Amazon is now replacing customers’ discontinued Cloud Cams with new Blink Mini devices

Amazon is now offering customers to replace their discontinued Cloud Cam smart cameras with a new Blink Mini, after the company decided earlier this year to discontinue its Cloud Cam line of products and end support for the device’s associated mobile apps. At the time of the retailer’s announcement in May 2022, Amazon said it would email customers with information on how to order their replacement products, which would also include a one-year Blink Subscription Plus plan.

These emails didn’t arrive immediately, however, which worried customers that Amazon had either misled them or perhaps missed the important email when it came.

As it turns out, these emails are only now being sent out. Over the past few days, Amazon Cloud Cam owners have reported that they have received instructions on how to order their Blink replacement product.

The email thanks customers for their support and informs them that Amazon will be offering users a free Blink Mini and a one-year Blink Subscription Plus plan for every active Cloud Cam device they own, bringing all devices under one Blink account covers.

The email then includes details of which Cloud Cam products 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 one promo code, so customers with larger Cloud Cam setups must check out separately for each device they wish to replace.

The replacement 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. Those specs are similar to the Cloud Cam, which had 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, the email notes.

After purchasing the product, customers must then log into their Amazon account associated with their email address and place the order for their Blink subscription, which will show as 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 previously offered to Cloud Cam users, who could choose from three tiers of pricing of $6.99, $9.99, or $19.99 per month, depending on how many cameras they have (three, five or 10) and how long they want to store video clips – either a week, two weeks or a month. The Blink Subscription Plus Plan is a $10/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 just one camera could downgrade to the basic Blink subscription plan for $3 a month (or $30 a year) after their free year expires.

The company also gives its customers time to export their data from the Cloud Cam platform before it’s gone for good. Beginning December 2, 2022, customers will no longer use 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, Amazon warns.

To export their content, customers must click on each video in the Recorded Clips section of the app and then click the download icon to save the recording.

Amazon said its decision to ditch Cloud Cam, which first launched in 2017, was because the company’s smart home offering of Alexa-connected devices has grown over the years and it decided to divert its efforts to other products focus.

“With your help, Cloud Cam has served as a reliable indoor security camera and hub for Amazon Key-compatible smart locks that work with Alexa for the past five years,” the first email to Cloud Cam customers explained. “As the number of Alexa smart home devices continues to grow, we’re focusing on Ring, Blink and other technologies that make your home smarter and simplify your daily routines.”

To find the replacement email, search your inbox for a message from “[email protected]” with the subject line “An important reminder about your Cloud Cam”.