If you can see a visitor in Ring Live View but cannot hear them, the problem is usually audio monitoring on your phone or in the Ring app. This guide fixes the…
If you can see a visitor in Ring Live View but cannot hear them, the problem is usually audio monitoring on your phone or in the Ring app. This guide fixes the one-way problem of you not hearing the person at the door. If the visitor cannot hear you, use the separate Ring two-way talk fix.
Quick Answer
Open Live View, make sure the speaker/megaphone icon has no slash through it, and turn up phone media volume. Next, go to Ring app → menu → Devices → your doorbell → Device Settings → Privacy Settings and turn on Audio Streaming and Recording. Ring identifies these settings, volume, and microphone permissions as key Live View audio checks. [1]
Step 1: Identify Which Direction of Audio Has Failed
Before changing settings, do a quick two-person check. Ask someone to stand at the door while you open Live View in the Ring app.
The doorbell microphone sends sound to you; your phone microphone sends sound back. They are separate problems.
Step 2: Unmute Live View and Check Phone Audio Output
In Live View, tap the speaker or megaphone icon so there is no line through it. A slashed icon means incoming audio is muted. [1]
Then turn up the phone's media volume while Live View is playing. Press the physical volume-up button a few times.
Also check where your phone is sending sound. Bluetooth earbuds, a car system, a smart speaker, or a nearby hearing device can quietly take over the audio output. Turn Bluetooth off temporarily in your phone's quick settings. Close and reopen Live View. Listen again through the phone speaker.
If you can hear the visitor once Bluetooth is off, reconnect the headphones or speaker and choose the Ring app as the active audio source before using Live View again.
Step 3: Turn On Audio Streaming and Recording
Ring has a privacy setting that can disable sound coming from the doorbell. If it is off, the video may work normally while there is no live or recorded audio. Open the Ring app. Tap the menu icon, then Devices. Choose the affected doorbell. Tap Device Settings → Privacy Settings. Turn on Audio Streaming and Recording. Go back to Live View and test with someone at the door.
If you deliberately keep audio recording off for privacy, remember that this can also affect how sound behaves in Live View. Check the setting after an app update, a new-phone setup, or any change to your Ring privacy preferences.
Step 4: Rule Out a Phone-Specific Problem
If the setting looks right but you still cannot hear visitors, test the same Ring doorbell from a second phone or tablet. This is the fastest way to find out whether the doorbell or your usual device is the culprit.
Open Live View from a second phone while somebody speaks near the doorbell. If it receives audio, the doorbell is not the problem. On your own phone: Restart the phone completely, wait 30 seconds, and open Ring again. Update the Ring app from the App Store or Google Play. Turn off any VPN temporarily; Ring recommends this because a VPN can interfere with live audio and video. [1] Check Ring's microphone permission: on iPhone, Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone → Ring; on Android, Settings → Apps → Ring → Permissions → Microphone → Allow.
Step 5: Check Wi-Fi Quality at the Doorbell
Choppy or missing incoming audio can be a connection problem. Ring's audio reaches your phone through the doorbell's Wi-Fi connection, so poor signal can cause delayed, robotic, or silent Live View sound even when the picture appears acceptable.
Open Ring app → Devices → your doorbell → Device Health and check the signal. If it is poor, reboot your router: unplug it for 30 seconds, reconnect it, and wait for your regular devices to reconnect. Then test Live View again.
If it keeps returning: Stand near the doorbell with your phone and check whether normal Wi-Fi is weak in that spot. Move the router away from large metal objects or dense wiring if it is nearby. Remove an old router from service, or ask your provider to configure bridge mode if your home has two routers. Ring notes that multiple routers can cause connection problems. [1] Consider a Ring Chime Pro, Wi-Fi extender, or mesh node if the front door is at the edge of your network.
Step 6: Power Cycle the Doorbell, Then Escalate Only If Needed
If incoming audio has stopped after a power cut, update, or router failure, restart the doorbell before assuming the hardware has failed. For a battery-powered Ring Doorbell, remove the battery for 30 seconds, then put it back in. For a hardwired model, switch off the appropriate breaker for 30 seconds, then switch it on again. If you are unsure which breaker controls it, do not guess — use the safer battery or app checks first. Wait two minutes for the doorbell to reconnect before opening Live View.
After the restart, repeat the Step 1 direction test. If you still cannot hear visitors on two different phones, Audio Streaming is on, and Device Health shows a solid connection, contact Ring Support. At that point, you have ruled out the u