Amazon to end Cloud Cam service and provide owners with a free Blink Mini

Amazon to soon end support for its Cloud Cam security camera and provide owners with a free Blink Mini to replace it. Last week, MacRumors noted the change and The Verge obtained a copy of an email sent to customers announcing the change. Cloud Cam owners will be able to use their cameras and download video until December 2 this year, after which all recordings will be deleted, and the hardware will stop working. Customers with Cloud Cam Key Edition will also lose the ability to connect to smart locks, though they can get a free 4th-gen Echo to replace the functionality.

"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 said in its email, which was also posted on Reddit.

In a statement to MacRumors, Amazon added that "we will continue to offer innovative smart home security solutions for our customers through Amazon's Ring and Blink brands." It also specified that it will give Blink Mini cameras to users who are "still actively using their Cloud Cam," although it's not clear if that's a formal criteria for getting the free replacement.

Cloud Cam owners will receive email instructions to redeem their free Blink Mini and (for Key Edition owners) Echo before the December 2 deadline. The Blink Mini will come with a one-year subscription to Blink Subscription Plus, which usually costs $10 per month or $100 per year. A subscription to either the Plus or the basic $3-per-month single-camera plan is required for many Blink features, including quick access to video and motion-activated recording. Cloud Cam also required a paid subscription for advanced features, though it did offer some free options that require payment on the Blink Mini.

The Cloud Cam lineup launched in 2017 and ended in late 2019 after Amazon acquired security camera makers Blink and Ring. Now Amazon is following a well-established pattern of companies blocking smart home hardware because they no longer want to support their ecosystem. Customers won't be left entirely out of resources thanks to a replacement, but they will still have useless hardware that they may have purchased only a few years ago.