Amazon is shutting down its smart home camera, Cloud Cam and its complementary apps, the company informed customers via a recent email. Launched in 2017, the nearly five-year-old Cloud Cam was one of Amazon’s first entries in the area of Alexa-connected home security devices, arriving just before the camera manufacturer’s retailer acquisition and connected ringtones, Blink, and shortly after, Smart Ringer Manufacturer Ring. Now, Amazon says it is now focusing its efforts on Ring and Blink, so it no longer intends to support Cloud Cam.
“With your help over the past five years, Cloud Cam has served as a reliable internal security camera and hub for Amazon Key-enabled smart locks that work with Alexa,” the email tells existing customers. “As the number of Alexa smart home devices continues to grow, we are focusing our efforts on Ring, Blink and other technologies that make your home smarter and simplify your daily routines.”
Email continues to inform customers that as of December 2, 2022, they will no longer be able to use Cloud Cam or its associated applications. Until then, users will still be able to download their video recordings. But from the closing date, all video history will be deleted and the service will stop working.
Fortunately, for affected customers, they will not only be left with a useless device as a result of the shutdown, after paying more than $ 100 to buy their Cloud Cam smartphone. Instead, Amazon is doing the right thing in this case by offering a free replacement device. The company says it will offer Cloud Cam users a free Blink Mini and a one-year Blink Subscription Plus plan. The Blink Mini is an internal security camera with 1080p HD video, 2.4 GHz Wifi connectivity, night vision, motion detection, two-way audio and, like Cloud Cam, works with Alexa devices.
These specifications are similar to Cloud Cam, which also offered 1080p HD video, night vision, and two-way audio. However, Cloud Cam’s subscription plan is different from Blink’s. Today, Cloud Cam users can choose from three price ranges of $ 6.99, $ 9.99, or $ 19.99 per month, depending on how many cameras they have (3, 5, or 10) and how long they want store video clips for a week, two weeks, or a month, respectively. In the meantime, Blink subscriptions include a free level with no video history or a $ 3 / month or $ 10 / month (Basic or Plus) payment plan, each offering an unlimited 60-day video history. But only the Plus subscription allows more than one camera.
Amazon said it will send a separate email before the Cloud Cam shutdown informs customers how to claim their free replacement device.
In the meantime, Cloud Cam users can back up their videos from the “Recorded Clips” section in the top right menu of the app. They will need to click on each video and then click the Download icon to save the video. They can also delete recordings from here or from Amazon’s “Manage your content and devices” online center.