Paywall at Ring causes an outcry

Canadian and US customers of Ring, the well-known maker of smart doorbells and other smart home devices, need to from March 29th Subscribe if you want to enjoy features and functionality that were previously free. Apparently, this decision hasn’t gone over well with customers, and Ring itself is keeping a low profile on the reasons behind it.

These features disappear behind the paywall

Anyone who purchased a Ring Alarm before March 29th can continue to use the following in-app features. For new customers, these are now part of the Ring Protect subscription.

1. Digital arming and disarming of the alarm system: Only those with a subscription will be able to arm and disarm the Ring Alarm using the app or an Alexa-compatible device. Without a subscription, this is only possible via the Ring Keypad.
2. Alarm notifications: Only subscribed customers will receive email and app notifications when the Ring Alarm detects activity. For customers without a subscription, alarms only sound via the base station.
3. Alarm Event History: Without a subscription you can only view the events of the last 24 hours. Anyone who owns one can trace back up to 60 days.
4. Automations: Only with a subscription can you create automations, such as recording the ring camera when an alarm is triggered.
5. Home and Away mode for the cameras: With these modes you can change the behavior of the cameras depending on whether you are at home or on the road. This allows the Ring Door Cam to stop recording when you get home and start recording when you leave home. In the future, this function will only be available with the Ring Protect subscription.

Ring emphasizes that existing customers who are currently enjoying these benefits can keep them. New customers who purchase a Ring Alarm after March 29 will need to subscribe to it. The basic version currently costs 4 dollars per month or 40 dollars per year. Ring assures that prices will remain unaffected by this change.

So far, this change has only been announced for the US and Canada. It is possible that Ring wants to test the acceptance of the new business model before they bring it to other countries. The changes are currently not well received and many existing customers are opposed to buying further Ring products.

If this does not deter you and you are interested in buying a Ring video doorbell, then take a look at our test of the Ring 4 bell:

Ring also doesn’t give a reason why these important features are hidden behind a paywall. One can assume that the subscription numbers have fallen short of expectations and that Ring wants to increase them.

Do you use Ring products yourself and are you satisfied? And how would you react if such a change came to Europey? Tell us in the comments!