Ring Video Doorbells to Gain End-to-End Encryption, But Still No Sign of HomeKit Support

Amazon is rolling out end-to-end encryption for video captured by Ring doorbells, after a successful trial in the United States (via BBC News).

new ring
Amazon's worldwide adoption of the encryption standard for Ring will mean that video footage from the doorbell cameras is stored on Amazon's servers, but the content won't be accessible to the company and only the user's device on which the video is received will be able to view the files.

Other new security features also set to be added to Ring doorbells include the ability to use two-factor authenticator apps and Captcha images. Amazon bought the US-based firm Ring for around $1 billion in 2018.

Apple offers a similar service for HomeKit-enabled third-party cameras called HomeKit Secure Video, which leverages iCloud to securely stream and store video clips from compatible indoor and outdoor cameras and doorbells, with end-to-end encryption.

HomeKit Secure Video cameras and doorbells are managed through the Home app like other HomeKit accessories. However, despite assurances given in 2018 Amazon's Ring Video Doorbell still does not support Apple ‌HomeKit‌, and there is no indication that it plans to do so in the near future.

For people looking for alternatives, Apple in December began selling Logitech's Circle View Wired Doorbell ($200), one of the first video doorbells with support for ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌.

Starting with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, which will be publicly released in September, security cameras and video doorbells that support ‌HomeKit Secure Video‌ will detect and notify you when a package has been delivered.

Tag: Ring

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

20 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Monday December 16, 2024 8:55 am PST by
Apple released iOS 18.2 in the second week of December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. Apple has added a handful of new non-AI related feature controls as...
iphone 16 apple intelligence

Apple Drops Plans for iPhone Hardware Subscription Service

Wednesday December 18, 2024 11:39 am PST by
Apple is no longer planning to launch a hardware subscription service that would let customers "subscribe" to get a new iPhone each year, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman first shared rumors about Apple's work on a hardware subscription service back in 2022, and at the time, he said that Apple wanted to develop a simple system that would allow customers to pay a monthly fee to gain...
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Rumored to Stick With 'Triangular' Camera Design

Wednesday December 18, 2024 2:36 am PST by
Contrary to recent reports, the iPhone 17 Pro will not feature a horizontal camera layout, according to the leaker known as "Instant Digital." In a new post on Weibo, the leaker said that a source has confirmed that while the appearance of the back of the iPhone 17 Pro has indeed changed, the layout of the three cameras is "still triangular," rather than the "horizontal bar spread on the...
elevation lab airtag battery

Your AirTag's Battery Will Last for Up to 10 Years With Elevation Lab's New TimeCapsule Enclosure

Wednesday December 18, 2024 10:05 am PST by
Elevation Lab today announced the launch of TimeCapsule, an innovative and simple solution for increasing the battery life of Apple's AirTag. Priced at $20, TimeCapsule is an AirTag enclosure that houses two AA batteries that offer 14x more battery capacity than the CR2032 battery that the AirTag runs on. It works by attaching the AirTag's upper housing to the built-in custom contact in the...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

New Apple TV Rumored to Launch Next Year With These Features

Tuesday December 17, 2024 9:02 am PST by
The current Apple TV 4K was released more than two years ago, so the streaming device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade soon. Fortunately, it was recently rumored that a new Apple TV will launch at some point next year. Below, we recap rumors about the next-generation Apple TV. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman last week reported that Apple has been working on its own combined Wi-Fi and...
blackmagic vision pro

Blackmagic Debuts $30K 3D Camera for Capturing Video for Vision Pro

Monday December 16, 2024 4:17 pm PST by
Blackmagic today announced that its URSA Cine Immersive camera is now available for pre-order, with deliveries set to start late in the first quarter of 2025. Blackmagic says that this is the world's first commercial camera system designed to capture 3D content for the Vision Pro. The URSA Cine Immersive camera was first introduced in June, but it has not been available for purchase until...
mac pro creativity

Apple Launched the Controversial 'Trashcan' Mac Pro 11 Years Ago Today

Thursday December 19, 2024 7:00 pm PST by
Apple launched the controversial "trashcan" Mac Pro eleven years ago today, introducing one of its most criticized designs that persisted through a period of widespread discontentment with the Mac lineup. The redesign took the Mac Pro in an entirely new direction, spearheaded by a polished aluminum cylindrical design that became unofficially dubbed the "trashcan" in the Mac community. All of ...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature

'iPhone 17 Air' With 'Major' Design Changes and 19-Inch MacBook Detailed in New Report

Sunday December 15, 2024 9:47 am PST by
Apple is planning a series of "major design" and "format changes" for iPhones over the next few years, according to The Wall Street Journal's Aaron Tilley and Yang Jie. The paywalled report published today corroborated the widely-rumored "iPhone 17 Air" with an "ultrathin" design that is thinner than current iPhone models. The report did not mention a specific measurement, but previous...

Top Rated Comments

NightFox Avatar
45 months ago

I don't know why anyone would use a 'security service' like this. A presentation at DEFCON proved that these types of systems are worthless, as it is so easy to jam the wireless bandwidth they depend on. Just say no? SimpliSafe was proven especially susceptible to that form of attack. Encrypted or not, if the signals don't get out, there is nothing to trigger the system, and report an incident.

EDIT: PLUS DEFCON has shown glaring flaws in many security systems, including faking video on connected cameras for one brand. You could be looking at a recorded video, as people are carrying your stuff out the door.
A video doorbell isn't intended to secure your home against a sophisticated multi-layered attack. It's meant to let you see who's ringing the bell, see if your Amazon delivery has turned up and capture footage of some low-life looking for an easy way into your house to finance his habit.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zombierunner Avatar
45 months ago
Yes it will be encrypted so only Ring/Amazon staff can see your videos.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
canyonblue737 Avatar
45 months ago
HomeKit is not coming. It's become a meme and a joke among Ring users like myself after being promised for 4+ years.

At this point the reasons are one of the following:

1. Amazon is simply trolling Apple and its customers.
2. Because it was promised they want to avoid lawsuits when they admit it is NOT coming. Newer Ring products don't promise HomeKit in the future, so perhaps "legally" as long as they say HomeKit is coming someday for the older products they never have to actually deliver as they never promised "when." Eventually those products will long since be end of life and hopefully for Amazon and Ring... forgotten.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
NightFox Avatar
45 months ago
I gave up any hopes for HomeKit support as soon as Amazon bought Ring, despite their previous commitments. I can get a degree of unofficial compatibility via HomeBridge plugins, but no HomeKit Secure Video. Ultimately I can't see any reason why Amazon/Ring would throw away their subscription income by offering HSV support.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jk1221 Avatar
45 months ago

How many door bell support HSV now? I’m keeping Logitech’s in my cart but it would be nice to see something new.
None that I can think of.

My biggest gripe with Homekt. It's been out for years and there is still slim pickings for hardware in many categories- in many 1 or 2 vendors so they control the pricing really without competition.

Especially for cameras when you get into HKSV due to the certification needed from Apple and restrictions on hardware.

And when it does come out it is often much more expensive than the alternatives since Apple wants their licensing fee for certification; which is also tough hardware-wise and not all hardware supports all Homekit features (versus there own app) which makes it even weirder.

Homekit really has been a bust IMO, minor one since there is some stuff out there, but still a bit of a bust. Maybe Matter will change that, it is hard to say. I doubt Apple will play nice with HKSV unless certified by them though.

Anything I buy at this point cannot be Homekit only, just in case. I don't want to be locked in.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
QuarterSwede Avatar
45 months ago

Can anyone explain what prevents someone from stealing your 200$ doorbell?
Other than a security screw, nothing. They will replace it for free if some one does though so it’s not really an issue.

https://ring.com/warranty

If your Ring camera or doorbell product is stolen at any time after your purchase, Ring will replace the stolen device at no charge to you.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)