A homeowner sitting in their living room speaking to guests at the door with the Ring app.

Troubleshooting Geofence in the Ring App

If you’re having problems with Geofence, this article can help you identify the cause and get you back on track. 

Most issues with Geofence can be fixed by checking and adjusting your mobile device’s settings. To work properly, the feature needs a consistent, reliable network connection and the correct level of access to your iOS or Android device's Location Settings.

Poor network connectivity

If you physically cross your geofence boundary in an area where you have poor internet coverage, geofence-based events can be delayed despite you having successfully crossed a boundary.

In Geofence settings, adjust the position of your geofence to cover an area where you will have stronger internet coverage. If you have set up a geofence on a wifi only device, be aware that the range of your wifi network may not reach the edges of your geofence boundary.

Location sharing is disabled

Your Ring app is not being informed by your mobile device when you enter or exit a geofence. Check to see that the Ring app has the appropriate location permissions in your iOS or Android settings.

On Android:

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Tap
    Permissions.
  3. Tap
    Location.
  4. Choose
    Allow all the time
    or
    Always
    (options may vary depending on your Android version).

On iOS:

  1. Go to
    Settings
    , then scroll down and tap
    Ring
    app in the app list.
  2. Tap
    Location.
  3. Choose
    Always.
  4. If your device is on iOS 14 or higher, ensure that
    Precise Location
    is also enabled for the Ring app.

Airplane mode is on

When Airplane mode is enabled, cellular and wifi connections are disabled automatically. As a result, your device may not be able to detect that a geofence boundary has been crossed.

On iOS:

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Check that the
    Airplane Mode
    toggle
    at the top of the list is set to the
    Off
    position.

On Android:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Go to Network & Internet.
  3. Check that the
    Airplane Mode
    toggle
    is set to the
    Off
    position.

Battery savers and power optimizers

iOS and Android offer functionality to help extend battery life. This can limit how often location changes are reported to apps by the mobile device, as well as how often apps are allowed to communicate in the background with the internet.

For the Geofence feature to work, the Ring app must both be informed of major location changes by your iOS or Android device and be able to promptly communicate with Ring servers to take action on your Geofence settings.

On iOS:

Check to make sure that low battery mode is disabled. 

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Tap
    Battery.
  3. Ensure
    Low Power Mode
    is in the off (disabled) position.

Ensure that “Background App Refresh” and “Cellular Data” are both enabled for the Ring app. 

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Select the
    Ring
    app from the list at the bottom.

Check any third-party apps that could be limiting the Ring app’s functionality, such as VPNs.

On Android:

Please note that some device manufacturers introduce unique applications and settings to the Android operating system on their devices. The following list may not fully cover all areas where your device may be interfering with timely geofence activations. Depending on your device and version of the Android operating system, some settings may be in a different location than what is described, may not have an impact, or may not be available.

Check App info 

  1. In
    Android system settings
    , go to the Ring app (either by searching for it or by tapping
    Apps & Notifications
    ,
    See all apps
    , then
    Ring
    ).
  2. In
    Mobile Data & Wi-Fi
    , ensure the Ring app has
    Background data
    enabled.
    • Enabling
      Unrestricted data usage
      may also help with Geofence functionality when data saving features are enabled.
  3. In
    Battery
    , ensure the Ring app can
    use battery in the background
    .
    • Changing
      Battery optimization
      to
      Not optimized
      may also help with Geofence functionality.

Check Low data mode

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Tap
    Network & Internet.
  3. Tap
    Data Saver.
  4. Either
    disable
    Data Saver, or tap
    Unrestricted data
    and enable for the Ring app.

Check Battery saver

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Tap
    Battery.
  3. Tap
    Battery Saver.
  4. Check your current settings, such as whether you have the option to
    turn off Battery Saver
    , change the schedule, or change your settings for
    Extreme Battery Saver
    .
    • In all cases, Geofence in the Ring app on Android will work most reliably when the Ring app is
      not restricted
      by Battery Saver settings.

Check Adaptive Battery

  1. Go to Android settings.
  2. Tap
    Battery.
  3. Tap
    Adaptive Battery.
  4. Make sure Adaptive Battery is turned
    Off
    .

Check Battery optimizer

  1. Go to
    Settings
    .
  2. Tap
    Apps & notifications.
  3. Tap
    Advanced
    (if necessary).
  4. Tap
    Special app access.
  5. Tap
    Battery optimization.
  6. Tap
    Not Optimized
    at the top, and select
    All apps.
  7. Scroll to and tap the Ring app.
  8. Make sure
    Don’t optimize
    is selected
    .

Check if the Ring app has not been recently launched

  • Some phones and operating systems may limit functionality of an app that has not been used recently. If modifying battery and data settings do not appear to help, also ensure that the Ring app is being launched once every 2-3 days. 

Check any third-party apps that could be limiting the Ring app’s functionality, such as VPNs or task killers

Check "Doze” settings (on Huawei Phones)

  1. Open your Huawei devices phone settings.
  2. Select
    Battery.
  3. Select
    App Launch.
  4. Find the Ring app and toggle it
    Off
    . Also ensure that
    Auto-launch
    ,
    Secondary launch
    , and
    Run in the background
    are
    enabled
    for the Ring app.

Last updated 4 months ago