As of December 2, 2022, Amazon will discontinue all support and service for Cloud Cam devices and accompanying applications.
People first learned about the drop in an email that Amazon sent to customers. A user on the HomeKit subreddit he was kind enough to share the information. Emailing will delete your entire video history from your Cloud Cam on December 2nd, but you can download the recordings. The Cloud Cam – Key Edition will also lose its functionality to connect to smart locks and manage codes in the last day.
Amazon states in the email that they would rather focus on their other smart home technology; in other words that is, Ring the video bells i Flashing security cameras. We contacted Amazon and a spokesperson confirmed the closing date, the renewed focus on Ring and Blink and revealed that people will be able to replace their Cloud Cams.
In exchange for a Cloud Cam, Amazon will offer you a Blink Mini plan and a Blink Subscription Plus plan for one year. He Blink Mini is a small, inexpensive indoor camera with a 110-degree field of view and can record in Full HD.
According to Blink, the More map will give you “motion-enabled notifications”, the ability to share regularly recorded recordings and photos, among other features. Amazon also offers a free service 4th generation echo to owners of Cloud Cam: Key Edition to use as a hub for smart locks.
If you’re someone who has multiple cameras in the cloud, you’re in luck. The Amazon representative clarified that for every active Cloud Cam you have, you’ll get a Blink Mini. And for every Cloud Cam – Key Edition you have, you’ll get a fourth-generation Mini and Echo. All in all, a great way to accommodate people who want to lose their devices.
Amazon says it will send emails detailing how to get the Blink Mini, Echo and Plus plan a year before the December 2 closing date; although they did not say exactly when. And if you want to back up your videos, the Recent ad email provides detailed instructions.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
Analysis: trend towards the disappearance of the smart home
Given the recent trends, Amazon is dropping Cloud Cam is not a random move, as many smart home businesses have been biting the dust lately.
In April 2022, iHome closed its servicemaking the company’s devices unusable. Insteon he suffered the same fate and was handed over to a financial services company to manage the liquidation of his assets.
It looks like Amazon is resisting this fall by focusing on a few ever-expanding brands. It seems like the smart home concept isn’t as popular as these companies would have liked it to be, but at least Amazon offers replacement devices, not ghost devices.