Skip to main content

Ring is helping your video doorbell get spooky for Halloween

The folks at Ring have unloaded a volley of video doorbell customizations to mark the impending arrival of Halloween. You can now kit out your front doorbell with new faceplates, quick replies, and chimes perfect for the spooky season.

New quick replies help inject some personality into the automated responses to someone at the door. Lines like, “Tell us what brings you here … or we’ll put a spell on you!” can be shouted when you can’t answer yourself. Others include, “Boo! Leave us a message if you dare [evil laugh],” “Just a minute! Feel free to park your broom,” and “Please leave the package (and any hocus pocus) outside.” Quick replies can be seen as a kind of smart answering machine, whereby visitors can interact with the prompts and leave messages relevant to the quick reply you set. They’re pretty easy to set up, too.

You can spruce up the exterior of your Ring doorbell with new exterior faceplates, too. You can get bats and spiderwebs on your Ring Video Doorbell 2. For the Ring Video Doorbell 3, Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus, and Ring Video Doorbell 4, there are two options now available: Halloween pumpkins and an autumn scene. As always, Ring also has 16 different colored faceplates to choose from. If you need help doing the swap, we’ve got the installation rundown here.

The Ring Doorbell app.

Lastly, there are some appropriately chilling chimes you can add. Bats, ghosts, howling, screaming, ominous organ tones, creepy laughs, a screeching cat, and a creaky door are just some of the new doorbell sounds you can set to greet trick-or-treaters. We know the Christmas stuff will be hitting store shelves the millisecond the clock strikes 12:01 on the morning of November 1, but don’t worry, Ring has you covered there, too.

The customizability of the Ring Video Doorbell 3 stood out as one of its selling features in our review. Halloween notwithstanding, it’s great to be able to mix up the look and feel of the doorbell to match whatever seasonal décor you’re working with.

If these new additions don’t drag would-be visitors kicking and screaming into the Halloween spirit, we don’t know what will. The new quick replies and chimes are available now through the app, and you can pick up the new Halloween faceplates here.

Editors' Recommendations

Simon Sage
Simon has been publishing in tech since before the first iPhone was released. When he's not busy lighting a candle for the…
How long does a Ring Doorbell’s battery last
The Ring Video Doorbell 4 with battery.

Your smart home is only protected when your security devices are on and running. To make sure your house is as secure as possible, you'll need to know when to expect to charge those devices so you can make them last as long as possible.

The Ring Video Doorbell, now in its fourth generation, is an excellent first step in keeping your home secure. For example, you can use the doorbell's app to see who's in front of your house and get notifications. Pair this unit with various other smart home devices, and you can see who is at your front door, disable your home's alarms, and unlock the door without getting off the couch.

Read more
How to save Ring Doorbell video without a subscription
Ring Doorbell mounted outside a front door.

If you know anything about smart-home technology, you may know that some of the best purchases aren't just a one-time fee -- especially anything with cloud-based features. Ring, one of the big names in smart home surveillance, is no exception. Many of the company's Ring Video Doorbell features, including saving videos, require you to sign up for their monthly Ring Protect subscription. Even if you want to save videos that you've watched on your phone, you'll still need to subscribe.

Currently, the company offers three plans for recording and saving video from a Ring device. The basic plan lets you record video from one Ring product. The plus option will work for multiple products. If you're looking for more than just recording video, sign up for the company's pro plan, which includes video recording, 24/7 professional monitoring service for Ring Alarm, and a few more noteworthy features. For example, you can get a discount on your home insurance.

Read more
Want to play Elden Ring? Time to upgrade your CPU
Elden Ring's hero shines a torch in a fleshy cave.

Developer From Software has finally unveiled the PC system requirements for the hotly anticipated game Elden Ring, and it's not all good news for those with older rigs. The minimum CPU listed is an Intel Core i5-8400 or AMD Ryzen 3 3300X. This may require some people to upgrade their CPU to get respectable frame rates.

To be fair, the listed minimum and recommended specs aren't totally out of touch, especially in the GPU department. In fact, the Nvidia GTX 1060 spec for the minimum requirements is right in line with Steam's hardware survey for the most popular GPU used on Steam. However, those with older CPUs may face significant bottlenecks.

Read more