Apple should focus on this video doorbell feature if it wants to beat Ring at its game

Late last year, Apple announced plans to make its own video doorbell in an effort to beat Ring at its own game. It’s been reported that the rumoured video doorbell will come with Face ID as a way to open your front door – but I think Apple needs to focus on different features rather than this one if it wants to do well in this arena.

We’ve been hearing about Apple’s plans to branch out into the smart home market for a while now. As someone who’s covered smart home on T3 for a few years, I’ve been waiting impatiently for news on its new HomePod display and the potential of other smart home devices – so when I heard that Apple had plans for a video doorbell, I was both excited and apprehensive.

As reported by Bloomberg, the Apple video doorbell could work by scanning a person’s face as they approach the door and then connect wirelessly to a lock or deadbolt to automatically unlock the door. It’s purported that this will work with Apple’s Secure Enclave clip to process Face ID separately from the main hardware.

The main thing to keep in mind here is that the Apple video doorbell will have to work with a third-party smart lock for the door unlocking to happen. Existing HomeKit compatible locks could be used in combination with the Apple video doorbell when it launches, or Apple could partner with another brand to create a complete doorbell and lock solution before launch.

Whether this is the case or not remains to be seen, and if you don’t have or want a smart lock, it kind of makes this feature moot. So, what does Apple need to do to challenge Ring at its own game?

Personally, I don’t think the Face ID feature is the way Apple should be going with its doorbell device. Many people are still hesitant to invest in a smart lock as they worry about gaining entry to their home without a physical key and what will happen if their phone battery dies.

Other security concerns are also present like hacking, so I imagine a lot of people might be put off by buying an Apple video doorbell with this locking feature – and if you’re not buying it for that, then you might as well stick with Ring. Instead, I think Apple could be better off making sure the video doorbell has a good quality camera and detection if it wants to compete with Ring.

While the majority of doorbells have up to 4K video quality, there’s still issues with weather, blind spots and dirt that can obstruct the camera’s vision. Focusing on its camera quality could be the way for Apple to excel in the market, and it could potentially have an option with an additional camera to further enhance the doorbell’s views – considering an Apple smart home camera has also been rumoured.

As AI detection is being introduced to more video doorbells, Apple could definitely spin this to their advantage with their upcoming video doorbell. Apple is constantly upgrading its Intelligence features so it could be interesting to see how it develops that in its video doorbell software.

While Apple has previously delved into the world of smart home with its HomePod speakers, it hasn’t specifically made devices like doorbells or security cameras just yet. Despite having a smart home accessory line-up, the devices available aren’t actually made from Apple so it begs the question whether Apple will develop its video doorbell in house or get a third-party to do it.

Either way, it looks like we’ll have to wait until late 2025 or even 2026 before the rumoured Apple video doorbell sees the light of day. I just hope that it’s focused on image and detection quality, and given it a reasonable price tag as that’s the only way I can see it beating Ring.