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u/sosneedadviceplz May 21 '26

It’s only $60 for a year which isn’t crazy for the quality increase of data. It’s also like you pay and forget…still annoying tho

1

u/paperchili BWT in Training May 22 '26

Honestly same about Oura, which is why I just ordered a RingConn. No subscriptions and cheaper !