Ring is now locking some features behind a paywall

When you buy a product, you expect it to do everything that it advertises. If there are features that need to be unlocked through a subscription, it’s only fair that it is mentioned upfront and it will be up to users to decide if they want to buy the product and subscribe to the service.

But what if you bought a product, have been using it for years, and then discover that some features are being taken away unless you pay for it? That’s something that Ring owners are rudely discovering after the Amazon-owned company has started sending out emails to customers informing them of this change.

According to this email, starting on the 29th of March, 2023, owners of Ring doorbells and cameras will no longer be able to access the Home and Away Modes feature unless they are subscribed to a Ring Protect Plan.

Sweet. @ring is removing features from a product I own. Thanks Ring! @FTC pic.twitter.com/Xd6dkFBrkg

— Gabriel Landau (@GabrielLandau) March 2, 2023

For those unfamiliar, the Home Mode is where it tells the cameras you are home and will not trigger motion detection when you’re sitting in your living room or moving about the kitchen. For Away Mode, it is where the cameras will be recording all the time and any motion sensors will be on the lookout for motion detection and alert you to it. Both of these features are clearly important, so it sucks that users will now need to subscribe in order to keep using it.

It also appears that users will not be able to use Alexa anymore to control their devices using their voice unless they’re subscribed either. This clearly has not gone down well with customers and it remains to be seen if Ring will backtrack on this due to the immense backlash.

Source: Trusted Reviews