How many times have you left one of your devices on charge, only to find it an hour later, uncharged. Same happened with me the other day with my Oura ring. Initially I thought I must have forgotten to turn on the adapter, but to my surprise, it was on already.
On checking, I found the charger was blinking bright red, and the app still showed 20% an hour later. Something was definitely wrong, and I had no idea what: my Oura ring or the charging dock.
I am sharing literally what I did when my Oura ring wasn’t charging. From basic troubleshoots to the real deal, you’ll definitely be able to identify and solve any charging error after going through the article. You’re welcome!
How To Know If Oura Ring Is Not Charging?
There are two ways to find out that your Oura Ring is not charging. For me, it was when I saw my Gen3 charger blinking a red light.
I have a Gen2 Ring, too, but I noticed that my Gen2 charger never blinked the red light when not charging. I guess Gen2 users can only discover the issue when they find that the charger is not blinking white or when they open the Oura app to check the ring’s battery health.
So, your first cue with Gen3 charger is basically the red light. Or checking the app to see the charge percentage.
Basic Fixes to Resolve Oura Ring’s Charging Issues
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying you’re dumb. But sometimes, just sometimes, while thinking of actual issues, we can skip basic fixes.
So, before jumping into conclusion that Oura ring charger is not working or the ring is damaged, let’s try a few simple troubleshooting steps, to make sure it’s not a fault from your end.
1. Place The Ring On The Charger Properly
When you discover that your Oura Ring is not charging, the first thing you should do is check whether you have placed the ring on the charging dock properly. An Oura Ring can be charged using a size-specific charging dock. If you have two different-sized Oura rings, then mistakenly, the bigger size can fit in the smaller one. But the ring will not charge, as it will fit loose.
So, whenever charging the ring, make sure you should pick the right size charger and place the ring firmly. When placing the ring, check whether the white light is blinking or not. If not, then remove the ring and place it again correctly.
2. Use An Alternate Power Source
This happened to me once. I was using a power brick to charge my Oura Ring. At first, the indicator showed it was charging. After a while, I noticed it had stopped charging.
Confused at first, I checked if the ring was placed firmly. It was okay; moreover, the charger did not flash a red light. When I checked my power brick, I found that the power source was drained. Next, I connected the Oura charger to another power source (laptop), and it started charging again.
So, when you notice that your Oura ring is not charging, don’t forget to cross-check your power source, too.
3. Reconnect The USB Cable
Sometimes, it happens while connecting the USB cable; it is loosened. If you are not attentive enough when inserting the USB cable into the charging port or to the power source, it may not be inserted properly. For this reason, you may find that your charger is not blinking white while connected to the power source. Hence, always check whether the USB cable is inserted firmly or not.
4. Clean Charging Port
I found from Reddit posts that when people use the Oura ring after a certain break (maybe a fortnight or so), the ring does not charge. This may be because if you use a charger after a long period, dust particles might clutter the port.
Therefore, I always suggest cleaning the charging port when an Oura charger is used after a long break. Then, insert the cable again to check whether your ring is charging or not.
5. Try Charging Using Some Other USB-A to USB-C Charging Cable
Sometimes, your USB cable could be at fault. However, most of the time, we overlook the cable and focus only on the charger condition. Hence, if Oura Ring is not charging, I suggest checking the cable first before considering whether the charger is at fault.
To do so, you can simply try another USB-A to USB-C charging cable and fit it to the charger to check. If that works fine, then your old cable must be damaged. Replace it.
6. The Power Source Must Not Exceed The Supply Of 15W
The Oura charger comes with a warning that the power source must not exceed 15W for more than 3 seconds, or it can damage the ring’s battery. As some users claim, when the power source is more than 15W, sometimes the ring stops charging.
If you are not sure about the power supply you are using, check it. Make sure your power supply does not exceed the given limit.
Is It a Charger or Ring Issue?
After thoroughly checking all the above pointers, if still your Oura ring is not charging, it’s time to figure out where does the issue lies. I tried all the initial troubleshooting steps, but none worked; then, I confirmed whether it was a charger issue or Oura Ring’s issue.
For Gen3 Chargers
If you have a Gen3 charger, you can try the self-testing method. To do so, plug the empty charger into a power source (do not place the ring).
- If the charger blinks white once and then fades away, it reflects that the charger is in good condition. Maybe there is a problem with your Ring.
- If the light of the charger doesn’t glow white, the charger could be faulty.
- If the Indicator blinks a red light after placing the ring on the charging dock, that also means that the Oura Ring is not charging, and there might be a problem with the ring or the charging dock.
If you noticed that your Gen3 charging dock is working fine, then it must be your ring’s problem.
For Gen2 Chargers
If you are using a Gen2 charger, then you have to follow this method:
- Plug the charger into the power source.
- Find another USB cable. Place the metal end on the charger (as shown in the image) where the ring sits.
If your charger glows white, then your charging dock will be good. If not, then the charger is at fault.
Troubleshoot Oura Ring’s Charging Issues
1. Reset Oura Ring
The first method that I suggest is a factory reset for Oura Ring. A factory reset shakes the sensors inside the ring but does not delete synced data. I found that factory rest is the easiest way to resolve this technical issue. Here is how to perform a factory reset:
Before beginning, make sure you have synced Oura ring with the app and backed up all data.
- Open the Oura app and tap on the Ring Icon in the upper right-hand corner.
- Swipe Left. Scroll down, and you will find Tools.
- Next, tap on the Factory Reset.
- Wait till you get the message that the factory reset is done. Then, remove the ring from the charger and place it on a flat surface without moving it for ~2 minutes.
- Next, remove the Oura ring (“oura_A038xxx”) from your device’s Bluetooth list.
After the reset, a “Connect your Oura Ring” message will pop up on the screen. Connect your Oura ring with your device again.
2. Update Firmware
Make sure that your Oura Firmware is up-to-date. If you are using a Gen2 ring, then you will find a Firmware Update card on the home tab. Manually tap on the card to update your Firmware.
Even though the Automatic Firmware update option is enabled by default in Gen3, sometimes one thing or the other can still cause Firmware updates to not update. In this case, you need to enable the right options from the settings:
- Launch the Oura app and tap on the Menu icon.
- Go to Settings.
- Scroll down and tap on Firmware.
- Toggle on Automatic update.
3. Connect Oura Support Team
If you find none of the above solutions helpful, I understand your concern. Don’t get frustrated. The next thing you can do is to connect with the Oura support team. Open the Oura support page and raise a ticket. Voice your concern and wait till they revert back. The process may take time, but if there is a fault in your Oura Ring and it is within the warranty period, then the ring will be replaced.
4. Get A Replacement Charger Or Ring
If you have checked and found that your charger is at fault, then there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s time to get a replacement charger. But I will suggest you connect with the Oura support team first. They may guide you with some solutions. If that still doesn’t work, then you can claim a replacement charger or buy on your own.
If your charger is within the warranty period, you can claim a charger replacement from Oura by providing the required video and images. If you are no longer covered by the warranty period, then buy a replacement charger from the Oura website (also available on Best Buy and Amazon) for $59.
On the other hand, if you have found that the Oura ring is damaged. Then, collect proper evidence (images and videos) and connect with the Oura support team. If you are under the warranty period, your Oura Ring will be replaced.
You can even ask for extended membership because you must have already paid for the month atleast. Who will reimburse that?
Frequently Asked Question
Wrap Up
You just wish you are under warranty, because if either one, ring or the charger, is really damaged, you will need to replace it. Warranty just reduces all that cost to zero. Besides, I personally do soft resets in my Gen3 to keep it working.
Let me know what worked for you and what didn’t. I’l update the article if I found anything else about charging issues.
