Ring has established itself as a renowned company when it comes to smart home protection. It offers a wide range of options, including video doorbells, security systems, and more, to help protect your home.
However, nearly all of these products require a subscription, especially when you need more security features and storage. All of this is easy to set up until you realize you do not wish to enjoy a subscription anymore. Read on to know more about convenient ways of how to cancel Ring subscription.
The Basic Guide on Canceling Ring Subscription
Let us answer the million-dollar question: how do I cancel my Ring subscription?
Canceling the subscription from Ring’s official website is as simple as it can get. Follow these steps to do that:
1. Open Ring’s official website on Ring.com and then log in to your account.
2. From the top menu, click on Protect Plan.
3. Choose the plan that you wish to cancel.
4. Click on Cancel Plan at the page’s bottom and choose a reason for cancellation.
5. Select when to cancel your plan. You can choose from immediately to the end of the billing cycle.
6. Confirm the cancellation.
Note: Though not many users would make this mistake, it's important to clarify that simply deleting all your devices and video recordings from your account does not mean that you have cancelled your plan. You must go through above steps to cancel your plan or Ring will still charge you.
Frequently Asked Questions About Canceling Your Ring Subscription
Why are people canceling their Ring subscriptions?
Rage Ring customers, specifically the video doorbell ones, are calling people and urging them to cancel their Ring subscriptions on popular platforms like Reddit, as the Amazon-owned company has imposed huge price hikes recently.
At the end of 2023, Ring announced that it would increase the prices for its Ring Protect Basic subscription, effective March 11, 2024.
This is the second price increase within just two years. In the UK, the price will rise by 43%, from £34.99 to £49.99 per device. In the US, the price will increase by 25%, from $39.99 to $49.99 per device, with no additional benefits included.
Are there any alternative options that are more cost-effective than Ring?
Currently, there are a few alternative security camera and video doorbell options available in the market that are more cost-effective than Ring. Some of these are eufy, Nest August View, and Arlo.
How significant is the subscription price increase for Ring devices in less than two years?
Ring’s subscription price has risen twice since 2022, doubling the price as a result. In 2022, they already raised the subscription cost by 40%. They hid the hike by introducing new features.
Now, again, in December 2023, Ring announced that there would be another hike in the prices. This increase has been quite significant and has even angered its customers to a great extent.
Can you use a Ring doorbell without a subscription in the UK?
Ring does not require a subscription for real-time viewing of security cameras and Ring doorbells. However, without a subscription, these events will not be recorded.
Can I get a refund in case I cancel my Ring subscription?
The refund scenarios are different depending on which plan you choose as your Ring Protect subscription. For yearly plans, if you cancel during the plan, the remaining months will be credited to you as a refund. For the monthly plans, you will receive a refund for the days that you did not use the subscription. This refund will appear on the same credit card that you used for buying the subscription.
What Happens After Canceling?
As soon as you cancel the Ring subscription, all the previously recorded videos on the device will be deleted. In order to save them, you must download all these videos to the device or any other backup source before you cancel the Ring service. Otherwise, all will be lost!
It is important to remember that you will still be able to view the Live feed and receive notifications even after the subscription has been canceled. Other than recorded videos, once the subscription has been canceled, you will also lose access to features such as snapshots and motion detection.
Can You Re-Activate or Subscribe to the Ring Account Again in the Future?
Yes, you can re-activate or subscribe to a Ring Protect Plan again in the future if you decide to cancel your current subscription.
Moreover, you have the option to upgrade or change your plan at any time by logging into your Ring account on their website, where you can select and subscribe to the plan of your choice.
How do I close my Ring account?
If you've decided to leave Ring for good, it's important to not only cancel your subscription but also delete your Ring account to remove all your data. Follow these steps:
- sign into your account.
- Go to Data Requests.
- Select the option 'Delete my Account'
User Reviews and Experiences on Reddit
The recent price hikes by Ring have agitated the users to a great extent. Some have even decided to cancel their subscriptions and stated price as the reason. Some of these users had paid for the entire year and had a couple of months left before their subscriptions actually ended. They were of the view that companies like Ring increase prices as they expect the users to fall in line and ultimately pay them.
This is what one user had to say!
“Ring subscription went up to $39.99/year for only one camera. I didn’t find much use in paying for it, so I let it expire. The only benefit was being able to review and save older videos, but besides that, it was a waste. I believe since Amazon bought them out, they don’t care as much about having subscribers, and the fee increases to cover those not renewing.”
However, they believe that if the majority of the people canceled their subscriptions, the price hike would be called back immediately. Some users also suggested switching to a blink security camera, which costs nothing.
In addition to the price mayhem, users are also complaining about how there have been no updates to the Pro and Plus plans, forcing people to get multiple devices in order to save money. In order to battle this, some users stated that they are shifting to other options, such as the POE network cameras due to the increasing cost of Ring.
Moreover, the users mentioned that important events’ recorded by Ring were often missed due to connectivity issues or its slow movement detection. This is unfortunate, especially when it fails to provide the required security system even with the purchased subscription plans.
Another user suggested opting for an alternative DIY!
“I made my own setup with an old cell phone, a Raspberry Pi, and an external hard drive. The beauty is that I can set as many cameras as I have old cellphone, it can even work on battery if I need it to, and most importantly, I don’t need to send all the data through Amazon web service, too.
Nanny cam? Pet daytime monitor? Shed surveillance? I can even use my main cellphone as a dash cam and link it to the same server in a pinch.”
The Reason Why People Turn to Local Storage and PoE Options?
There are many reasons why people might wish to turn to local storage and PoE options.
Local storage offers a self-contained solution for data management, granting users direct control over their security footage without reliance on external cloud services. This approach ensures enhanced privacy, compliance with legal standards, and uninterrupted access to recordings, even without internet connectivity, making it a preferred choice for those prioritizing data sovereignty and operational reliability.
Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology simplifies networked device deployment by transmitting power and data through a single Ethernet cable. This reduces installation complexity, lowers cable clutter, and offers a scalable and flexible solution for expanding surveillance systems or network infrastructures, appealing to home users and enterprises seeking efficient and streamlined connectivity options.
Conclusion
There are several reasons why one would wish to cancel their Ring subscription. These include moving to a new location, changing the smart home protection systems, or simply ditching Ring because of their price hikes.
Either way, you must go through a process to cancel the subscription fully. Depending on how the service was signed up, the plan can be canceled from the Ring’s official website or Amazon.
The solution to all your problems is obviously turning to a local storage video doorbell, which requires no subscription and involves no cost!