Alexa Greetings is an optional voice service available to Ring Protect Plan subscribers (in the US) with compatible versions of the Ring Video Doorbell Pro. Alexa Greetings, which is being rolled out to Ring neighbors in stages, allows Alexa greet visitors, take messages and provide instructions on where to deliver packages on your behalf.
When Alexa Greetings is enabled and a visitor presses your Ring Video Doorbell Pro, after a preset delay selected by you (ranging from 0-20 seconds), your visitors will hear: “Hi, this is Alexa. May I know the purpose of your visit?”
Alexa Greetings assists in two specific situations: package deliveries and taking a message. For example, if the visitor is there to deliver a package, Alexa can provide instructions on where to leave the package. If their visit is not related to one of these two situations, or Alexa cannot identify these two situations, Alexa will respond: “Sorry, I can’t help you with that.”
Alexa Greetings videos will be tagged as an Alexa Greetings event in the Ring app or on your Ring.com account. Since a Ring Protect Plan is required for this feature, you can review, delete, download or share Alexa Greetings videos as you would other Ring video recordings in the Ring app or on your Ring.com account.
You can enable or disable Alexa Greetings at any time in the Ring app by navigating to Ring Video Doorbell Pro and tapping on Smart Responses settings.
In order to use Alexa Greetings you’ll need the latest version of the Ring app. If you need to find out how to update the Ring app, click here.
Learn more about Ring Protect Plans
Setting up Alexa Greetings in the Ring App (only available in the US)
- Open the Ring app
- Tap the three lines in the upper left-hand corner
- Tap Devices
- Select your Ring Video Doorbell Pro
- Tap Smart Responses tile
- Tap Alexa Greetings
- Tap Continue
- Tap Enable Feature to turn on Alexa Greetings
- Customize how long your doorbell should wait for Alexa to answer the door with wait time options from “Right away” to 20 seconds.
- You can also specify a location for couriers to leave packages. If you do not specify a location for couriers to leave packages, Alexa will inform the courier to “Please put it out of plain sight."
You can stop an Alexa Greeting and answer with Live View by tapping the green button or microphone button to speak, or by saying “Alexa, stop” to the doorbell directly.
Alexa Greetings and Ring Video Doorbell Pro Compatibility
If you purchased your Ring Video Doorbell Pro in 2017 or afterwards, you’ll most likely be able to use Alexa Greetings. To see if your Ring Video Doorbell Pro is compatible, you can check the serial number on the back of the device.
Devices with serial numbers that begin with BHL2 and BHL3 are able to use Alexa Greetings. Devices that have serial numbers beginning with BHL1 are not able to use Alexa Greetings because of some hardware limitations.
The serial number is at the bottom of the label, under the barcode and begins with the letters S/N: followed by BHL1, BHL2 or BHL3. See image below.
How is Alexa Greetings different from how my Ring Video Doorbell Pro works now?
Currently, when a Ring Video Doorbell senses motion, you are notified via the Ring app and can speak with whoever is at your door using two-way talk. When Alexa Greetings is enabled, once the doorbell button is pushed and a preset delay, Alexa begins speaking to your visitor, asking the purpose for their visit. Then Alexa either takes a message, or directs delivery drivers where to leave packages.
How can I review and manage my Alexa Greetings videos?
You can review your Alexa Greetings video history and delete your Alexa Greetings videos in the Ring app or by logging into your Ring account on Ring.com the same way you can review and delete any Ring video.
How long are Alexa Greetings interactions stored?
Video recordings resulting from an Alexa Greetings interaction require a Ring Protect Plan (sold separately) and are stored in the cloud for up to 180 days.
What data does Ring store as a result of the Alexa Greetings interactions?
Alexa Greetings is available exclusively on the Ring app for Ring Protect Plan subscribers in the US. As with other Ring video recordings, Ring will store the Alexa Greetings interactions for up to 180 days. You can manage Alexa Greeting videos in the Ring app or on Ring.com. You can use the same email address and password that you use for the Ring app on Ring.com.
Will Alexa Greetings interactions show up in my history feed of the Alexa app?
No.
Is Alexa greetings available in Europe?
No. Currently Alexa Greetings is only available in the US.
