Ring Drone Cam won't get manual controls after on-air crashes

The decision may make more sense after a demo that aired on CBS Mornings and later appeared on Threads. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff let technology reporter Jo Ling Kent fly an early version through a mobile app with built-in controls. "Yeah, so we can load manual controls," he said.

The drone then crashed twice. After the first crash, Ring reportedly told CBS News that the drone's collision avoidance had malfunctioned, and it declined to share the footage the drone recorded beforehand. The second crash was caught on camera: the drone hit a wall after it stopped responding to the manual controls.

Why did the Ring Drone Cam crash?

According to Siminoff, the second crash happened because the drone lost its internet connection, which it also needs to fly autonomously. "If it loses connectivity, it's supposed to stop and land," he said in the video. "It did not there."

Will the Ring Drone Cam have manual controls?

No. Ring declined to show the app in its own demo of the Drone Cam for The Verge and said it works only on pre-programmed flight paths. So manual flight seems to have existed at some stage of development but won't reach customers at launch.

Ring spokesperson Sam McGee said the company "explored a lot of features throughout the development, but autonomous flight to patrol points using the AI Pilot is the best customer benefit and experience." Ring did not answer whether the decision came after the CBS demo.