Ring announced its first smart lock on October 7, 2026, and the feature that sets it apart is a small dial: when the battery runs flat, turning it by hand brings the lock back to life. Amazon, Ring’s parent company, says the device is planned for the United States in early 2027. It cannot go on sale until the Federal Communications Commission authorizes it. The dead-battery lockout is the scenario most often raised against electronic deadbolts, and Ring has built its debut product around answering it.
The dial that stands in for a spare key
Amazon’s announcement describes a built-in power dial and calls it a first-of-its-kind feature. The company adds that the lock needs no separate backup key or spare battery, and that it fits a standard single-cylinder deadbolt without additional wiring. It comes in black, silver and brass. Ring founder Jamie Siminoff framed the purpose in the same announcement, saying a lock has to work every time and that until now a dead battery could leave an owner locked out. Siminoff told TechCrunch that power is a major reason people hold off on buying smart locks, and that he knew the battery would eventually die on any such product.
The dial is an emergency measure, not a replacement for the battery. Amazon’s own wording is brief: “Turn the dial a few times and the Ring Smart Lock powers right back up.” In an interview with GeekWire, relayed by TechRepublic, Siminoff said roughly five to ten turns generate enough power to reactivate the lock, with the exact count depending on how far and how fast the dial is turned. A green light indicates readiness, after which the fingerprint reader, keypad or app can be used. TechCrunch reports that Siminoff described cranking the lock just enough to get in, then removing the rechargeable battery pack to charge it properly, with the battery expected to last about a year and the Ring app flagging when it needs charging. Nothing in the coverage suggests the dial sustains the lock indefinitely; it buys the time needed to open the door.
What FCC authorization means for the ship date
The regulatory claim comes from Amazon itself. Its announcement carries a disclosure stating that the lock “has not been authorized as required by the rules of the Federal Communications Commission” and that it may not be offered for sale, leased or sold until authorization is obtained. CE Pro, which covered the launch for the home-technology trade, reported the same status: the lock is announced, but not yet cleared for sale.
That wording matters because radio devices generally need equipment authorization before they can be marketed. An announcement is permitted; a retail listing or shipment is not. The lock uses Amazon Sidewalk and a fingerprint reader, so it contains radio hardware that falls under this regime.
No outlet read for this report cites an FCC identifier, a filing date or a grant for the lock, so the existence of a filing in the commission’s database is unconfirmed here. Observers should keep two states apart: a filing that merely appears in the database, and an authorization that has actually been granted. Only the second allows sale.
What remains outstanding, then, is the grant itself. Amazon’s stated window is early 2027, and TechCrunch gives it as the first quarter of 2027, pending authorization. Because the company has published no date for when it expects the grant, the early-2027 timing is a target conditioned on that approval, not a guaranteed shipping date. Buyers can sign up for updates through Ring’s product page, according to Amazon.
Sidewalk connectivity and the Ring app lineup
The lock opens four ways: a fingerprint reader, a backlit touchscreen keypad, the Ring app and Alexa voice control. Amazon says unlocking happens on the device itself, while remote locking, status updates and PIN syncing run over Amazon Sidewalk rather than home Wi-Fi. The company cautions that Sidewalk coverage varies by location and may change or be interrupted.
The Next Web notes that Sidewalk is available only in the United States, and found no mention of a European version of the lock. The same report puts the price at $249, a figure TechRepublic also gives; Amazon’s announcement and CE Pro do not state a price, so the number comes from press coverage rather than the company’s own page.
Within the Ring line, lock activity appears in the Ring app’s feed alongside doorbells, cameras and alarms, and owners can set who gets access and when it expires, such as limiting a dog walker to certain hours. TechCrunch adds that Ring eventually wants third-party developers to build specialized software for the lock, with short-term rental hosts who change codes often as an example. Ring launched four 4K cameras the same day, and TechRepublic lists Schlage, August and Yale as the established rivals the lock will face once it clears the FCC.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
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