Skip to main content

Amazon to end support for Cloud Cam – here’s what it means

Amazon has revealed it’s ending support for its Cloud Cam home security camera toward the end of this year, though it’s aiming to soften the blow by offering owners a couple of freebies.

In a widely reported email sent by Amazon to affected customers, the company said it will replace the Cloud Cam with its newer security camera, the Blink Mini, and also provide a one-year Blink Subscription Plus Plan worth $100.

Amazon launched the Alexa-compatible Blink Mini in 2020, soon after it ended sales of the Cloud Cam. The company says the Mini offers “an easy-to-use indoor security camera experience with 1080p HD video, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi connectivity, night vision, motion detection, and two-way audio.”

Customers with a Cloud Cam can continue to use the device until December 2. After that, the camera and its companion apps will lose their functionality. All video recording history will be deleted, too, though customers can save any footage by downloading it before the December deadline.

Anyone using Cloud Cam Key Edition as a Zigbee hub will no longer be able to use it to connect to compatible locks or manage pin codes in the Amazon Key app. In this case, affected owners will be given a free Echo (4th generation) that will serve as a Zigbee hub, enabling remote control of a connected lock using Alexa.

One potential annoyance is that once the year’s worth of free access ends, the new Blink Cam customers will have to sign up to at least the Basic Plan ($3 per month/$36 per year) to use some features — for example, quick video access — that were offered for free with the Cloud Cam.

In its recent email to Cloud Cam owners, Amazon said: “With your help over the last five years, Cloud Cam has served as a reliable indoor security camera and a hub for Amazon Key-compatible smart locks that work with Alexa. As the number of Alexa smart home devices continues to grow, we are focusing efforts on Ring, Blink, and other technologies that make your home smarter and simplify your everyday routines. Therefore, we have decided to no longer continue support for Amazon Cloud Cam and its companion apps.”

Amazon plans to send all registered Cloud Cam owners details on how to obtain their free Blink Mini and (if applicable) Echo before December.

Editors' Recommendations

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is a premium outdoor camera with tons of AI features
The Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro installed on a wall.

The Wyze catalog is already loaded with popular outdoor (and indoor) cameras, and the newly announced Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro is looking to give shoppers another affordable option to consider. Offering a 2.5K resolution, 180-degree coverage, and the ability to use onboard AI to trigger motion alerts and activate the floodlight, there are tons of useful features packed into this $150 smart home gadget.

Alongside its premium filming resolution and impressive 180-degree field-of-view, the Wyze Cam Floodlight Pro also lets you enable a voice-deterrence system, which will automatically play a voice prompt telling intruders they’re being recorded. And if that’s not enough, the 105-decibel siren should scare away any would-be burglars (or dangerous wildlife).

Read more
Ring’s new indoor camera features a built-in privacy shutter
The Ring Indoor Cam mounted on a wall.

Ring is launching a new Ring Indoor Cam on May 24, and it’ll be the first indoor camera in its catalog to include a privacy shutter. The shutter allows you to turn off both the camera and microphone, and it can be easily removed if you don’t need the additional privacy features.

The shutter can’t, however, be remotely activated. This means you’ll need to manually swivel the privacy shutter in front of the camera when you want to use it, then swivel it out of the way when you want to start recording again. Still, as the first Ring Indoor Cam to offer the feature, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

Read more
What does the Amazon Echo yellow ring color mean?
Amazon Echo Dot (4th Gen) LED light ring

Amazon’s Echo devices come in all shapes and sizes -- including cylinders, orbs, and screens. But there’s one thing they all have in common: Every Echo houses the Alexa voice assistant and uses an LED indicator light to provide clues on what Alexa may be doing right now. On classic Echo speakers, this light took the form of a pulsing ring, which can change to different colors based on activity.

We’ve come across many Alexa users who have noticed that their Echo device has started showing a yellow ring and aren’t really sure what that means or what they should do about it. A yellow ring isn’t typically anything to worry about, but our FAQ will go over the details so you know what’s going on!
What does the yellow ring look like exactly?
Your Echo device will pulse a yellow color that will die down for a few seconds, then pulse again. This may or may not be accompanied by an audio alert, one that's easy to miss if no one is around paying attention, which is why it’s common to be surprised by a yellow pulse from your Echo.

Read more