Video doorbells offer many benefits, one of which is their two-way audio feature that lets you communicate with visitors through an app or smart display when someone approaches your door. However, many models have advanced beyond this basic function by including an ultra-convenient feature: automatic replies powered by built-in voice assistants and similar technologies. For example, with Ring doorbells, you can customize responses to greet trick-or-treaters with fun Halloween messages. Does this mean an AI video doorbell can fully converse on your behalf?While we're moving in that direction soon, currently most devices provide pre-set messages triggered when someone rings the bell. Here’s how to activate these helpful modes and an overview of their capabilities. Read more: My Favorite AI Features in the Smart Home Access your app and locate your doorbell settings Open the doorbell app and go to the Devices section if needed. Select your doorbell, then find the settings icon—commonly a hamburger menu (three lines), a gear, or three dots. The Ring app, shown in my examples, offers robust reply settings, but you should find similar options in most apps. Turn on greetings and quick replies Look for the option to enable quick replies or automated responses. On the Ring app, this is found under Smart Responses. Here you can activate quick replies to ensure the feature is live. Select your quick replies (often including seasonal choices) Several doorbells, such as Ring’s, let you customize the messages sent by your doorbell. This is a fun way to entertain visitors—for instance, setting a special Halloween greeting.

Other choices include messages for Thursday night football or a generic “Leave a message at the beep. ” Many devices support such personalization. You can usually access and send these pre-set messages manually from the live view screen, without waiting for someone to ring the bell. Activate voice assistant greetings if supported Certain doorbells offer more advanced options that connect with voice assistants for enhanced customization and limited conversational abilities. For example, Alexa greetings are available on Ring Wired Doorbell Plus and Pro models, with more interactive Alexa Plus Greetings expected on new 2K Ring doorbells by December 2025. Similarly, Gemini for Home, rolling out since October 2025, is likely to bring more conversational greetings to Nest/Google Home-compatible doorbells. This is an exciting area as doorbell features continue evolving. Adjust reply settings to suit your preferences Video doorbell greetings often include adjustable settings. For example, Ring’s quick replies have a delay option—by default mine was set to 10 seconds, which I found too long, so I changed it to play immediately. Google Nest Doorbells may not have delay settings but do allow you to change the spoken language. It’s wise to review these options to ensure greetings work as you want. Alternative method: Use the doorbell phone alert to reply manually With some models like Google Nest, quick replies (called Quick Responses) function differently. Rather than playing automatically when the bell rings, these must be activated manually by the user. When your Nest doorbell sends an alert such as “Person detected, ” you can tap on it and select a response, for example, “You can just leave it. ” These responses are also accessible through live view. Unfortunately, Nest doorbells currently don’t offer the same customization options as Ring devices. However, Gemini for Home may bring changes in this area in the coming months.