Samsung has officially confirmed that the Galaxy Ring 2 is in development and, in a more surprising move, hinted that the next generation of its smart ring will work with the iPhone. The disclosure, made during a series of press briefings this week, marks the first time Samsung has publicly committed to cross-platform support for a flagship wearable and is the most direct shot Samsung has taken at the Apple Watch ecosystem in years.
For consumers, the Galaxy Ring 2 iOS support is a meaningful shift. Smart rings have traditionally been locked to either Android or iOS, and the major players have used that lock-in to protect their respective health and fitness ecosystems. A Samsung ring that works natively with both platforms puts real pressure on Apple to open up the Watch to cross-platform users, and on Oura to defend its premium smart-ring position.
What Samsung Is Actually Announcing
The confirmation came in two parts. The first is a straightforward product announcement: a successor to the original Galaxy Ring, with a refined sensor array, longer battery life, and tighter integration with Samsung Health. That part of the news is unsurprising. Samsung shipped the first Galaxy Ring in 2024, and a second-generation follow-up was always on the roadmap.
The second part is the headline. Samsung executives confirmed that the Galaxy Ring 2 is being designed to pair with iPhones, in addition to Samsung Galaxy phones and other Android devices. The official app will live in both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store, and the full feature set, including sleep tracking, heart rate monitoring, and the new ovulation-tracking capability, will be available to iPhone users.
Why This Is a Bigger Deal Than It Sounds
- Samsung has historically reserved its best wearable experiences for Galaxy phone owners
- Apple has never allowed third-party smart rings to access the full Apple Health stack
- Oura dominates the premium smart-ring category, with the Oura Ring 4 selling at $300+ and a subscription attached
- Cross-platform support removes the single biggest friction point for iPhone owners considering a smart ring
The Strategic Logic for Samsung
Samsung is the world’s largest smartphone maker by shipment volume, but its share of the premium tier remains much smaller than Apple’s. By making the Galaxy Ring 2 compatible with the iPhone, Samsung is not just expanding its addressable market. It is also positioning itself as the wearable vendor of choice for iPhone owners who want a smart ring without paying the Oura premium.
There is also a defensive read. The smart ring category is the fastest-growing slice of the wearables market, and Apple’s rumored internal smart-ring project has been the subject of speculation for two years. If Apple ships a ring, the only credible competitor is Samsung. Building iOS support into the Galaxy Ring 2 from day one is the cheapest insurance Samsung can buy against that scenario.
“The smart ring category is the one place where Apple has not yet drawn a moat. Samsung is moving now to make sure it stays that way.”
What It Means for Apple
For Apple, the Galaxy Ring 2 with iOS support is a slow-burn competitive threat. The Apple Watch remains the dominant smartwatch, and the iPhone remains the most locked-down mobile platform in the world. But the smart ring is a category Apple does not yet sell into, and the iPhone users who want a smart ring have been forced to either choose Oura, accept a sub-par experience from a smaller vendor, or skip the category entirely.
Opening the iPhone’s HealthKit to a high-quality Samsung ring would change that calculation, but Apple has shown no public appetite to do so. The likelier outcome is that Apple ships its own smart ring, probably in 2027, and uses HealthKit lock-in to keep iPhone users inside the Apple ecosystem. In the meantime, Samsung has a free run at the cross-platform smart-ring customer.
The Oura Question
Oura has been the smart-ring category leader for years, with a polished app, a strong brand, and a deep database of sleep and recovery metrics. The Galaxy Ring 2 with iOS support is the first credible threat to that position, especially at the price point Samsung is likely to target. If Samsung can land the Galaxy Ring 2 at $280 to $320, with no subscription required, the Oura value proposition becomes harder to defend.
Oura’s response is likely to be a more aggressive hardware refresh and a more open approach to data export. The company has spent the last 18 months building a B2B business around its data platform, and a hardware price war with Samsung would force it to lean further into that direction.
What Consumers Should Watch
The Galaxy Ring 2 is expected to launch in the second half of this year, alongside the next generation of Samsung’s foldable phones. iPhone compatibility will likely be available at launch, with the iOS app arriving in the App Store the same day. Pricing, battery life, and the specific feature set for iPhone users are the three details that will determine whether Samsung’s bet pays off.
For now, the message is clear. The smart ring is no longer an Android-only or iOS-only category, and Samsung’s commitment to iOS support with the Galaxy Ring 2 is the first signal that the next phase of the wearables market will be cross-platform by default. That is good news for consumers, and a meaningful new chapter in the long-running Apple-Samsung rivalry.