Two former Meta employees, Mina Fahmi and Kirak Hong, have launched a new AI-powered smart ring. The Stream Ring is the first product from their startup called Sandbar, and pre-orders are open now. Sandbar pitches Stream as “your extended self”. It’s a minimalist wearable that lets you record voice notes and talk to a chatbot through a touch-activated microphone.

When you create a voice note the ring uses haptics to confirm it has been recorded. You press and hold the sensor to speak, and you tap it if you want to interrupt and start again. It can automatically transcribe your voice interactions, whether you are adding items to a grocery list, asking it to fetch information, or just having a conversation. Notes sync to the Stream app via Bluetooth. The app will launch on iOS first.

Sandbar argues that a ring is the right form factor because it is always on your hand and always reachable. “We call the Stream Ring the ‘mouse for voice’ because it has a lot of characteristics that we think allow it to solve voice interactions,” said Fahmi at the 2025 WSJ Tech Live conference in Napa Valley, US. “There’s a touchpad on the side, a mic on top, and a little haptic. And you just hold the touchpad, speak and release. And that lets you save thoughts or discuss ideas in flow.”

Privacy-conscious customers can rest easy as the company assures that the device isn’t always listening. “You can speak really, really quietly, even in pretty loud places, and it will pick up what you are saying,” added Fahmi. “And it only listens when you hold. It isn’t an ambient-recording device.”

The Stream chatbot is designed by default to speak in a way that resembles your own voice. Sandbar calls that feature “Inner Voice”. You can tune it if it sounds wrong, or switch to a non-personalised voice if you don’t want a model of your own voice at all. The ring can also control media playback through gestures, and Sandbar says it works with any headphones.

Sandbar will offer a free tier with unlimited notes but limited AI interactions. A subscription called Stream Pro will cost $10 USD per month, with three months included for new buyers. That plan will unlock unlimited chats and immediate access to new features. The company says data is encrypted at rest and in transit and that it will not sell user data. Users can delete stored data at any time.

“We think of the app as your stream of consciousness. The main view is a series of the interactions you’ve had, and you can also see all of the notes that Stream has created, which either you or Stream can then edit,” said Fahmi. “And because ideas build over time, you’re able to zoom out of the interactions you’re having and continually refer to those memories.”

Most smart rings in the market focus on health tracking. Stream is instead trying to make voice AI frictionless. If the transcription quality holds up and if the assistant proves genuinely useful, Stream could end up being a new kind of personal computing accessory that stays out of the way until needed.

The Stream Ring comes in sizes 5 through 13 and is designed to be worn on the index finger. Sandbar claims all-day battery life but did not share more detail. You can expect the ring to begin shipping in the United States from approximately June 2026 with other countries to follow.