Smart Ring Maker Oura Under Fire for Deceptive Sleep Tracking Claims

A proposed class action lawsuit has been filed against Oura, the manufacturer of smart rings designed to track sleep quality and stages, alleging that the company has been deceiving consumers about the accuracy of its sleep tracking features.

The lawsuit, filed by Clarkson Law Firm in San Francisco, claims that Oura rings are unable to measure the physiological signals necessary to assess sleep quality or determine sleep stages. Instead, the company relies on AI-generated estimates that have a ‘coin flip’s chance of being correct,’ according to the complaint.

The lawsuit follows years of Oura users taking to the internet to share their frustration with the smart ring’s sleep accuracy. Many users have reported feeling that they slept poorly, only to be told by the device that their sleep had been optimal. Others have expressed doubts about the device’s ability to monitor and detect sleep cycles.

‘To capitalize on consumers’ desire for a tracker that could actually track sleep and monitor their sleep cycles, Oura sold expensive tracking rings, priced at $300 and up, advertising exactly that: that Oura rings are capable of seeing what only a hospital sleep lab can see, including the four different stages of sleep,’ the complaint reads.

Oura marketed its ring as being ‘built for accuracy’ and offering ‘unparalleled accuracy.’ The company also claimed that its smart rings could achieve 79% accuracy in their measurements, and more recently claimed that the rings offered 95% sleep-staging accuracy compared with clinical sleep labs.

However, the complaint alleges that Oura cannot measure sleep or cycles because ‘sleep happens in the brain, not on one’s finger.’ This lack of capability is in direct contrast to the company’s marketing claims, which suggested that the Oura ring was capable of measuring the exact stage of sleep the wearer was in.

The complaint goes on to allege that Oura’s deceptive marketing practices have led to consumers relying on inaccurate sleep tracking data to make decisions about their health. ‘When people rely on a device to guide decisions about their health, misinformation cannot be tolerated,’ said Ryan Clarkson, co-founder and managing partner at Clarkson Law Firm. ‘Oura users trust that the numbers on their screen reflect reality. People structure their days, interpret the way they feel, and design their lives around inaccurate figures spit out by these devices.’

The complaint calls on Oura to stop deceiving consumers by falsely advertising its wearables as having capabilities they don’t deliver. It also seeks injunctive relief to prevent Oura from continuing to misrepresent its products, as well as restitution for consumers who purchased the products based on those allegedly false claims.

Oura’s Response

Oura did not immediately respond to TechCrunch’s request for comment.

Key Points

• Oura faces a proposed class action lawsuit alleging that the company has been deceiving consumers about the accuracy of its sleep tracking features.
• The lawsuit claims that Oura rings are unable to measure the physiological signals necessary to assess sleep quality or determine sleep stages.
• Oura relies on AI-generated estimates that have a ‘coin flip’s chance of being correct,’ according to the complaint.
• The lawsuit follows years of Oura users taking to the internet to share their frustration with the smart ring’s sleep accuracy.
• Oura marketed its ring as being ‘built for accuracy’ and offering ‘unparalleled accuracy,’ but the company cannot measure sleep or cycles because ‘sleep happens in the brain, not on one’s finger.’