4/23 My oura ring broke. More precisely, it stopped sending data some time around 4 yesterday and has been unresponsive since. Apparently it’s a well-known problem, a faulty batch of rings, and customer support told me almost immediately I’d get a replacement. 

Turns out I’m pretty attached to this ring already, after three weeks, especially for tracking my messed up sleep patterns. I read that a replacement takes 1-2 weeks to arrive, and that bugged me so much that I decided to order another ring from Amazon for the interim, which will be delivered tomorrow, and return it once the actual replacement arrives. 

Yes, this feels a little like cheating, although there is zero chance Amazon won’t accept the return. The interim ring will certainly get some tiny scratches in those one or two weeks, and I doubt it will be resellable as new. Then again, I’m sure they have some processes for using such returns as display units, or as refurbished units in different markets or later in the product cycle.

The original ring and the replacement ring are brushed silver, so I ordered the interim one in stealth grey, just so I wouldn’t mix them up, and also to remind myself of the intent. Stunningly, though, the tracking emails suggest that the replacement might be here even sooner than the interim, even though it comes from – unbelievably – the Netherlands, while the interim is in a warehouse right outside the city.

I did feel very sad about not having a working ring as I took the train back into the city tonight. It occurred to me only then that I could indeed wear it as, even though it’s not working, a ring.