Blink Doorbell Not Picking Up Motion? (Try These Fixes!)

We understand the frustration when missing out on a scheduled delivery or an important visitor because your Blink doorbell not picking up motion. 

This mainly happens due to misconfiguration in the motion detection settings, improper camera installation, or issues with the camera detection sensor.

In this guide, you will learn how to:

So, let’s get started!

Why is the Blink Doorbell Not Picking Up Motion? – Easy Fix!

Note: Have you checked if the system is set to “Armed” from the homepage?

1. Adjust the Notification Settings

The doorbell uses the Blink app to send security notifications and alert you when a movement is picked up.

So, silencing your smartphone notifications or not configuring the notifications access of the Blink application will keep you in the dark.

First, let’s check if your phone is simply muted!

Step #1 Check the Mute/DND Status

Start by opening the quick access menu on your smartphone and checking if the “Airplane” or “Do Not Disturb” modes are active.

If you’re on an older iPhone (iPhone 14 and below), there’s an external “Mute” side switch that you may have accidentally pushed toward the “Off” position.

Step #2 Allow the Blink App’s Alerts

So, upon launching the Blink application for the first time, you will be prompted whether or not to allow notifications from this app.

Selecting “Not Allow” or “Deny” for Androids will mute all alerts from the application, including the motion detection messages.

• To configure the Blink notifications on Android, go to the “Settings” application, head to “Notifications”, press on “Blink” and ensure it’s set to “All Notifications”.
• To configure the Blink notifications on an iPhone, open the “Settings” app, find the Blink app then go to “Notification Style” → “Allow Notifications”.

Note: Some Androids have independent notification settings for each app!

2. Adjust the Motion Sensitivity

The Blink doorbell may be unable to pick up motion due to reduced motion sensitivity.

This feature defines the intensity of movement needed for a motion detection event to occur.

Well, Blink uses a PIR or PDA (Passive Infrared / Pixel Difference Analysis) to pick up motions.

Here’s how to adjust Blink’s motion sensitivity in easy steps:

1. Open the Blink app and tap on “More…”
2. After that, navigate to “Motion Settings”.
3. Now, tap on “Motion Sensitivity” below.
4. Set the Blink sensitivity from 6 through 9.
5. Then, tap on “Save” and exit the settings.

Quick Tip: Test the sensitivity by moving in front of your camera and checking for a notification!

High Vs. Low Motion Sensitivity:

The Blink doorbell’s motion sensitivity can be set from level 1 through 9, where “1” is considered the lowest sensitivity and “9” is the highest.

The default adjustment is “5,” which is balanced. We recommend slightly increasing the sensitivity to anything above 7 only for testing purposes.

3. Re-align the Blink Doorbell

An improper alignment is a leading reason why your Blink doorbell not detecting motion.

The doorbell’s faceplate needs to face upwards on your doorframe and have a complete angle of what’s happening on the front porch.

For example, not tightening the mounting plate may cause the faceplate to move a bit, which could have an impact on the recording quality and frequency of detections. 

How to Align the Blink Doorbell Properly?

The doorbell’s faceplate attaches to the mounting plate that uses several screws to install on your doorframe.

Ensure that:

• All the mounting plate screws are tightened and secured.
• The faceplate can’t move freely once it has been placed.

If necessary, check the quality of the threaded inserts on your doorframe.

If you had another doorbell that used bigger screws, it may be that Blink’s bolts are too small to install securely.

In such a case, our best recommendation is to move the doorbell to the alternative doorframe.

4. Disable the Notification Snooze

Well, even if your doorbell’s motion detection is set up and enabled, the notification snooze will silence all alerts that should otherwise appear in your phone’s notifications. 

The notification snooze can be manually enabled through the application for a pre-set period.

How to Check if Notification Snooze is Active?

To check if the notification snooze is active, open the Blink app and search for a small bell icon within the “More…” menu, right next to “Motion Detection”.

The bell is colored blue and has the “Z” icon on it, so pressing on the bell shows how much time is left for the snooze. 

How to Disable Blink’s Notification Snooze?

To deactivate the snooze of the Blink app’s notification, press on the bell icon and press “Off” in the activity functions.

Ensure there isn’t a schedule set for the snooze’s activation in the same menu where you’ve disabled it. 

Note: The notification snooze does not prevent motion events from being picked up/registered. 

5. Configure the Activity Zones

All motion-enabled video doorbells have a type of motion area that can be configured through the app and defines where the motion is picked up.

You can, for example, exclude the road in front of your home, or only the sidewalk, so you only pick up motion in your front yard or porch.

Here’s how to adjust the activity zones in the Blink app:

1. Open the Blink app and access the “Settings” page.
2. Go to “Motion Detection” and scroll to activity zones.
3. Tap the “Reset Zones” option at the top of the screen.
4. Assign the new activity zones to your Blink doorbell.
5. Tap “Save” and check if the camera picks up motion.

The Blink doorbell has both “Activity Zones” and “Privacy Zones” that can be excluded from the motion area.

You can also set up advanced activity zones, since changes in lighting conditions, for example, outside of the detection zones may trigger false alerts. 

6. Re-add the Doorbell’s System

Once successfully added to the application, your Blink doorbell creates a device system that “remembers” and registers all changes to the settings.

Removing the system and setting it up again helps address all sorts of functionality issues, including any motion detection problems. 

Follow these steps to re-add the Blink doorbell:

1. Open the Blink app and go to the settings tab.
2. Select “Device” then enter “System Settings”.
3. Tap the system’s name you wish to remove.
4. Select “Delete System” on the page’s bottom.
5. Tap “DELETE” to confirm the system removal.
6. Re-add the system after waiting ~10 seconds.

Alert: All settings of the Blink system will be erased after confirmation of the removal.

7. Troubleshoot the Blink App

The doorbell’s motion detection could be malfunctioning due to a pending app update or issues with the system cache.

The main suspect here is corrupted data as a result of a bad installation.

So, let’s walk you through a few quick steps you should try:

• Update the app: Open the Google Play/App Store on your smartphone, navigate to the app settings, and check if there’s a newer version available for the Blink app.
• Clear the cache: If you’re on Android, go to “Settings” → “Apps” → “Cache” and clear the Blink app’s cache and if you’re on iPhone, offload the app temporarily.
• Reinstall the app: Press and hold the Blink app’s icon on the homepage to show the actions menu, then choose “Remove/Uninstall” from the options.

Note: Your phone needs a reliable internet connection to update and download applications!

8. Reset the Doorbell’s OS

The factory reset works flawlessly when it comes to functionality issues, especially if the Blink doorbell not picking up motion.

It takes less than 30 seconds for the doorbell to reset and erase ALL settings and configurations, so keep that you’ll need to go through the initialization.

Warning: The data loss after a factory reset is irreversible!

To factory reset your Blink doorbell, detach the faceplate, uninstall the batteries, and hold the “RESET” button right above the compartment for 5 seconds.

After several seconds, reinsert the batteries and wait for the LED to blink in red several times.

Then, proceed to set up the doorbell motion detection from scratch within the mobile application.

Note: If you continue to experience motion detection issues, get in touch with Blink customer support or try to claim a replacement by using the device’s warranty.