Ring Search Party is a community feature that can send alerts about lost pets or other local searches through the Ring app. If these notifications are no longer useful, you can usually disable them without turning off your Ring doorbell, cameras, or motion alerts. This guide explains how to disable Ring Search Party on iPhone and Android, what to do if the setting is missing, and how the change affects your account.
What Ring Search Party Does
Search Party is connected to Ring’s community features, including Neighbors and local requests for help. Depending on your location and Ring app version, you may receive alerts about a missing pet, a lost item, or another community search.
These alerts are separate from security notifications. Disabling Ring Search Party should not stop:
- Doorbell rings
- Camera motion alerts
- Person or package detection notifications
- Live View access
- Video recording
- Alarm or sensor alerts
The name and available controls can vary by country, account type, and app version. In some Ring apps, Search Party may appear under Neighbors, Community Requests, or a similar notification category.
How to Disable Ring Search Party in the Ring App
The fastest way to disable Ring Search Party is to adjust its notification category inside the Ring app.
- Open the Ring app on your phone.
- Tap the Menu icon, usually three lines in the upper-left corner.
- Open Control Center, Settings, or Neighbors, depending on your app layout.
- Look for Community Requests, Search Party, or Neighbors notifications.
- Turn off the toggle for Search Party alerts or community search notifications.
- Close and reopen the app to confirm the setting was saved.
Some versions place notification controls under your profile picture or account icon. If you do not see Search Party immediately, open the Neighbors section and tap its gear icon or notification settings button.
You may see separate switches for different alert types. If available, disable only Search Party while leaving general Neighbors safety alerts enabled. This lets you continue receiving local crime or safety updates without getting missing-pet or search requests.
Disable Ring Search Party Notifications on Your Phone
If the Ring app does not provide a separate Search Party switch, your phone’s notification settings can block the alerts.
On iPhone
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap Notifications.
- Select Ring.
- Turn off Allow Notifications to block every Ring notification.
iPhone generally does not expose every Ring notification category separately. If Ring lists individual notification types, turn off the category related to Neighbors, Community, or Search Party instead of disabling all Ring alerts.
Before using the complete notification switch, check whether you still need doorbell or camera alerts. Turning off all Ring notifications can prevent important security warnings from appearing on your lock screen.
On Android
- Open Settings.
- Tap Notifications, then App notifications.
- Select Ring.
- Review the available notification categories.
- Turn off Search Party, Neighbors, Community, or a similarly named category.
Android often provides more detailed notification controls than iPhone. You may be able to block community alerts while continuing to receive doorbell rings, motion events, and alarm notifications.
The exact menu names differ between Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, OnePlus, and other Android phones. Use the Settings search box and search for Ring notifications if you cannot find the menu manually.
What to Do If Search Party Keeps Appearing
If you disable Ring Search Party but still see alerts, first check whether you changed the app setting or only muted one notification. A temporary mute may not permanently disable future requests.
Try these troubleshooting steps:
- Update the Ring app through the Apple App Store or Google Play.
- Sign out of the Ring app, then sign back in.
- Restart your phone.
- Recheck both Ring’s notification settings and your phone’s notification settings.
- Confirm that the alert is actually from Ring and not a neighborhood, pet-tracking, or local safety app.
- Clear the Ring app cache on Android if the old setting continues to appear.
On Android, open Settings > Apps > Ring > Storage and choose Clear cache. Avoid selecting Clear data unless you are prepared to sign in again and restore app preferences.
If Search Party alerts are generated through Neighbors, you may need to disable Neighbors notifications rather than a setting specifically labeled Search Party. This can also remove other community updates, so review the available categories carefully.
Privacy and Participation Considerations
Disabling notifications does not necessarily remove your information from Ring’s community services. It mainly stops alerts from reaching your phone. If you previously posted a search request, that request may remain active until it expires or is deleted.
To manage an active request, open the relevant Neighbors or community post and look for options such as Delete, Close Request, or Manage Post. Removing a post is different from disabling Search Party notifications.
If privacy is your main concern, review Ring’s Control Center, community profile, location, and sharing settings. Avoid posting unnecessary details, such as your full address, daily schedule, or identifying information about other people. You can also disable broader Neighbors participation if you no longer want to view or contribute to community content.
FAQ: Disabling Ring Search Party
Can I disable Ring Search Party without turning off camera alerts? Yes. Use Ring’s notification categories and turn off only Search Party, Community Requests, or Neighbors alerts. Your doorbell, motion, and camera notifications should continue working.
Why can’t I find a Search Party setting in the Ring app? Ring changes menu names and feature availability by region and app version. Look under Neighbors, Control Center, Community Requests, or notification settings. Updating the app may also reveal newer controls.
Does disabling Search Party delete my previous community post? No. Notification settings usually affect future alerts only. Open the original community request and delete or close it separately if you no longer want it available.
Conclusion
To disable Ring Search Party, start with the Ring app’s Neighbors, Community Requests, or notification settings. If no dedicated switch appears, use your phone’s Ring notification categories. Check that essential doorbell and camera alerts remain enabled, and delete any active search posts separately if needed.
