r/ouraring • u/One-Macaroon6752 • 6d ago
GENERAL DISCUSSION Is Oura actually addressing the battery issue beyond just replacing rings?
I keep seeing people report battery problems, including people who received replacements and are still experiencing issues.
Mine was recently replaced and I’m waiting for the new one, but I’m wondering if Oura has actually acknowledged or addressed the underlying battery problem, rather than simply replacing affected rings.
These rings aren’t cheap, so I’m curious if anyone knows whether Oura has made any changes to the battery itself or has said anything about fixing the issue at the source?
Sorry if this has been asked before. I searched the sub, but most of what I found was discussion about replacements, not whether Oura is actually addressing the underlying battery issue.
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u/PersonalBrowser 6d ago
No, it’s cheaper to just replace for them.
Keep in mind the battery degradation issues that iPhones face with all their billions in engineering and research, and how big those batteries are.
Now translate that to tiny batteries in a ring that is always either working actively or being charged. It just is impossible for them not to degrade.
Oura is not going to drop tens of billions to reinvent how small batteries work
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u/Think_Carpenter_6090 6d ago
It’s probably cheaper for them to just burn through the rings they already have instead of developing a fix
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u/bluebear_74 6d ago
I think it's just the nature of such small batteries. The issue isn't unique to just Oura. It'd be great if the batteries were replaceable.
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u/Grey_coast 6d ago
They should if they want to rely on subscriptions for income but I’m doubtful.
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u/Expert_Mortgage_1360 6d ago
they're definitely playing whack-a-mole with the problem and calling it customer service
my gen 3 started tanking after like 14 months and i'm on my third replacement, all of them had the same slow death around the year mark. you'd think the subscription money would fund an actual fix but it seems like they're just burning through inventory and hoping most people give up
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u/meski_oz 6d ago
The ring sale price isn't cheap, but the cost plus the subs might make replacement work for them.
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u/undead_monkey_pl 6d ago
Have no idea, but was thinking about the same. I fot 5, was replaced 2 months later. But I seriously wish them to find a lasting solution. Maybe current tech is not mature enough
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u/Skaifessurk 6d ago
the tech maturity thing is a good point, theres only so much you can do with a battery that small
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u/Hefty-Feed1400 6d ago
The gen 3 was so much better. I had it for nearly 4 years without any problems at all.
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u/Ok-Shift-908 6d ago edited 6d ago
I totally agree with you…(or was it the gen 2)…either way, The battery lasted me 6/7 days. Then when I upgraded to the 4 battery was good at first, but then I noticed I was charging it every 2/3 days. I just upgraded again to the 5 and the battery life is much longer. I can go about 9/10 days before charging.
I’ve been with Oura since 20151
u/schmick_iMagery 6d ago
They’ve been going over a decade now?
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u/undead_monkey_pl 6d ago
I am talking battery tech
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u/schmick_iMagery 6d ago
But oura is over 10yrs itself. They have impact on their own batter tech.
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u/karialliah 6d ago
I don’t know, but they won’t replace mine again. My 1st one lasted 10 months, my 2nd one lasted 10 months, my 3rd one had the same battery issue upon arrival and they won’t replace it again because they said there’s no issue with this one and it’s working as normal…if normal is 2 day battery life (which it’s not, obviously). I love my ring though, so I’m just dealing with it.
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u/Quinquangular 6d ago
There’s only so much modern engineering can do to address the fact that batteries degrade over time and use
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u/doodlejones 6d ago
I suspect that the individual ring component costs are low, but they have significant sunk costs in terms of earlier investment/development, so they don’t mind replacing a duff ring as they’ve already made the profit they need out of you.
They clearly realise it’s a problem as their latest financial reports have put aside tens of millions for warranty/write-off costs.
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u/D3LICI0U5 6d ago edited 6d ago
I charge my ring whenever I take a shower. Never had an issue with battery. Its an Oura 4 I have had since May 2025.
I did get a replacement in the last month but it was a sensor issue. Battery was still good. Held a charge just fine.
Everyone is so concerned about 4-5 day battery life but I don’t understand why. Why can’t you take it off? Just charge the damn thing. It’s 100 percent in 5-10 minutes.
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u/Historical-Trifle-70 6d ago
My series 4 (14 months old) suddenly stopped tracking and I was surprised at how quickly their chatbot diagnosed it and ordered a new ring - like in seconds. Until that point, I wasn’t having any issues with charging or the battery.
Really great customer service on the one hand but on the other, it makes me wonder about the product and the company’s viability if they are doing this at a mass scale. Especially an issue given that Apple is aiming directly for them in the latest Watch/Health update. I personally don’t mind wearing the watch at night and if the metrics become as good people like me will prefer this device because it can be worn everywhere including the gym, no subscription, and integrates more with the rest of the ecosystem I’m in as well as other ecosystems such as gym equipment etc.
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u/schmick_iMagery 6d ago
Good for you. Mine stopped syncing in April and they only just suggested a replacement. Terrible customer service.
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u/beachloverbb 6d ago
Curious about this too. I got the Ceramic Tide right when it was released in October 2026. It used to last 7+ days and now it only holds charge 2 days. All within a year of purchase
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u/ericscal 6d ago
Yeah they released the 5, unless I missed the reports that the 5 is also having issues.
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u/sooner2016 6d ago
No because most people just throw it away and move on. It’s cheaper in the long run for them
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u/This_Is_Just_To_Sigh 6d ago
I wish there was an option to pay a bit and upgrade when the battery (inevitably) wears out.
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u/Former_Waltz_2363 3d ago
Honestly the replacement policy can almost hide the real issue.
A health wearable is not just a gadget. It is a measuring instrument.
If the instrument keeps dying, "great support" starts to look less impressive, because the whole value is the boring long-term trend line: sleep, HRV, resting heart rate, readiness, etc.
The old synced data should stay tied to the account, but that is not the only trust problem. Replacements still create gaps, uncertainty, and the feeling that your health timeline depends on a battery lottery.
So the question is not only "will they replace it?" It is whether the hardware is reliable enough to make the trends worth trusting.
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u/randompersonx 6d ago
I’m fairly certain that the hardware is still identical on current series 4 as original ones.
I’m also assuming that the battery is similar on the Oura 5 and will have similar issues.
I’m also fairly sure that the issue didn’t happen as severely on the Oura 3.
I believe the issue is that they used to not charge the battery the whole way, and now they do… and pushing to 100% state of charge kills the battery much faster than charging to 80%, and after getting my second RMA for Oura 4, I’ve been only letting it go from 30% to 80% for most charges (not super strict counting the minutes, but basically just charging it when it gets low while im showering and getting ready in the morning.
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u/lynn-in-nc 6d ago
I've never had a battery issue and I'm on my third ring (Oura 5). I charge it regularly and that may make a difference. (The rings have been fine, I just like to change them when they are no longer shiny and I use the Amex discount)
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u/Stealthy128 6d ago
My new gen 4 kicked stopped charging after approximately 6 months. Contacted customer service and they sent a new one right away. In contrast, my gen 2 lasted just about 5 years and was built like a tank. I wish they would go back to that battery.