Aina opens $399 preorders for a ring that lets users approve AI-agent actions

Aina has opened preorders for a ring designed to let people approve or reject an AI agent’s next action without pulling out their phone. Announced November 5, the Aina Ring combines a small display with a joystick-like button. Introductory orders cost $399, with shipping planned for January 2027—not immediate delivery.

The starting point was a smaller problem than managing autonomous assistants. At CES 2026, Aina showed an experimental device called Dune under the name Project Mirage. Connected to a Mac, its three buttons changed function with the task onscreen. During a meeting, they could become shortcuts for muting, switching off the camera or recording. Aina studied how people used that device before developing the ring.

Founder Apoorv Shankar’s next premise is that agents—software that can carry out tasks—will increasingly approach people with suggested actions. He told WIRED that repeatedly reaching for a phone to accept or decline those suggestions would become a bottleneck. The team explored glasses and pendants before choosing a ring. Shankar is not pitching it as a phone replacement; he describes phones as “too perfect.”

Approvals are going to be the future of interfaces and interaction, and we wanted to build a device that just made it easy to approve stuff

Apoorv Shankar, speaking to WIRED

The titanium ring connects to Macs or iPhones. Aina says its assistant learns routines from personal information, including location, calendar and email, alongside third-party services connected through its app. It uses that context to offer suggestions called Aina Cues. One company example is a ride to work: around the usual departure time, the assistant could suggest an Uber, with a flick on the ring approving the task.

Shankar says users can also write their own Cues in ordinary language, such as a daily prompt to turn on a coffee machine. Those actions depend on supported apps and features. For services Aina does not support directly, the company says users can connect agents such as Muse or Instinct to handle tasks through virtual browsers. The display has a specific job in that process: showing whether an action actually went through, rather than leaving the user waiting without confirmation.

The ring also retains the earlier controller’s task-specific shortcuts. A Zoom call on a Mac can bring up meeting controls; music playback can be handled with the joystick. Its microphone adds another route to agents: pressing the center button lets users speak requests or capture notes. TechCrunch also describes reminders and Mac dictation through Wispr Flow or Aina’s own dictation engine.

TechCrunch’s Ivan Mehta used the ring for a few days and described it as feeling like a smartwatch in ring form, with more controls. He could receive and reply to notifications, see meetings and call an Uber. A built-in speaker also supports phone calls. That hands-on account provides some evidence of everyday functions beyond Aina’s proposed agent-approval workflow.

It also exposed a less ambitious use: finding a substitute for a misplaced television remote. Mehta found the ring useful a couple of times when he could not locate his Apple TV remote, although the dedicated remote was easier to use. He cautioned that much of the software and feature set was still being developed, leaving its lasting place in his daily routine unclear.

Aina says the price will rise to $499 after the introductory period. For now, buyers are placing preorders while the software is still taking shape, rather than purchasing a finished device available for immediate use.