No matter what Ring Video Doorbell you have installed in your home, you can control it with your Ring app. This mobile application lets you manage all the fantastic features of Ring Doorbell. Whether it is the night vision of Ring Doorbell 3 or the Pre-Roll Video of Ring Doorbell Pro, the Ring app grants you control.
However, the app also has its moments of downtime. For instance, when the event history isn’t working or not playing. With all the features and settings in the application, it is hard sometimes to make sense of how to use it. In this article, we will give you tips on solving one of the common issues with using the app.
For a Ring Doorbell event history not working, how to fix it starts with making sure you have a Ring protect plan. So, do you have one? If you don’t have one yet, then you cannot use the event history feature. It is, after all, an advanced function allowing you to view past events of your Ring device.
Here is a little bit of information about Ring Doorbell Protect Plans.
General Information on Ring Protect Plans
What is Ring Protect Plan? It is Ring’s optional subscription plan covering the monitoring and video recording features of your Ring devices. It isn’t that you cannot use your video doorbells without it. Just that without the plans, you cannot keep a copy of the videos. Also, you don’t have 24/7 monitoring.
If someone rings your doorbell or the device detected motion, that’s when it will send you an alert. You can choose to view the event on your phone through the app, but sometimes you can’t, such as when you are busy. If you have a Ring Protect Plan, your app will record the event, which you can view later.
That’s where the Event History feature comes into play. If you don’t have a subscription plan, you also can’t view past events. It means that whenever there is an activity on your door, it will notify you, but if you couldn’t see it then, that’s it. You won’t be able to review it at a later date.
How to Subscribe to Ring Protect Plan
Subscribing to a Ring Protect plan is quite easy. All you need to do is log into your account but on the website. From there, you to My Plans menu located beneath the top-right menu. You can also get started on using the plan by clicking Buy Now. You can check this video on YouTube on how to do this.
Ring Protect Basic vs. Ring Protect Plus
You have two options for the Ring Protect Plans – Basic and Plus. Between the two, there are four main differences you should consider when you make your choice. These differences include the number of devices they cover, the device warranty, discounts offered, and professional monitoring.
Protect Basic Plan
It covers only a single device, which means you need to get a Protect Basic Plan for every device you have at home. This plan provides a 1-year warranty from the time you purchased it. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come with discounts or professional monitoring. Its main feature is the video recording and ability to review, share, and save videos.
Protect Plus Plan
With Protect Plus Plan, all Ring devices in a single location are covered. It also has an extended warranty, extending the original warranty of your device. It means that after the expiration of your original warranty, the subscription plan covers your device. Your Ring plan will include the Ring device until you discontinue it.
Protect Plus Plan also comes with a 10% discount on all your purchases on Ring.com. Like the basic plan, it provides you with access to recorded videos. It lets you review, share, and save the videos your Ring device recorded. Its most notable feature, however, is the professional monitoring.
The Problem – Ring Doorbell Event History Not Working: How to Fix!
If you’re having trouble with a Ring Doorbell Event history not working, it is easy with the following tips. Check them out below!
You Cannot View Any Event
So, here’s your problem – the Event History feature of your Ring Doorbell is not working. You get notifications whenever your device detects motion. You check the history for the event, click one, but nothing happens. You don’t get any message or even errors. You just can’t view any event.
First of all, which user are you? Are you using a “neighbor app?” Who is the primary account user then? If you are the main account user, are you sure you purchased a Ring Protect Plan? If you didn’t, this feature is not available. If you are not the primary account user, check who is and ask them if they bought a subscription plan.
You Can View the History on Laptop but Not through App
Another common issue related to Event History involves not being able to play past events through the app. The live feed of the device works just fine. You can also view the history on your PC or laptop, so it works on the web. However, it just doesn’t work on your Ring app.
The solution to this is to reset your Ring app. By resetting, you will be disconnecting the Ring device from the app you are using. The problem here is most certainly on the app. It sometimes happens, mainly when it updates or your device’s operating system updates. Of course, make sure you have an active Ring Protect Plan.
If you don’t want to reset your app, you can try checking your Wi-Fi first. It may be the signal of your Internet is not strong enough. Turn the Wi-Fi on and off, making sure you are not connected to the data on your phone. Once your home network is back, try viewing the Event History. If it doesn’t work, you can proceed to reset it.
How to Reset the Ring Device
Performing a hard reset is easy, although the buttons are a bit different for each device. Hard reset is usually one of the last things you can do to fix any issue related to the Ring app. If the other tips don’t work, the best thing you can do is to start from scratch by disconnecting the device from the app.
You can do that by following these steps:
- Hold down the corresponding button for 15 or 20 seconds.
- Release the button (don’t hold it for long).
- The light on the front of the device will flash a few times, which means the Ring Video Doorbell is restarting.
- Wait a minute for the process to be complete.
- When done, you can begin to put your Ring Doorbell into Setup Mode again.
- Put the device to setup mode by pressing the corresponding button.
As mentioned, each Ring Video Doorbell has different buttons for the setup/reset mode. You can consult in the list below for whatever Ring device you have:
- Ring Doorbell 2 – small black button; front of the device
- Ring Doorbell Pro – small black button; right side of the device
- Ring Doorbell Elite – small black button; front of the device
- Ring Doorbell 3 – orange button; back of the device
- Ring Doorbell 3 Plus – orange button; back of the device
What is the Event History Timeline Tool?
Now that you know how to fix your Event History feature that isn’t working, you may want to get to know this feature more. Event History Video Timeline is a unique tool that allows you to access all the events your cameras recorded. With this tool, you get a good idea of what is happening in front of your Ring cameras.
You can see the event history timeline in the Live Feed Page of the app. From there, you can see a current live view. It allows you to see the events in front of your Ring Doorbell at the moment. Besides that, you can use the timeline tool to navigate through previous events. Just swipe left and right to see the events that happened earlier.
Here’s How the Event History Timeline Work
This tool places graphic icons called “pills” on a line of events that your cameras caught. If you swipe left and right on these events, you can choose which specific time of an event you want to see. By tapping on the event pills, you can watch an entire episode of activity that the video doorbell recorded in real-time.
The different pills on the timeline come in various colors. There are also different types of events, which are:
- Live Views
- Miss Rings (only doorbells)
- Answered Rings (only doorbells)
- Captured Motion Events
- People Events
- Linked Device Events
With the timeline feature, you can also control the live views. For instance, you can turn the speaker and mic on or off from this screen. You can even speak to people through this during a live feed. If you don’t want to use the timeline, you can also turn it off. Just open the Ring app, look for Account then tap the toggle for Event History Timeline.
Conclusion
Your Ring Doorbell event history not working? How to fix it is incredibly easy. Start by making sure you have a subscription plan. If it still doesn’t work even though you have a subscription, just hard reset the device. By disconnecting the app, you can start over. However, make sure you are using a working Ring app.
References:
- General Information on Ring Protect Subscription Plans, Support.Ring.com
- Can’t View History Events, Reddit.com
- Event History Won’t Play, Community. Ring.com
- Ring Video Doorbell (1st Generation) Setup Mode, Support.Ring.com
- Event History Timeline Information, Support.Ring.com
