The concept of Ring was intriguing and it definitely got a lot of attention when it launched. But with its last few updates, the negatives have rolled in, and users are dogpiling on the company to improve its app before they pull out and switch over.

For a company that boasts of its live video streaming capabilities, their app should be impeccable, but that is just not what some of the users are getting.

What is Ring?

Developed by the retail giant, Amazon, Ring is an integrated system of security that revolves around an IP camera, motion detection software, and a smartphone. Ring requires users to install their hardware (Ring doorbell, Security cameras), and link it to their smartphones via the internet.

The Ring doorbell, in particular, put the company on the map. By integrating motion detection software into it, the doorbell alerts users on their smartphone/tablet when someone arrives at their door, even before they ring the bell. Users can answer the door right from their phones by speaking through the speaker embedded in the doorbell.

RELATED: How to fix low speaker volume issue on Ring doorbell

Common problems with Ring app

Ring hardware is complemented by its app that must be installed on a smartphone/tablet. This app acts as a control system for all its functions. However, with recent updates, the app seems to have gone from bad to worse.

Users have taken their complaints to the app store which is flooded with irate comments about the app’s functionality. Here are some of the most recurring problems along with possible solutions.

The app doesn’t load/crashes

One of the most consistent problems with the app seems to be with its loading time. Several users have complained that the app crashes on startup. Another similar problem is the sign-in loop. When the user inputs their username and password, the app crashes and restarts.

Possible solutions:

  • Clear cache: Search for the app in the settings of the phone. Once selected scroll down to the bottom to find the ‘Clear cache’ button. Click this as well as the ‘Clear data’ button right next to it. Relaunch the app. [How to clear app cache or app data on Android]
  • Try uninstalling and reinstalling the application. Some users found this to help fix the problem.

Cannot Sign in

Users are finding it difficult to sign in to the app to access their accounts. This is accompanied by the error message ‘An error occurred trying to perform this operation. Try again’. One possible reason for this seems to be VPNs that are routing the requests into black holes.

Possible solutions:

  • If ad blocker is being used, create an exception for the app.
  • If VPN is being used,  create an exclusion or temporarily disable it before signing in. Note: This only needs to be done when you need to sign in to the app with your username and password; not every time you launch the app.

Login certificate failure

This certificate error causes the login screen of the app to flash constantly, without allowing the user to input their credentials. The issue seems to be caused by an expired SSL certificate. Ring has addressed the problem and most users have concluded that the problem has been fixed.

Possible solutions: 

  • Since the issue has been fixed by the company, the problem could be in the native app on your phone. Try uninstalling and reinstalling the app.
  • Check that the app is up to date, and does not have any updates pending.
  • Restart the phone.

Alert tones missing

Users believing they are missing notifications from the app, may not be completely right. It turns out, the app may not have all the required alert tones in place for its notifications. This means that even if a notification comes through, the alert tone does not sound.

Possible solutions:

  • Search for the ‘My files’ folder on your phone. (You may use a File Explorer app or the inbuilt app to locate files on the internal memory of the device)
  • Scroll down to the ‘Ringtones’ folder and click on it. Go to Ring > Audio > Ring_app_alert_tones.
  • Select all the tones in the folder and click ‘Copy’. Now go back to the main ‘Internal memory > Notifications. Paste the copied files into this folder.
  • Relaunch the Ring app and go to App alert tones > Sound. You should be able to see all the alert tones listed.

Delayed/no notifications

This remains one of the most persistent problems even after fresh updates to the app. Users receive notifications minutes and sometimes even hours after the incident has happened. This defeats the purpose of the product and users are understandably annoyed.

Possible solutions:

  • Make sure alerts are allowed (and not silenced) for the application. Go to Applications > Ring and toggle notifications ON
  • Disable ‘power saving’ mode on your device. This sometimes kills background apps and prevents them from sending notifications.

Note: OnePlus is aware of this recurring problem for its users and is working on a fix.

Live View Not Working

One of the big selling points for the Ring Doorbell is the ability to view in real-time what is happening around your house. Some users, however, have reported encountering an issue with the same.

Possible solutions:

  • If your router is broadcasting on both 2.5 GHz as well as 5 GHz, make sure that the Wifi Network Name is different for both.
  • Change your router encryption to WPA (not WPA 2). Ring Doorbell does not support WPA2 or higher encryption.
  • Live View requires significantly higher Wi-Fi speeds, so check whether someone is hogging up the bandwidth.

Motion zone not working

Ring allows users to set the zones in which the camera will detect motion. Setting motion zones prevents the camera from being triggered by passing traffic. However, these zones do not seem to be very restrictive, as users are complaining that their devices are being triggered by events that occur far out of the zone.

Possible solutions:

  • Check the level of the ‘Smart alert’ setting on the app. If there is too much motion being detected, try reducing it to ‘Light’.
  • Reset the motion zone, and click ‘Save’.
  • Go to Motion Settings > Motion Zones, reduce the Motion Sensitivity slider to ‘People Only’.

Event History won’t play

The Event History panel in the Ring app allows users to view past recordings. Some users are encountering playback issues with old saved videos. This issue has been addressed by Ring.

Possible solutions:

  • Uninstall the application, restart the phone, and reinstall the Ring app from the Play Store.
  • Make sure the Ring app and the mobile device is updated to the latest version.

The Ring has sturdy devices with everyday functionality. We hope the app can match up to the product. Did you find any other problems with the Ring app? Let us know in the comments below.