# Ring rules out manual controls for drone after crash during test

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/ring-confirms-its-camera-drone-wont-have-manual-controls-after-crashing-on-cbs-news/
- Published: 2026-11-12T11:12:32+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T11:33:53+00:00
- Original publisher: The Verge
- Original article: https://www.theverge.com/tech/1031817/ring-drone-cam-manual-flight-controls
- Topics: AI, Technology

## Key points

- Ring’s Drone Cam will use autonomous flight only.
- An early manual-control demonstration ended in two crashes.
- The company did not explain whether the demo shaped its decision.

## Summary

Ring says customers will not be able to manually pilot its planned Drone Cam, which is due to launch in January. The camera will instead use its AI Pilot to follow preset routes and avoid obstacles, a decision that draws attention after an early demonstration ended in crashes.

In a CBS News demonstration, Ring founder Jamie Siminoff let reporter Jo Ling Kent control an early drone through an app; it crashed twice. Ring attributed the first crash to a collision-avoidance malfunction and said the second followed a loss of internet connectivity, which the drone also needs for autonomous flight. Siminoff said it should stop and land if connectivity is lost, but it did not. Ring did not say whether the demonstration influenced its decision to omit manual controls.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.