Sensor Tower says wearable brands are moving beyond health tracking to AI-powered insights, with WHOOP, Oura and others using companion apps to deepen engagement and drive subscriptions
Wearable apps recorded nearly 50 million downloads in India, while the US generated $85.4 million in in-app purchase revenue in Q1-Q3 2026. (Image: Sensor Tower)
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As smart rings and screenless fitness bands move away from displays, competition in the wearable market is gradually shifting towards companion apps that turn the data collected by these devices into health insights, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Companies such as WHOOP and Oura are placing greater emphasis on personalised health insights, using apps to turn readings on sleep, activity, heart rate and recovery into information users can act on.
Wearables move towards AI-powered health insights
According to the Sensor Tower report, the shift is part of a wider change in the wearable market. Companies are looking beyond collecting health data to helping users understand it. As devices collect more health-related data, companies are seeking to make that information easier to interpret and more useful in everyday life.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is adding to this change, helping brands move beyond displaying individual readings to identifying patterns and offering insights on areas such as sleep, stress, fitness and recovery.
For companies selling screenless devices, the challenge is to build an app that gives users a reason to keep returning to it, while making the health insights valuable enough to support long-term engagement and, in some cases, recurring subscriptions. According to the report, Oura follows a hybrid business model, combining smart ring sales with recurring membership fees that give users access to personalised health insights and AI-powered features.
Other wearables, such as the Apple Watch Series 12 and Google Pixel Watch 5, are also using AI to interpret health measurements and present them as more meaningful information.
Apple, in its September 2026 announcement, said the Apple Watch Series 12 would use higher-frequency heart rate and heart rate variability measurements to generate a new readiness score. Its redesigned Health app is also designed to use Apple Intelligence to surface health information and longer-term trends.
Google, meanwhile, introduced Health Guardian features on the Pixel Watch 5, including monthly summaries of blood pressure, sleep breathing quality and insulin resistance trends, powered by its health models.
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Without a screen, the app becomes the product
For screenless wearables, the companion app is not just an additional feature. It is where users access almost everything the device records. WHOOP, Oura, Samsung and Ultrahuman are among the companies building products around this model, although their approaches to monetisation differ.
Sensor Tower found that WHOOP users opened its app around six to seven times a day, nearly twice as often as users of other leading wearable apps. The company focuses on athletic performance, recovery, sleep and strain. Oura, meanwhile, uses its app to present information on sleep, activity, heart rate and body temperature, with advanced features available through a recurring membership.
The business models also differ. WHOOP follows a subscription-only approach, while Oura combines hardware sales with membership fees. Samsung and Ultrahuman offer core health insights without mandatory subscriptions. This makes the app experience important not only for presenting data but also for keeping users engaged after they have purchased a device.
Indian brand Gabit is also positioning its smart ring around a broader view of health. Its ring tracks fitness, nutrition, sleep and stress, with information available through its companion app. The company says its platform brings together markers such as heart rate, heart rate variability, skin temperature, oxygen levels and VO2 Max. It also offers fitness and nutrition plans, while access to its ring data does not require a mandatory subscription.
Gabit’s approach reflects how smart ring makers are trying to move beyond basic activity tracking. The focus is on combining different health measurements and presenting them in a way users can understand and act on. Its official website also describes Gabit One, a platform that brings together information from multiple sources and uses AI to explain health markers and suggest actions.
Brands are building products for different audiences
Wearable companies are also differentiating themselves through the audiences they target and the health needs they address. Sensor Tower’s report found that nearly 74 per cent of WHOOP app users were men, while Oura had a female-majority user base, with women accounting for 53 per cent of its users.
The difference is also reflected in the way the brands position their products. WHOOP has a stronger focus on athletic performance and recovery, while Oura covers broader wellness areas, including cardiovascular and women’s health. Sensor Tower found that WHOOP users were 16.5 times as likely as the general population to use the F45 Training app. Oura users, meanwhile, showed a strong affinity for Natural Cycles, its fertility-tracking partner.
These findings suggest that wearable companies are not necessarily competing for the same consumers. Some are targeting athletes and fitness enthusiasts, while others are focusing on sleep, recovery and broader health monitoring. Partnerships with fitness and health platforms can also extend the use of wearable data beyond the device itself.
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AI platforms are becoming another route to product discovery
Competition is also changing beyond the devices and their companion apps. Wearable brands are beginning to explore AI platforms as another way to reach consumers who use chatbots to research products and compare options before making a purchase.
Sensor Tower’s report found that WHOOP, Oura, Xiaomi, RingConn and Samsung advertised on ChatGPT during 2026. RingConn’s advertising, for instance, included a product comparison message. The report also found that ChatGPT accounted for 3.1 per cent of RingConn’s website referral traffic in the first three quarters of the year.
This suggests that AI platforms are emerging as another point of contact between brands and potential buyers. Instead of relying only on search engines, social media and retail websites, companies are exploring ways to reach consumers while they are researching products or comparing features.
The broader advertising push is reflected in the report’s digital marketing figures. Wearable brands generated 59 billion digital advertising impressions globally in Q1-Q3 2026, up 35 per cent year-on-year. WHOOP, Samsung and Noise were the leading advertisers by impressions. India accounted for 22 per cent of wearable brand digital advertising impressions across the markets covered, placing it second behind the US.
As more companies enter the smart ring and screenless band segments, competition is likely to extend beyond hardware specifications. The ability to collect reliable data, explain it through an app and offer useful insights could become an important factor in retaining users. For companies, the challenge is to make these services valuable enough for consumers to keep using them and, in some cases, paying for them.
Topics :Latest Technology Newsfitness wearableshealthcaresmartwatchesonline advertising
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First Published: Nov 02 2026 | 3:59 PMIST
