Two smart ring brands will no longer be available to US shoppers (Update: Statement)

Update: August 25, 2025 (12:42 PM ET): Ultrahuman has offered a response to the ITC ruling. The company says the RING AIR continues to be on sale until the cease and desist takes effect. The product will also remain at retailers beyond October 21. Additionally, its software and charging accessories will remain available as well.

Ultrahuman also tells Android Authority that it is fast-tracking a newly designed smart ring. You can read the full statement below:

We welcome the ITC’s recognition of consumer-protective exemptions and its rejection of attempts to block the access of U.S. consumers. Customers can continue purchasing and importing Ring AIR directly from us through October 21, 2025, and at retailers beyond this date.

 

What’s more, our software application and charging accessories remain fully available, after the Commission rejected Oura’s request to restrict them.

 

While we respectfully disagree with the Commission’s ruling on U.S. Patent No. 11,868,178, its validity is already under review by the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) on the grounds of obviousness.

 

Public reporting has raised questions about Oura’s business practices, and its reliance on litigation to limit competition.

 

We are moving forward with confidence — doubling down on compliance while accelerating development of a next-generation ring built on a fundamentally new architecture. As many observers recognize, restricting competition risks fewer choices, higher prices, and slower innovation.

 

Ultrahuman remains energized by the road ahead, committed to championing consumer choice and pushing the frontier of health technology.

Original article: August 22, 2025 (8:13 PM ET): The smart ring market in the US just got leaner. Today, Oura, maker of the Oura Ring, won a decisive legal battle that blocks two of its biggest rivals, Ultrahuman and RingConn, from selling their devices stateside. The International Trade Commission (ITC) found both companies infringed on Oura’s patents and hit them with exclusion and cease-and-desist orders.

Oura already leads the US smart ring market by a wide margin. The company has shipped more than 2.5 million devices globally and remains the most recognizable brand in the category. Ultrahuman and RingConn have recently offered some competition, appealing to buyers with lower prices and different hardware designs. We even dubbed the RingConn Gen Air 2 the best budget smart ring available and a worthwhile challenge to the Oura Ring. With the ITC ruling, the market’s variety disappears overnight.

With Ultrahuman and RingConn sidelined, US buyers now have even fewer options. Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy Ring adds weight to the category, but Oura’s victory means smaller startups will face an uphill battle trying to carve out space in the US. Patent disputes are nothing new in consumer tech, but they carry real consequences. For shoppers, it means fewer choices, less price competition, and potentially slower innovation. For Oura, it’s a chance to hold onto its dominant position while Samsung and others try to catch up.

The ITC ruling clears the field a bit for Oura in the US. Shoppers interested in a smart ring will find fewer brands on the market, at least for the immediate future. For consumers who value competition and variety, that’s a loss. For Oura, it’s a decisive win that strengthens its grip on the space it helped create.