Two devices, one place
Can I use Oura and Apple Watch together?
Updated · 2 min read
- Steps
- Cardio
- Heart
- Sleep
Short answer
Yes. Both write to Apple Health on your iPhone, and Health uses the top-ranked source for each kind of data. Rank the device you trust first in each list.
Many people wear both, and Apple Health on the iPhone is where the two meet. The work is deciding which device Health should trust for each kind of data.
Steps
- Turn on Oura's Apple Health sharing: in the Oura app, tap the menu icon in the upper-left of the home screen, then tap Settings then Apple Health and turn on Connect to Health.
Step 1
In the Oura app
- Settings
- Apple Health
- Choose how you'll wear them. You can wear both all the time, or wear the watch by day and the ring around the clock, so sleep is still recorded on nights the watch is charging. Apple asks for at least 30% charge before bed if you use Track Sleep with Apple Watch.
- Set the order for steps: open the Health app, tap Browse then Activity then Steps, scroll down and tap Data Sources & Access. Tap Edit, touch and hold the handle next to a source, drag your preferred source to the top, then tap Done.
Step 3
In the Health app
- Browse
- Activity
- Steps
- Repeat step 3 for Sleep, Heart Rate and Active Energy, ranking the device you trust for each one.
- Start each workout on one device only. If you don't want Oura's workouts in Health, open the Health app, tap your profile picture, then under Privacy tap Apps then Oura and turn off Workouts.
Step 5
In the Health app
- Apps
- Oura
If it still doesn't work
- A new source jumped to the top
Apple adds new apps and devices at the top of the list automatically, above your iPhone. Recheck the order after adding Oura or reinstalling it.
- Turn off a source for one data type
On the Data Sources & Access screen, tap Edit, then tap the checkmark next to a third-party app such as Oura to stop Health using it for that type.
- Oura data on the watch is old
Open the Oura app on your iPhone so the ring syncs; the watch app only shows what the phone already has.
Why this happens
Both devices write overlapping data to Health. Oura writes active energy, heart rate, sleep with stages, steps and workouts, among others. Apple Watch saves its fitness data and heart rate to Health, and sleep when Track Sleep with Apple Watch is on. Health then picks between sources using the ranked list, so the order you set decides which numbers you see.
Questions
Does the Oura app on Apple Watch connect to the ring?
No. Oura says its Apple Watch app is a companion to the iPhone app and does not pair to the ring directly. Data reaches the watch after the ring syncs to your phone, and it does not update in real time.
Will Apple Health add Oura steps and Apple Watch steps together?
Health ranks the sources for each data type, and the source at the top takes priority over the others. Oura's own help page suggests reordering steps sources if you see double counting.
Why do Oura and Apple Watch show different step counts?
They measure in different places and ways. In one week of wearing both, a Tom's Guide reviewer saw the Apple Watch record more steps than the ring every day.
Sources
- 1Manage Health data on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 2Apple Health Integration, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 3Apple Watch Complications & Companion App, Oura Helpsupport.ouraring.com (opens in a new tab)
- 4Track your sleep on Apple Watch and use Sleep on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 5Monitor your heart rate with Apple Watch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 6I wore my Oura Ring vs Apple Watch 10 to track my steps for a week, Tom's Guidetomsguide.com (opens in a new tab)