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Does the Oura Ring track steps?

Oura Ring Horizon sitting upright on a wood railing.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

The Oura Ring is a sleek and stylish wearable device that has gained popularity based on its advanced sleep-monitoring features. It provides users with detailed insights into their sleep patterns, including the duration of each sleep stage, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate. It also tracks other key health metrics, such as body temperature and activity levels.

However, the question remains: Can the Oura Ring track fitness metrics such as step counting? It’s time to find out.

Does the Oura Ring track steps?

The simple answer is this: Yes, it does! The Oura Ring tracks steps. Similar to smartwatches like the Google Pixel Watch 2 and Apple Watch Series 9, the Oura Ring can track your steps just like any other fitness tracker. This feature allows you to gauge the distance you’ve traveled and the calories you’ve burned daily.

How to track steps with the Oura Ring

It’s important to note that activity tracking is not the primary focus of the Oura Ring. Therefore, it doesn’t measure steps in the traditional sense. Instead, it relies on its built-in 3D accelerometer to track your body movement throughout the day and estimate your step count.

To find your ste- tracking information via your smartphone on the Oura app for iPhone or Android, do the following:

  • Open the Oura app on your phone.
  •  Tap on the Activity tab
  • Here, you can see a snapshot of of how far you’ve walked and how many steps you’ve taken.
  • Choose Steps to see a history of your step tracking.
  • Choose Walking Equivalency to see the history of your distance walked.
Screenshots showing activity tracking on the Oura app on iPhone.
Bryan M. Wolfe / Digital Trends

According to Oura, the walking equivalency metric does not indicate the exact distance you have traveled, but rather, it reflects the equivalent walking distance of all your daily activities. Also, engaging in higher-intensity activities like jogging increases your daily walking distance more than low-intensity activities, such as casual walking, even if the distance covered is the same.

If you’re looking for a more precise way to track your steps, consider buying a smartwatch. The best smartwatches available today offer more advanced tools for step tracking than the current Oura Ring. For instance, the Apple Watch Series 9 has GPS, an accelerometer, and a gyroscope to track arm movements and body position during exercise.

The Oura Ring’s long list of features makes it a popular choice for anyone who wants to track things like sleep, mental health, heart rate, and more.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
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