Ring's notification article says the device must be online to send alerts, and that alerts must be toggled on in the Ring app for each device. Ring has two separate switches: Motion Alerts apply to every camera type, while doorbell press alerts apply to doorbells, so enabling one does not enable the other. On the phone, turn off Focus mode or Do Not Disturb, check the phone's notification permission for the Ring app, and disable battery saver, since it can delay alerts. Ring notes virtual private networks can delay notifications.
If notifications stop after clearing app data, uninstall and reinstall the Ring app and sign in again. If Modes or Motion Schedules are on, alerts can be silenced at those times, and a recording without an alert usually means alerts are off. Check Event History to confirm that events happened.
The checks in more detail
Alerts also depend on motion detection, so use the motion steps if events are missing. If you are a shared user, alerts are set per user, so check your own settings. Desktop push notifications are separate and are turned on in the browser. Delayed alerts often trace to a weak signal or slow internet, so check Device Health. Send a test by pressing the doorbell or walking past a camera with the phone on and unlocked, then again with it locked, to see whether the fault is the phone or Ring.
If alerts arrive on one phone but not another, the fault is the phone's settings, not Ring. If notifications work for motion but not for the doorbell button, the doorbell alert switch is off, and the fix is one toggle rather than a reinstall.
Differential
Likely causes of “Ring doorbells and security cameras notifications are late, missing or excessive”, and how to tell them apart
- 1
Alerts switched off
What separates it You get no alerts even though recordings exist because alerts are switched off for the device
How to confirm Turn on both the Motion alerts and the doorbell alerts in the device's settings in the app
- 2
Phone Focus or Do Not Disturb
What separates it Alerts arrive silently because Focus or Do Not Disturb is switched on for the phone
How to confirm Turn off Focus or Do Not Disturb, or allow the Ring app to break through it
- 3
A VPN
What separates it Alerts are delayed because a VPN on the phone slows or reroutes the connection
How to confirm Turn the VPN off, and then send a test alert to see whether the delay has gone
- 4
A corrupt app state
What separates it Alerts have stopped because the app is in a corrupt state on the phone
How to confirm Reinstall the Ring app, then sign in again and check the alert settings
- 5
A weak signal
What separates it Alerts arrive late because the wifi signal at the device is weak
How to confirm Improve the wifi signal at the device, by moving the router closer or adding a Chime Pro
Before you touch a setting
Record this first — changing settings destroys the evidence
- Which alerts are missing, such as motion or doorbell alerts
- The state of the phone's Focus or Do Not Disturb setting
- Whether a VPN is switched on for the phone
- Whether Event History shows the events
Try in this order
0 of 7 completedCheck the device is online
ReversibleCheck the device is online on the dashboard, because an offline device cannot send any alert.
Turn alerts on
ReversibleTurn alerts on in the app, remembering that the motion alerts and the doorbell alerts are separate.
Turn off Focus
ReversibleTurn off Focus and any battery saver mode on the phone, since they can silence app alerts.
Turn off the VPN
ReversibleTurn off the VPN and test whether alerts arrive, since a VPN can delay them or block them.
Check Modes and Schedules
ReversibleCheck Modes and Schedules, and disable them for a test to see whether they silence the alerts.
Reinstall the app
ReversibleReinstall the app and sign in again, if clearing its data does not bring the alerts back.
Check Event History
ReversibleCheck Event History, which confirms that the device recorded events even when no alert appeared.
Model-specific
What is true of this model and not of its siblings
- Doorbells
- Doorbells have a separate doorbell press alert.
- Cameras
- Cameras have motion alerts only.
- Other models this page answers
- These steps also fit models Video Doorbell Wired, Stick Up Cam Battery, Spotlight Cam Pro, Floodlight Cam Wired Pro, Indoor Cam (2nd Gen).
Stop boundary
When this stops being a self-service repair
- !If alerts never arrive after reinstalling, contact Ring support
- !If only doorbell presses are missing, check that switch
- !If alerts arrive late, check the signal strength in Device Health at the device
Evidence ledger
Sources behind this answer
Alerts, Focus mode and reinstalling the app.
Motion and doorbell alert settings.
Motion settings, zones, sensitivity and frequency.
Reconnect steps, 2.4 GHz, power and reset.
The company and its products.
Exact questions
Common questions
Why do I get no alerts?+
The usual reasons are that alerts are off, that a Focus mode is on, or that the device is offline.
Are motion and doorbell alerts separate?+
Yes, motion alerts and doorbell alerts are separate switches, so check that both are turned on.
Can Focus mode block alerts?+
Yes, Focus mode can block alerts unless you let the Ring app through it.
Can a schedule silence alerts?+
Yes, a schedule can silence alerts at set times, so check the schedules for the device.
Do shared users set their own alerts?+
Yes, shared users set their own alerts, on their own login, since the alerts are not shared.