Amazon-owned Ring has begun rolling out a new AI-powered feature called Familiar Faces to its video doorbells and cameras in the UK, allowing homeowners to receive personalised notifications such as “Mum at Front Door” or “Delivery Driver at Front Door” instead of generic motion alerts.
The optional feature uses facial recognition to identify people who frequently approach the camera, aiming to reduce notification fatigue and provide quicker context about who’s at the door – especially useful for busy households tracking family members, neighbours, babysitters, or regular visitors.
How Familiar Faces works
Once enabled in the Ring app, the system analyses faces detected by the camera and lets users build a personal directory by labelling individuals from recorded events or directly in the library.
Users can create and manage up to 50 profiles, editing names, merging duplicates, or deleting entries as needed.
Personalised alerts then appear in real-time notifications and the event history timeline. Shared users on the account can also see these named notifications. Unnamed faces that aren’t added to the library are automatically deleted after 30 days to keep the database manageable.
The feature is designed to be user-controlled. It remains off by default, and activation requires explicit opt-in through the app settings. Ring says face data is encrypted and stored privately within the user’s account, never shared with third parties or Amazon for other purposes.
Availability in the UK
The rollout starts today for eligible UK Ring owners. To access Familiar Faces, users need:
- A compatible device: 2K or 4K resolution doorbells/cameras, or select HD (1080p) models.
- An eligible subscription: Specifically the UK Ring Pro or Pro Intelligence plan.
Users will receive an in-app notification when the feature becomes available for their specific device. Ring has also introduced new hardware alongside the software update, including a 4K wired video doorbell, additional 2K doorbells, and a spotlight camera.
Privacy concerns
Ring stresses responsible use. During setup, the app provides information about obtaining explicit consent from visitors where required by law, such as under UK data protection regulations.
The company positions the feature as a private tool for individual households rather than broad surveillance.
Face data stays encrypted and confined to the account holder. However, critics have raised broader concerns about facial recognition in consumer devices, noting that cameras inevitably capture faces of passersby, delivery workers, or neighbours who may not have consented to biometric processing.
Ring has a history of privacy scrutiny, though it maintains that Familiar Faces is fully opt-in and user-managed.
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