Arlo's Audio Doorbell doesn't seem to work with iOS 13, but company says fix is on the way

Image via Arlo

What you need to know

  • Numerous reports suggest that Arlo's Audio Doorbell does not work with iOS 13.
  • Arlo community forums are awash with complaints that after upgrading, the Audio Doorbell would no longer call their smartphone when someone came to their door.
  • Arlo says it is aware of the problem and is working on a fix.

A report via TechRadar has revealed that the Arlo Audio Doorbell is not compatible with iOS 13. According to the report:

Smart home security brand Arlo has responded to claims that its Audio Doorbell isn't playing nicely with Apple, with iPhone users complaining that the doorbell no longer calls their smartphones when somebody is at their door.Customers have flocked to the Arlo Community forums, with one user reporting that the problem started when they updated their iPhone to iOS 13, Apple's latest operating system.

Users in Arlo's forums claim to have tried resetting the Arlo base station with no success. Arlo has told TechRadar that it is aware of the problem and is currently working on a fix, in a statement to the outlet they said:

"Our team is aware of the issue where pressing the Arlo Audio Doorbell does not ring iOS devices that are using iOS 13. With the new iOS 13 update, Apple changed the way SIP calls are handled and, as a result, Arlo Audio Doorbell calls no longer connect to iOS devices when the Arlo app is running in the background.""We know how frustrating this is, and our developers are working to get expedited approval from Apple so that we may deploy an update to the Arlo App as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to resolve this issue."

SIP is the tech behind Wi-Fi calling, which allows users to make and receive voice/video calls over the internet without cellular service.

The report does seem to suggest that some Android users have also reported experiencing issues, however as Arlo has directly responded to the problem and believes iOS 13 to be the cause, it doesn't seem that these are related. Arlo's reference to "expedited approval" is the closest we have to a timeline on a fix for the issue. If you are an Arlo Audio Doorbell user, you might want to hold off on upgrading to iOS 13 if you're yet to do so.

The news comes in wake of Arlo announcing that its Ultra security camera is now compatible with HomeKit.

Stephen Warwick
News Editor

Stephen Warwick has written about Apple for five years at iMore and previously elsewhere. He covers all of iMore's latest breaking news regarding all of Apple's products and services, both hardware and software. Stephen has interviewed industry experts in a range of fields including finance, litigation, security, and more. He also specializes in curating and reviewing audio hardware and has experience beyond journalism in sound engineering, production, and design.

Before becoming a writer Stephen studied Ancient History at University and also worked at Apple for more than two years. Stephen is also a host on the iMore show, a weekly podcast recorded live that discusses the latest in breaking Apple news, as well as featuring fun trivia about all things Apple. Follow him on Twitter @stephenwarwick9