Ringly Only Notifies You About the Important Stuff

In a world with increasing connectivity and constant updates, many of us are found glued to our phones no matter where we are. It’s become acceptable to go on a date and take a few minutes throughout the evening to stare at a blindingly bright four-inch screen. A stigma has been created and, with more options to connect than ever, the pressure to disconnect has never been higher.

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Ringly was created to solve the problems of this social faux pas yet still allow you to be connected to what you think is important. As the name would indicate, Ringly is a fashionable wearable ring that notifies you when you get particular updates on your phone.

To begin, you simply download the free app for your device and connect it to Ringly via Bluetooth. You can then program it to notify you when, and only when, certain notifications go off on your phone. You can customise these alerts with a variety of four different vibration patterns and a selection of colours (for the little light on the side). For instance, a LinkedIn message could vibrate twice while a Tinder match is three times – whatever you fancy (just remember which vibrations mean what).

Coming in a variety of stones, Ringly is available in sizes 6, 7, and 8. The ring itself is made of 18K matte gold and you have a choice of stone between black onyx, pink sapphire, rainbow moonstone, and emerald. Another option, made of a rhodium tone-plated ring and quartz, is available for a limited time. The stones are 19mm x 14mm which fits perfectly with today’s fashion of big and bold accessories.

The app requires iOS 8 and higher on iPhone 5 and up and Android 4.3 and higher. And, because Ringly works even when you’re 30 feet from your phone, you can be discretely notified about everything important. The battery will last you 24 to 48 hours depending on how many notifications you receive and you can track the time left on Ringly directly in the app. The device is charged by being placed in its accompanying box, which will give you charge after charge for about a week, or via USB. Like all good wearables, the software can be upgraded directly from the app.

Depending on your mood, your audience, or your priorities, you can change the preset alerts as you please. They can be from Tinder, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or, perhaps more importantly, eBay, calls and emails from certain people, and Uber. Essentially, any app that can have notifications can use Ringly.

While Ringly makes great strides in keeping us connected while we stay engaged in real life, the only drawback is that its battery life may not be long enough. As a user of a wearable, albeit for fitness, I often forget that it needs charging as it seamlessly fits into my lifestyle. Ringly could benefit from a better battery or perhaps an auto-sleep mode.

In the future, Ringly are looking to allow more integrations (such as with home devices), add more colours and stones, and, hopefully as their next step, create wearables to target towards men (their current selection is very women-specific).

The current rings are priced at $125 (£84) while the emerald option is $260 (£175). Ringly ships globally for a flat rate of $20 (£14) and is available for pre-order.