Account Linking Test Flow Never Reaches Configured URLs

Ring Q&A
1

I’m trying to understand the expected behaviour of the current Ring Account Linking implementation.

Configuration

I have configured:

  • Account Link URL

  • Token Exchange URL

  • Webhook URL

All endpoints are publicly accessible and working.

What happens

  1. Click Log in with Ring from the Testing section.

  2. Ring authentication succeeds.

  3. SMS verification succeeds.

  4. My Ring account is automatically added as a staging user.

  5. The flow returns to the Testing page.

What does NOT happen

My application never receives any requests.

Specifically:

  • Account Link URL is never opened.

  • Token Exchange URL is never called.

  • Webhook URL is never called.

Network Trace

The browser sends:

{

“code”: “us-east-1…”,

“state”: “…”

}

to:

developer.amazon.c om/ring/console/api/testing/callback

The response is:

{

“app_url”: " Ring Appstore | Ring ",

“app_id”: “…”

}

After that, the flow ends.

Questions

  1. During testing, should Ring redirect the browser to the configured Account Link URL?

  2. During testing, should Ring call the configured Token Exchange URL?

  3. Is it expected that the authorization code is consumed by:

developer.amazon.c om/ring/console/api/testing/callback

instead of being sent to the partner application?

  1. Has the Account Linking flow changed recently (for example, due to the newer one-way account linking model)?

  2. Is there any additional approval, certification, or enablement required before the configured URLs are actually used during testing?

I’m mainly trying to determine whether the behaviour I’m seeing is expected or whether my application is missing a required configuration step.

Thanks!

2

Hello thanks for reaching out,

Good question, and what you’re seeing is expected behavior. The “Log in with Ring” button in the Developer Portal Testing section serves a single purpose: adding your Ring account as an authorized staging user. It does not trigger the full account linking flow to your endpoints.

Here’s how the two-step process works:

Step 1: Add staging user (Developer Portal)

This is what you’ve already done. “Log in with Ring” authorizes your Ring account to see and connect to the staging version of your app. No requests are sent to your endpoints during this step.

Step 2: Initiate the integration (Ring app)

The actual account linking flow (Token Exchange URL, Account Link URL, webhooks) is triggered when the staging user opens the Ring app, navigates to the Ring Appstore, finds your app, selects devices, and confirms the integration. This is when:

  1. Ring sends the authorization code to your Token Exchange URL
  2. Ring redirects the user to your Account Link URL with nonce and time parameters
  3. You complete account linking (POST + PATCH to App-Integrations API)
  4. Webhooks begin flowing to your Webhook URL

In short: The Developer Portal test flow just allowlists your account. The actual integration flow happens from the Ring app itself, same as it would for a real end user.

To test end-to-end:

  1. Complete the “Log in with Ring” step (done)
  2. Open the Ring app on your phone
  3. Navigate to the Ring Appstore
  4. Find your app (it will be visible because you’re an allowlisted staging user)
  5. Select devices, confirm, and the full OAuth/linking flow will hit your endpoints

Important requirements:

  • You must be logged in to ring.com with the same Ring account you added as a staging user
  • Your Ring account must have a US-located device registered
  • Your Ring account must have an active paid Ring Protect subscription (the free trial is not sufficient)

Hope that clears things up!

3

Hi Shay, Thanks, that helps clarify the testing flow.

One follow-up question if you would be so kind:

My Ring developer account is approved, I have a paid Ring Protect subscription, and I successfully added myself as a staging user. However, my Ring devices are located in the UK and the Ring Appstore does not appear anywhere inside my Ring mobile app.

Does the Ring Appstore currently require a US-located Ring device to appear in the mobile app, even for developers testing their own staging applications?

If so, what is the recommended way for UK-based developers to test account linking and staging integrations before certification?

Thanks!

4

Hi,

Yes, that’s correct. The Ring Appstore currently requires a US-located device to appear in the Ring mobile app. This applies to all users, including developers testing their own staging apps. With UK-located devices only, the Appstore section won’t be visible in your Ring app.

For testing purposes, some developers in your situation have worked around this by creating a location set to a US address in the Ring app and moving a device to that location. This will make the Ring Appstore visible and allow you to test the full staging flow. You can move the device back to your UK location once testing is complete.

Keep in mind you’ll still need a paid Ring Protect subscription on that device.

5

Hi Shay,

Thank you for the clarification.

Really appreciate the guidance and quick responses.

Thanks Again!

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