Your Ring doorbell can now use Alexa+ to identify who's calling and give them an appropriate greeting

• Alexa+ Greetings uses AI to generate custom responses for callers
• The assistant will identify who is at the door, and give a suitable reply
• It's rolling out now to Alexa+ Early Access users in the US and Canada

Ring is launching a new AI assistant for those occasions when you can't get to the door yourself, but a pre-recorded message won't quite cut it. Alexa+ Greetings is rolling out today, and will give different responses depending on who's calling, and which instructions you've given in advance.

For example, if you tell Alexa+ Greetings that you want packages left out of sight behind your shed, it will relay this message when it identifies a delivery person, and even handle follow-up questions (if the package requires a signature, for example, and will have to be returned to the depot).

It can also politely (or not so politely, if you're so inclined) turn down cold callers and salespeople, or give a friendly greeting if it recognizes a friend or family member.

Alexa+ Greetings uses Ring Video Descriptions – a feature launched earlier this year that uses AI to analyze the event that's triggered your video doorbell or security camera, and generates a short text notification so you don't need to watch a video clip to understand what's going on at home. If it's something you were expecting, like the mailman or your kids arriving home from school, you can dismiss it without any further action.

Still getting too many alerts? Last month, Ring started using the same tech to group together notifications about similar events. This tool, called Single Event Alerts, ensures that your phone isn't bombarded by messages if a gardener is mowing your lawn, for example, or your kids are playing outside.

Launch date and availability

This isn't the first time we've seen generative AI in a video doorbell. Earlier this year, home security company Swann released the SwannBuddy4K doorbell, which includes a free AI voice assistant called SwannShield to communicate with callers.

During testing we thought the doorbell itself was excellent, particularly because all of its key features are available without a subscription. However, the assistant was still in beta when we reviewed it, and felt a bit like a gimmick rather than a genuinely useful feature. Take a look at our full SwannBuddy4K review for more details, and to see how it performed in the real world.

Hopefully Alexa+ Greetings will feel like a more polished product when it starts rolling out to Alexa+ Early Access users today in the US and Canada. It will be available for the third-gen Ring Wired Doorbell Pro and second-gen Ring Wired Doorbell Plus with a Ring Premium Plan and Ring Video Descriptions enabled.

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The best video doorbells

➡️ Read our full guide to the best video doorbells
1. Best overall (US):
Philips 7000 Series Video Doorbell (US)
2. Best overall (UK):
EZVIZ EP3x Pro Doorbell (UK)
3. Best budget:
Arlo Video Doorbell
4. Best wireless
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