by Amazon is now offering to replace customers’ discontinued Cloud Cam smart cameras with a new Blink Mini following its decision earlier this year to shut down its Cloud Cam product line and end support for mobile apps associated with the device. At the time of the retailer’s announcement in May 2022, Amazon said it would send customers information on how to order their replacement products, which would also include a one-year Blink Plus subscription plan.
However, these emails did not arrive immediately, causing customers to worry that Amazon had misled them or that they might have missed the important email when it arrived.
It turns out that those emails are just starting to go out. Over the past few days, Amazon Cloud Cam owners report that they received instructions on how to order their replacement Blink product.
The email thanks customers for their support and informs them that for every active Cloud Cam device they own, Amazon will give users a free Blink Mini and a one-year Blink Plus subscription plan that covers all devices under a Blink account.
The email then details the Cloud Cam products that Amazon has identified as active on the user’s account and explains how to make the purchase using a promo code. The company says customers have until January 26, 2023 to redeem their code. Each order only allows for one promo code, so customers with larger Cloud Cam setups will need to check out separately for each device they intend to replace.
The replacement product, Blink Mini, offers an indoor security camera with 1080p HD video, 2.4GHz WiFi connectivity, night vision, motion detection, and two-way audio. It also works with Alexa. These specs are similar to Cloud Cam, which also offered 1080p HD video, night vision, and two-way audio.
Amazon customers can also recycle their old cameras by requesting a free UPS shipping label through the Amazon Recycling Program, Email Notes.
After purchasing the product, customers will then need to log into their Amazon account associated with their email and place the order for their Blink subscription, which will show up for free at checkout. (A Blink account is required to activate your subscription plan – so wait until it’s set up first or you’ll be charged full price).
This subscription differs from those historically offered to Cloud Cam users, who had been able to choose from three pricing tiers of $6.99, $9.99, or $19.99 per month, depending on the number of cameras they have ( three, five or 10) and how long they want to store video clips – either a week, two weeks or a month, respectively. The Blink Plus subscription plan is a $10 per month (or $100/year) paid plan that offers 60 days of unlimited video history for an unlimited number of Blink devices, instead of just one.
Of course, former Cloud Cam customers replacing a single camera could upgrade to the basic Blink subscription plan at $3 per month (or $30/year) after their free year ends.
The company also gives its customers time to export their data from the Cloud Cam platform before it is gone forever. Starting December 2, 2022, customers will no longer be on Cloud Cam or its associated apps. Until then, customers can download their available video recordings if they wish. But after that date, all video history will be deleted, warns Amazon.
To export their content, customers will need to click on each video in the “Saved Clips” section of the app, then click the Download icon to save the recording.
Amazon said its decision to scrap the Cloud Cam, which first launched in 2017, was because the company’s line of Alexa-connected devices had grown over the years and had decided to concentrate its efforts on other products.
“With your help for the past five years, Cloud Cam has served as a reliable indoor security camera and hub for Amazon Key-enabled smart locks that work with Alexa,” explained the first email to Cloud Cam customers. “As the number of Alexa smart home devices continues to grow, we’re focusing our efforts on Ring, Blink, and other technologies that make your home smarter and simplify your daily routines.”
To find the email regarding the replacements, search your inbox for a message from “[email protected]” with the subject line “An important reminder about your Cloud Cam”.
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