Skip to main content

How to talk through your Ring Doorbell

Ring Video Doorbells make it easy to keep tabs on your property. Along with recording any detected motion and serving as a traditional doorbell, Ring products often provide users with a feature known as Live View. This lets you access a live stream of your property and see what's happening in real time.

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

5 minutes

What You Need

  • Ring Doorbell

  • Smartphone app

  • Access to Ring.com (Optional)

Live View also lets you talk with guests remotely through two-way audio. This is a great way to tell visitors that you'll be home momentarily, or to help the delivery driver find the best spot for your package.

So, how do you talk through your Ring Doorbell and use Live View? Here's a closer look at the feature to help you make the most of your video doorbell.

Two people saying hi with a Ring Video Doorbell Wired.
Ring

How to talk through your Ring Doorbell

Keep in mind that these steps may vary from product to product. They might also look different depending on which version of the app you're running.

However, Ring has done a great job of streamlining the process and making it work in similar ways across its vast product library. In other words, the below steps should work for most Ring Doorbells.

Here's how to access Live View and talk through your Ring Doorbell.

Step 1: Open up the Ring app on your smartphone.

Step 2: Select the Ring Doorbell you want to talk through. This can typically be found on the home screen as soon as you load the app. If it's not, click on the Menu (represented by three horizontal lines at the top left of your screen), then select Devices and click Live View.

Step 3: You should now have a screen showing live footage of your property.

Step 4: Below the footage, you'll see a button that says End Live. Below that, you'll see a microphone and speaker icon.

Step 5: Click the speaker icon to enable sound. You should now be able to hear anything happening within range of your Ring Doorbell.

Step 6: Click the microphone icon to enable your microphone. You should now be able to talk to your phone to broadcast your voice through the Ring Doorbell.

Step 7: Some products may have other options, such as activating a siren or turning on a floodlight. Feel free to ignore these, as they're not involved with the two-way audio process.

Step 8: Alternatively, you can access Live View and two-way audio using the Ring.com website. After logging into your account, simply navigate to your device in the Cameras section, then follow the same steps as above to activate your speaker and microphone.

Step 9: When you're done chatting, you can disable your speaker and microphone by tapping on their icons. You can also press the End Live button to exit back to the main screen.

That's it! Keep in mind Ring Doorbells usually have a slight delay from when an event is triggered to when you get an alert on your phone, so you'll need to stay vigilant if you want to chat with someone at your front door before they walk away.

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Bitner
Jon Bitner is a writer covering consumer electronics, technology, and gaming. His work has been published on various websites…
The best video doorbells for 2024
A person pressing the Arlo Video Doorbell.

A video doorbell is a great upgrade for your front door, allowing you to see (and greet) guests whether you're at home or away on vacation. They also record and store motion events — offering added peace of mind and an additional layer of security to your property.

Today, the best video doorbells include the Google Nest Doorbell, Ring Video Doorbell, and Wyze Video Doorbell v2, among others. While these all offer their own advantages and unique features, they also all capture high-quality footage, are easy to use, and are reliable enough to last you several years before needing to be replaced.

Read more
How long does a Ring Video Doorbell battery last?
Person installing Ring video doorbell

A number of Ring’s Video Doorbell models are wireless, including the standard 2020 model, as well as Doorbell 4 and Doorbell Battery Plus. These smart doorbells use battery packs that you periodically remove and charge. The advantage is that you don’t have to worry about wiring projects and can easily place the Doorbell in an optimal position to get the best view of your porch in a do-it-yourself (DIY) project.

But since those battery packs require a bit more maintenance (you’ll get alerts when they need recharging), buyers often want to know just how often they’ll be expected to recharge them and if any long-term replacement costs are involved. Here’s what you should know.
How often does a Ring Doorbell need to be charged?

Read more
How to check the battery level on the Yale Assure Lock 2
The Yale Assure Lock 2 installed on the outside of a door.

While there's a lot to love about the Yale Assure Lock 2, its short battery life is undoubtedly one of its weak points. When it's connected to a Wi-Fi network, you'll need to replace its batteries every three months. Compared to products that use Bluetooth (or no network at all), that's clearly a big drawback. There are plenty of things you can do to improve the battery life of the Yale Assure Lock 2 — but how do you check the current battery level?

Here's how to check the Yale Assure Lock 2's battery level using both the smartphone app and on the smart lock itself.

Read more