A homeowner outside their home reviewing their Ring account in the Ring app.

Requesting Help With the SOS Button

Learn how to use the SOS button on the Ring app dashboard or camera Live View to request emergency assistance.

The SOS button is only available to you if you have:

  • A Ring Alarm or Alarm Pro with a
    Protect Pro subscription
    (sold separately) and you’re enrolled in professional monitoring* (for Ring Alarm users). Alarm users who are self monitoring won’t have access to the SOS button.
  • A Ring camera with a
    Protect Pro subscription
    and you are enrolled in SOS for cameras. You must be enrolled in SOS for cameras to use the feature with compatible cameras and doorbells.

What is the SOS button?

The SOS button is an icon in the Ring app that offers an additional way to request immediate assistance to your Ring Alarm or camera’s location in an emergency. The SOS button is a shield-shaped icon on both the app dashboard and in Live View that, when tapped, allows you to:

  • Request immediate police, fire department, or medical dispatch to your device’s location in an emergency. You must have a
    Ring Protect Pro subscription
    ** (sold separately) and be enrolled in professional monitoring* (for Ring Alarm users) or SOS for cameras to request assistance.
  • Sound the siren (requires a
    Ring Alarm
    or
    Alarm Pro Base Station
    ) as a deterrent if you see any suspicious activity, without requesting dispatch.

Note: If you only have a camera, a siren will not sound. You must have a Ring Alarm that has been set to link your compatible cameras to siren when the Base Station sirens.

How to use the SOS button

  1. From the dashboard or Live View, tap the red SOS icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
    • To request police or fire dispatch, slide the police, fire, or medical icon across the screen.
    • To sound the siren, tap the blue Sound Siren Only button.
  2. The screen will display a 5-second countdown. You can cancel the request for help within these 5 seconds.
  3. After 5 seconds, the Ring Alarm Base Station and Keypad siren will sound (for police or fire). The screen displays a message notifying you that help has been requested.

The monitoring center will call your first emergency contact, and if the call is answered, the contact can either confirm the emergency or cancel the request.

If no one answers, the monitoring center will dispatch the police, the fire department, or emergency medical services to the Ring Alarm location. After requesting emergency help, the monitoring center will call your other emergency contacts.

Important: An SOS signal can only be canceled by answering the first call. If the call is not answered, canceling SOS using the app will not cancel the request for police, fire, or medical responders.

Password Note: Doorbell and camera users, your verbal password requirement may vary depending on your preferences when you enrolled in SOS.

* A compatible Ring Protect subscription is required to enroll in the Ring Alarm professional monitoring service. Professional monitoring service is available only within the U.S. (all 50 states, but not U.S. territories) and in Canada (excluding Quebec). Ring does not own its own professional monitoring center.  Smoke and carbon monoxide monitoring is not available for a business or commercially zoned address. See Ring alarm licenses at: ring.com/licenses.​ Additional permit or false alarm fees may apply depending on your local jurisdiction. Additional charges may apply in areas that require permits or guard response service for alarm verification.
** See Ring Protect Subscription Plans for more information.
*** Requires the Ring Alarm Security Kit.
Last updated 1 month ago