Anyone with a Ring Doorbell attached to the front of their homes might want to check out a new feature that is rolling out from today. It’s called Familiar Faces, and it does exactly what it says on the tin. With this upgrade enabled, you’ll get better alerts that confirm exactly who arrived home rather than simply seeing random messages saying the camera has spotted some movement.

“Wouldn’t it be helpful if, instead of getting a generic “A person is at your door” alert, you received a personalised notification like “Mum at Front Door,” without even needing to open the app?,” Amazon said.

“That’s why Ring is introducing Familiar Faces, a new and optional feature that quickly helps you identify people you know when they appear at your door.”

This smart feature allows Ring users to personalise alerts, like turning off notifications for when specific members of the family arrive home, while staying informed about new visitors. This idea helps reduce the notification fatigue that so many smart camera owners face every day. Amazon also hopes that it will give users more useful context about who is detected

How does it work?

With this upgrade turned on, compatible devices will instantly begin detecting faces when people approach the camera. Users can then label people they recognise in the Ring app. It’s even possible to create a personal directory of up to 50 familiar faces, from family members and neighbours to the babysitter or dog walker.

Amazon is keen to point out that privacy is key feature. “Like all Ring features, privacy and control are built into the core of Familiar Faces. The feature is off by default and only activates when you choose to turn it on,” Amazon explained.

So who gets this update?

Familiar Faces will begin rolling out to Ring device owners with an eligible subscription starting today. Customers with a UK Ring Pro and Pro Intelligence subscription plan and eligible 2k, 4k, or select HD devices will receive a notification in their Ring app when the feature becomes available.