Geofence in the Ring App

Geofence is a virtual boundary you can draw around the Location where your Ring devices are set up. To use Geofence, you must have Device Modes turned on.

This feature requires a compatible Ring Protect subscription.

What is a Geofence?

When you draw a Geofence using the Ring app, it can remind you to take an action like setting your Device Mode¹ to "Away" when you exit the virtual boundary. When you re-enter the virtual boundary, the Ring app can automatically snooze alerts from your devices. 

How to turn on Geofence in the Ring app

1. Open the Ring app to the main dashboard.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   . If you want to change the Location where you want to set up Geofence, tap the down arrow (▼) to open your Locations and select a different location.
3. Tap

   Settings

   .
4. Tap

   Modes and Automations

   .
5. Tap

   Geofence

   . 
6. Tap

   Turn on feature

   .
7. Read and tap

   Continue

   .
8. Check the placement of your Geofence and drag the circle to center it over your property if needed.
   • Alternatively, tap the arrow in the lower right to use the current location of your mobile device to define the center of your Geofence. 
   • Note:

     Adjusting the position of the Geofence on the map will not affect your address settings for your Location.
   • Only the Ring account owner can modify the Geofence position.
9. Tap

   Confirm

   .
10. Set the Auto-Snooze duration. 
11. Select the devices you wish to snooze notifications for automatically when you re-enter the Geofence.
    • Note:

      Compatible Ring devices that are snoozed when you re-enter your Geofence will not send alerts to the mobile device you use to configure Auto-Snooze. Other (non-snoozed) compatible Ring devices will still send alerts, and if you have a Ring subscription, your Ring cameras and doorbells will continue recording video.

      Reviewing previously recorded video on your Ring cameras and doorbells requires a Ring Protect subscription.

    • Note

      : If you only have a Ring Alarm, you will not see this option.
12. Tap

    Continue

    .
13. Toggle on

    Arm Reminders

    and

    Disarm Reminders

    if you want to receive reminders to change your Mode any time you exit or enter your Geofence without arming or disarming your system.
    • You can select your preferred reminder tone.
    • You will only receive an Arm or Disarm Reminder if the Mode of the Location is not already Home or Away (when exiting the geofence) or Disarmed (when re-entering the geofence).
    • Note:

      If you have not enabled Modes

      ¹

      for your Ring devices, or if you do not have Ring Alarm, you will not see this option.
      Learn more about Modes for Video Doorbells and Security Cameras

      . 
14. Tap

    Continue

    .
15. Tap

    Finish & Save

    .
16. Next the Ring app will prompt you to enable location permissions. This lets the Ring system know when you enter or exit your Geofence. Tap

    Go to Settings

    to start sharing your location always.
    • Note

      : If you do not enable location permissions, Ring’s Geofence feature will not work. 

Tips on using a geofence

If you have set up Arm or Disarm Reminder¹: Like Snooze, these reminders are relevant only to the phone or tablet where they were configured. No other phones or tablets (whether logged in as you or as a Shared User for the Location) will receive an Arm or Disarm Reminder* of your exit or entry. Additionally, Mode Reminders are not affected by the location of other phones or tablets with access to that Location.

What does providing “Always” or “Allow all the time” access to my location mean?

Even if the Ring app isn't visible on your screen, it'll be able to sense when your mobile device crosses the geofence boundary.

My phone is alerting me that Ring is using my location in the background. What does this mean?

The Ring app will use location data from your mobile device to determine if that mobile device has entered or exited the geofence you defined. Your mobile device may occasionally provide location updates to the Ring app that are not related to your geofence. In these cases, the data is discarded by the Ring app and no action is taken. If you don't want the Ring app to have any access to your mobile device’s location, you can always deactivate location settings for the Ring app:

• In iOS, go to Settings > Ring > Location, and change to “Never.”
• On Android, the settings may vary by model, but will be similar to Settings > Apps > Ring > Permissions > Location > “Deny.”

If you choose to disable location access, we strongly recommend you deactivate the Geofence feature in the Ring app to prevent in-location permission errors.

Can other Ring users see the location of my mobile device because I activate geofence?

No, your location remains private from other Ring users.

After setting up the geofence, what if I go into iOS or Android settings and change Ring’s location access from “Always” or “Allow all the time” to something else?

Your selected Ring devices will no longer be Snoozed when you enter the geofence, and you will not be reminded to change Modes (subscription required; sold separately). No other user of the geofence for that Location will be affected. When you open the Ring app, you will see an alert with a link to help you re-activate the appropriate location sharing setting. To keep location sharing off and prevent this alert from appearing, deactivate Geofence.

Can Geofence do more than just Snooze alerts and remind me to change Modes?

No, those are its core functions.

Do Shared Users have any control over the Geofence?

Shared Users cannot see or access other users’ Geofence settings. However, Shared Users can turn on Snooze and get Mode Reminders¹ for their own mobile device by setting up Geofence for themselves.

This will not have any impact on other users (including the Owner or any Shared Users) who use Geofence on the Ring app, or their respective iOS/Android devices.

What happens if an Owner and Shared User both live in the same Location where a Geofence has been drawn?

Once an Owner sets up the Geofence for a Location in the Ring app, then any Shared User can activate the Geofence feature for themselves for that same Location. The Geofence entry or exit of one user does not notify nor impact the experience of another neighbor. Similarly, if one user chooses to deactivate Geofence for a Location in the Ring app on one mobile device, no other devices or users are impacted. Learn more about Shared Users

How do I change the placement of a Geofence?

In Geofence Settings, tap on the map. Then, re-position your geofence to the desired area on the map, and tap "save." This setting will affect all iOS and Android devices that currently use that Location's geofence.

What does it mean to “Deactivate Geofence?” Where do I do this?

Disabling Geofence only applies to the particular iOS or Android device on which it is deactivated. It does not impact the placement of the geofence. Disabling Geofence on one phone or tablet does not affect the Owner or any other Shared Users, their iOS/Android device that has Geofence activated, or their own Geofence-specific settings. To deactivate a geofence for a Location:

1. Open the Ring app.
2. Tap the

   menu (☰)

   in the upper left. (You cannot modify geofence settings from the “All Cameras” view.)
3. Tap

   Settings

   .
4. Tap

   Modes and Automations

   .
5. Tap

   Geofence.
6. Tap

   Turn off Geofence.
7. Tap

   Turn off Geofence

   again.

Get Geofence troubleshooting steps