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Amazon is dropping support for its Cloud Cam indoor security camera. Cloud Cams, including the Key Edition, and all companion apps will stop working on December 2, 2022. The company will provide users with a free Blink Mini as a replacement, with a full year of a Blink Subscription Plan. Cloud Cam Key Edition users will also get a fourth-gen Echo.
In an emailed notification to users, Amazon said this move is due to the growing number of Alexa smart home devices (via Reddit). The company wants to focus efforts on “Ring, Blink, and other technologies that make your home smarter and simplify your everyday routines”. As such, it is eliminating the Cloud Cam from the list of products it needs to support.
Users have until December 2 to download any video recordings if available. After that, all recordings will be deleted and the security camera will no longer be usable. Cloud Cam Key Edition, which worked as a Zigbee hub and lets you connect to compatible smart locks or manage pin codes in the Amazon Key app, will also lose that ability.
Before the aforementioned deadline, Amazon will send another email to users with instructions for redeeming their free Blink Mini and fourth-gen Echo (for Cloud Cam Key Edition users only). The Alexa-enabled security camera comes with 1080p HD video, night vision, motion detection, and two-way audio. It’s an ideal replacement for the Could Cam, while the Echo will double up as the hub.
However, Blink Mini requires a subscription for many basic features that Cloud Cam offered for free. Amazon will offer the Blink Subscription Plus for free for a year. However, after that, you will have to shell out $10 per month or $100 per year. There’s also a $3 per month plan for a single camera.
Not all Cloud Cam owners may get a free Blink Mini
It’s unclear whether all Cloud Cam owners will get the free replacement devices from Amazon. In a statement to MacRumors, a company spokesperson suggested only “those still actively using” their existing Cloud Cams” will be eligible for the free Blink Mini and fourth-gen Echo (Key Edition users). It doesn’t explain the criteria in more detail. So it’s unclear whether those who own the devices but aren’t currently using them will get a free replacement.
Amazon says it will further improve its smart home ecosystem in the coming years. “We will continue to offer innovative smart home security solutions for our customers through Amazon’s Ring and Blink brands,” the company said.