The Aqara G3 has been around for around 9 months now – if you include its initial release in Mainland China – but when it started to appear internationally, Aqara’s international sites showed that the G3 was capable of custom audio, even though it wasn’t. That is until now it seems, with the latest firmware update (v3.3.9), which finally allows you to add your own audio files to the G3 that can then be used in automations. This is a feature that already came as standard with the more recent G2H Pro, so it’s great to see Aqara follow through on the promise of finally adding this feature to the G3.
currently, it’s available for G3 cameras connected to the Mainland China server, and we’re not aware of whether this update has rolled out internationally, but we’re told that Aqara’s international beta testing operations have been using this feature on International models of the G3, so it’s definitely coming if it hasn’t already come to pass.
The latest update has a few fixes and additional features, including optimisations, and WiFi updates, but the custom ringtone is something many will be most excited about. In the camera settings within the Aqara app, you now get a new ‘Custom ringtone’ option.
There are a few ways in which you can import audio files, even if it’s not immediately clear, but we found that the easiest way for iOS users, was to upload audio files to iCloud drive, which can then be accessed via your iPhone from within the Aqara app.
It should be noted that these custom ringtones/audio files can only be used in automations within the Aqara app, not in HomeKit, at least not directly, but then as most of Aqara’s product lines are HomeKit compatible, it’s safe to say you only need to be slightly creative to get some great results. I’ve found that personalised voice greetings based on the facial recognition function in the G3 are certainly quite novel, but you could create audio files that are at least a bit more unique than the generic sounds offered in the Aqara app for alarms and ringtones.
You can check out this feature on the G2H Pro, via our video for the Aqara A100 Zigbee Smart Lock (starting at 11’15”)