diff --git a/drivers/iio/iio_core_trigger.h b/drivers/iio/iio_core_trigger.h
index 374816bc3e7371..e1a56824e07fe4 100644
--- a/drivers/iio/iio_core_trigger.h
+++ b/drivers/iio/iio_core_trigger.h
@@ -9,8 +9,10 @@
 /**
  * iio_device_register_trigger_consumer() - set up an iio_dev to use triggers
  * @indio_dev: iio_dev associated with the device that will consume the trigger
+ *
+ * Return 0 if successful, negative otherwise
  **/
-void iio_device_register_trigger_consumer(struct iio_dev *indio_dev);
+int iio_device_register_trigger_consumer(struct iio_dev *indio_dev);
 
 /**
  * iio_device_unregister_trigger_consumer() - reverse the registration process
diff --git a/drivers/iio/industrialio-trigger.c b/drivers/iio/industrialio-trigger.c
index ea3c9859b2589e..438d5012e8b8e9 100644
--- a/drivers/iio/industrialio-trigger.c
+++ b/drivers/iio/industrialio-trigger.c
@@ -692,10 +692,12 @@ int iio_trigger_validate_own_device(struct iio_trigger *trig,
 }
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(iio_trigger_validate_own_device);
 
-void iio_device_register_trigger_consumer(struct iio_dev *indio_dev)
+int iio_device_register_trigger_consumer(struct iio_dev *indio_dev)
 {
 	indio_dev->groups[indio_dev->groupcounter++] =
 		&iio_trigger_consumer_attr_group;
+
+	return 0;
 }
 
 void iio_device_unregister_trigger_consumer(struct iio_dev *indio_dev)