Ring Video Doorbell lets you see who’s at your door from your phone. It provides convenience, security and permanent access to video of what is happening in front of your front door.
It’s all as simple as taking your phone out of your pocket and launching the dedicated app to see what’s going on. However, the introduction of the Apple Watch has made the lives of many iPhone users much easier. But how well does it work with the Ring Doorbell app?
In this article we will analyze the compatibility of the Ring Doorbell with the Apple Watch.
How to receive ring notifications on Apple Watch
While the iPhone makes it incredibly easy to modify your notifications, the Apple Watch complicates things a bit. While the App Store has a Ring Doorbell app for its phones, it doesn’t have a designated app for the Apple Watch. But that doesn’t mean you can’t receive Ring Doorbell notifications on your watch. In this section we will guide you through all the steps to enable these notifications.
Turn on ring notifications in iPhone settings
To enable notifications on your Apple Watch, you’ll need to start by working on your iPhone. Follow these steps first:
- Download the Ring Doorbell app from the app store.
- Sign in to the app and tap Allow in the Notifications pop-up window. Note: If you miss this popup, you can enable notifications using this path: Settings > Notifications > Ringtone > Allow notifications.
Turn on notifications in the Apple Watch app
Next, we’ll make sure your Apple Watch receives the same notifications as your iPhone. That is how:
- Using your iPhone, open the Look application. Note: If you’re having trouble finding your Apple Watch app, you can swipe all the way to the left on your iPhone and type “Apple Watch” in the search menu at the top.
- Tap the Apple Watch app, then tap Notifications.
- Scroll down to Ring and make sure the notifications switch is on (it will be green).
That’s all about it! We’ve included more information about the Ring Doorbell and Apple Watch below.
Can you make video?
Apple Watch allows its users to watch videos. To play the video someone sent you, just tap it. But can you access live video footage from your Ring Video Doorbell? No, You can not. Your Apple Watch cannot provide live video content. At least not for now.
However, it can display videos stored in your iPhone’s memory. Well, not by directly accessing the Photo app. Clearly, the Apple Watch doesn’t include this option, but there is a workaround.
- You can access messages stored on your iPhone with your Apple Watch. This means that you can send the video you have recorded to yourself; simply type “Me” in the “To:” section when you start a new message. This will allow you to play the video on your Apple Watch.
You may be wondering what this has to do with the Ring Video Doorbell. While you can’t see the live images that the Ring app sends to your phone, the app comes with a recording option. So technically, you can record a video, send it to yourself in a message, and then watch it on the Apple Watch later. It’s not an ideal solution, but it’s the closest you’ll get to seeing Ring Video Doorbell live feeds on your smartwatch for the foreseeable future.
Troubleshooting Ring Notifications
Following the steps above, you should be ready to go. But what can you do if you still don’t receive notifications? In this section, we’ll walk you through some basic troubleshooting steps to get everything working properly.
Every time someone knocks on the Ring Video Doorbell at your door, you’ll receive a notification on your phone. By default, this should also send the notification to your Apple Watch. Additionally, the app sends notifications when there is movement in the particular area you have selected, so you will also receive a notification about it.
All notifications you receive on your iPhone should be reflected on your Apple Watch. However, you should check it, just to be sure.
- To access global notification settings on iPhone, go to Settingsthen locate Notifications and touch it. This will show you a list of all the apps installed on your device.
- Navigate to the Ring app and tap it. From this menu, you can customize your settings.
- Next, verify that notifications are turned on in the Ring Doorbell app.
- To do this, tap Devices in the menu on the left side of the app.
- Then make sure Ring alerts and Motion alerts are on (the switch will be blue).
Assuming all notifications are turned on, you’ll also want to make sure your Ring device is connected to WiFi and that your WiFi is working properly.
Lastly, you may need to update your Apple Watch, iPhone, or both. An outdated operating system can be the root cause of technical failures, including those related to notifications and connectivity.
The low
The main problem with the Ring Video Doorbell system is that it doesn’t have a dedicated app for the Apple Watch. Not only does this mean that you can’t get video access to the Ring Doorbell’s live video streams, but also that the notifications won’t explain what you’re being told about. You will only know that you have received a notification on your phone.
This means you’ll know your Ring Doorbell has been activated, but you’ll need to use your iPhone to find out why. Unfortunately, the company has not given us any updates on when Ring Doorbell will offer more features on the Apple Watch.
Frequent questions
We get a lot of questions about the Apple Watch and the Ring Doorbell. We have included this section to answer more questions.
Can I answer Ring Doorbell with my Apple Watch?
Unfortunately not. The only way to answer the doorbell is with the Ring app. Because this app is not available on watchOS, you cannot use this feature.
I received a preview image on my Apple Watch, but it’s gone. What happened?
Although Ring has not released any official word on this issue, there are many online forums and customer complaints about the temporary feature. Unfortunately, it was removed with an app update and it is unknown if it will return as a standard feature available to all Apple Watch users.
Security First
Despite the aforementioned drawback, the Ring app works perfectly with iOS devices. And, let’s be honest, you probably carry your phone everywhere anyway. All you really need is a notification reminding you to take your phone out of your pocket and respond. The Apple Watch video option would be nice, but for now it is not available yet.
Have you ever used the Ring Video Doorbell? What do you like about it? What do you feel is missing? Let everyone know in the comments.
