Ring doorbells are already helping millions of users keep an eye on their homes.Now there's another big upgrade coming to these devices, aimed at keeping the community informed about what's happening on their streets and helping to track down pets should they get lost.Firstly, Amazon says it is launching a function called "Neighbours" in the UK.
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BT issues urgent new landline warning and tells UK homes not to ignore it Virgin Media users fume as millions face new fee to send emails This is a little like an online community noticeboard where users can post about issues they have spotted, safety worries, bad weather or things like road closures.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTThese threads then appear in a special section of the Ring app, and users can even add specific location boundaries so they only hear news that is close to home.A Ring doorbell isn't needed to join the Neighbours service, although these cameras can be used to add events or log things that may have been spotted."We built Neighbours because we believe that when communities work together, safer neighbourhoods become a reality," Amazon explained.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT"Neighbours is a free, community-powered space in the Ring app that's open to everyone – whether you own a Ring device or not." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTAmazon says it is keen to make privacy a key feature of this update, with users able to share as much or as little data as they like.
Posts can also be flagged if people feel like the platform is being abused."With Neighbours, you choose whether to participate and post, when and what to share, and what kind of content you see," Amazon added."Only the content you make publicly available can be viewed by other residents in your area.Your privacy is protected at every level.Names and addresses are never displayed or shared."Along with the Neighbours update, Amazon is also adding another feature called "Search Party for Dogs".
This does exactly what it says on the tin, with owners able to post a message should their pet pooch go missing.Customers with an active Ring device can then initiate a Search Party, where neighbours’ participating outdoor Ring cameras start looking out for their missing dog.If spotted, the camera owner will be notified of a potential match and can choose to share their footage with the dog's owner to help support a reunion.Explaining more about the issue, Amazon said: " Thousands of dogs go missing in the UK every year.According to the latest Dogs Trust Stray Dog Survey, more than 25,000 dogs entered the care of local authorities over the last year – and only about 38% of those were actually reunited with their owners."With Search Party for Dogs, we hope to change that."Starting in October, UK residents can access Neighbours directly within the Ring app.
It’s free to use and available to everyone – whether they have a Ring device or not.
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