Why is my Oura ring red? You’re not the only one, so this guide will answer all your questions!
The red glowing light on the Oura ring indicates that the band has started recording your health vitals.
The red glowing light often means that the Oura ring is working correctly and shouldn’t be a cause for concern, but it could be quite bothersome, especially if you’re attempting to sleep.
To fix the glowing red light, place the Oura ring on the charger for 5-10 seconds and then remove it. Next, update the ring’s firmware, inspect the Oura mobile application for issues, and perform a software factory restoration on the Oura smart ring.
There is much more to investigate, so let’s start!
Why is My Oura Ring Glowing Red On My Finger?
The red pulsating light on the Oura ring typically occurs horizontally or while attempting to sleep.
The ring will only display this type of infrared red light whenever the device starts tracking your blood oxygen levels to obtain crucial insights into heart and lung health.
Generally, the red light isn’t considered a functionality issue with the Oura ring, but it could be pretty bothersome, especially if you’re struggling to fall asleep.
Can the Red Oura Light Occur During the Day?
If you’re resting, Oura can start recording your vitals to produce relative health information within the application.
In fact, richly oxygenated blood levels cause the red light to be more brightly red than usual, while poor oxygenation causes the light to become less color-rich.
- Hence, if the Oura ring is glowing red light during the day, it means that your body is resting and the ring has started to record your vitals.
They will be later included on the status page of Oura.
Why is My Oura Ring Red? – 6 Easy & Quick Solutions!
Tip: Follow the instructions in consecutive order to resolve the issue!
1. Place the Ring on the Charger
A quick way to resolve the constant red flashing light on the Oura ring is to place the band on the charger and remove it.
The vital detection sensor is set to deactivate once in contact with the charger, so this is the quickest and most efficient way to prevent the Oura from blinking red.
- If you have a wireless pod for the Oura ring, place the band on the charging surface or connect a charging cable to the USB port on the ring.
After 10 seconds, remove or unplug the Oura ring from the charging equipment and determine if the red glowing light is still there.
Why is Oura Ring Not Charging?
If the red glowing light isn’t going away, there’s a chance that the Oura ring isn’t charging from the equipment.
There could be multiple causes for charging issues with the Oura ring, including obstructions on the charging surface or potential debris accumulation within the ring’s port.
Note: The Oura ring’s charging mode is activated whenever the LED light pulsates in blue!
2. Place the Oura Ring in “Rest” Mode
Putting the Oura ring in “Rest” mode effectively stops the glowing red light.
The rest mode is a unique functionality available for the Oura ring, designed for days or weeks when your body and mind need time to rest and you don’t want any of Oura data being altered.
Follow these steps to put the Oura ring in “Rest” mode:
- Open the Oura application on your mobile device.
- Tap “Home” at the bottom of the screen in the app.
- Scroll to “Take time to receiver” in the same section.
- Next, select the “Turn on Rest Mode” button below.
- Then, follow the steps to activate the Oura rest mode.
The “Rest” mode will only be accessible if your body temperature is elevated or the ring senses your bad physical condition.
The rest mode can be deactivated by going to “Menu” > “Rest Mode” > “Turn off Rest Mode” > “Turn off and delete tags”.
When to Put Oura Ring in “Rest” Mode?
The Oura “Rest” mode has other impacts on the health data rather than just causing the red glowing light to disappear.
Here are some scenarios where you would put Oura in rest mode:
- You’re recovering from an illness like the common cold or flu.
- You’re experiencing stress, anxiety, or depression symptoms.
- You’re having cramps in the joints or experiencing muscle pain.
- You’re recovering from a recent jet lag or other physical harm.
Note: None of your vitals and health data will be recorded while rest mode is active!
3. Install the Last Oura Firmware!
Perhaps the Oura ring signals that the firmware version must be updated to the most recent one.
If you haven’t noticed the firmware update prompt within the Oura application, uploading the latest Oura software is advised, which will resolve the persistent glowing red ring light.
Info: When allowed, the Oura app can perform automatic firmware upgrades to the ring!
Here’s how to install the latest Oura ring firmware in easy steps:
- Open the Oura app on your mobile Android or Apple iOS device.
- Next, idle on the platform’s homepage for at least 20-30 seconds.
- Press the “Allow” button of the firmware update prompt to start.
The Oura ring will be updated if the mobile device is securely connected to your Wi-Fi network.
Also, remember that Oura may not immediately recognize a pending firmware update available for the ring, so you may have to wait a bit while the app is launched.
Notice: Check your phone's internet connection if Oura isn’t detecting any updates!
4. Disconnect & Reconnect the Ring
The vital tracking feature might have glitched out due to pairing issues between the Oura ring and your mobile device.
To address potential functionality issues with the ring’s connectivity to the mobile application, it is advised to forget and re-add the Oura ring within the application.
Here’s how to re-add the Oura ring from the mobile application in easy steps:
- Open the Bluetooth settings of your mobile device.
- Locate the Oura ring’s connection and highlight it.
- Select the “Forget this device” option from the page.
- Open the Oura app and tap the “Add Device” button.
- Follow the instructions to install a new Oura device.
Note: You must complete the initial configuration of the Oura ring during the new setup!
5. Troubleshoot the Oura Mobile App!
Another reason why your Oura ring is in red could be because of an underlying functionality error with the Oura mobile app.
- The Oura application will display all vital recordings, sleep information, and health alerts, causing the glowing red light to occur.
The Oura mobile app won’t function properly without a stable internet connection to the mobile device or with overfilled app cache or uncleared data.
There are multiple reliable methods to restore the proper functionality of the Oura mobile app and resolve the ring’s glowing red light.
- Verify that the mobile device is securely connected to Wi-Fi.
- Open the settings of the Oura app and clear the cache/data.
- Update the Oura app to the latest firmware through the store.
- Uninstall and then reinstall the Oura platform on your device.
After executing all of our steps, further issues with the Oura application could be related to an ongoing outage or maintenance with the platform.
Ongoing repairs to the application’s firmware conducted by Oura typically take 2-3 hours, so you must remain patient in case of any outages.
Note: The app can be temporarily disabled for either Android or Apple iOS devices!
6. Restore the Oura Ring to Factory Defaults!
To address lasting issues with the Oura ring, restoring the device to factory defaults is advised.
You can quickly restore the system configuration of the ring through the Oura mobile app, but verify that the profile of the Oura ring exists, otherwise, the reset options will not be accessible.
Follow these steps to perform a factory reset on the Oura ring efficiently:
- Open the Oura application on your mobile Android or iOS device.
- Select the ring from the devices page and then tap the “Tools” icon.
- Once in the “Tools” tab, scroll all the way to the bottom of the section.
- Select the “Factory Reset” option and prompt your Oura ring to reset.
- Follow the on-screen steps to complete the factory reset of the ring.
Warning: Any data lost after the factory reset cannot be recovered!
Quick Recap:
The reason why is my Oura ring red is because your Oura ring is currently tracking and recording your health vitals.
To prevent the mode, reconnect the ring from the Oura app, place it on the charger for 5 seconds, enable “Rest” mode, and perform a factory reset!
Follow our blog for more Oura Ring troubleshooting and solutions!
Kevin has over five years of experience working in various Tech startups and providing Technical solutions. He has contributed to many Tech publications and websites. Check out more about him here.