- 88.9LEGITIMACY SCORE
- 89.4SAFETY SCORE
- 4+CONTENT RATING
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YI Home App Complaints & User Negative Comments 2024
YI Home app received 161 complaints, negative comments and reviews by users. Have you ever had a bad experience using YI Home? Can you share your negative thoughts about yi home?
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YI Home for Negative User Reviews
✓ New update is garbagePlease resort back to previous version. Yi needs to stop trying to push these new updates. The last version worked perfectly, stop trying to pull us into subscriptions and releasing these garbage updates. You went back to the previous version last time you tried this, I hope you decide to do the same this time or you’ll be losing me as a long time purchaser of your cameras..Version: 5.0.1
✓ New update is horrible.Video image is a 3rd of the screen now, which makes it difficult to see. Really poor user interface..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Intermittent appHad this for years. Never had any issues with it. But over the last month, it’s very hit and miss as to whether the app will work or not. It freezers won’t allow you to access any cameras. And today, the app just won’t work. It’s just a black screen. iPhone is on the latest software and app was updated 1 day ago. No idea on why it’s just stop responding or working. But when it was working. Was all good. Used for many holidays and keeping the house safe. Good product. But currently really bad app interactions..Version: 6.1.1
✓ Camera stops working everydayFor some reason my indoor camera stops working every single day at 9.29am Melbourne Australia time. You hear it actually click and then stops working. The only way to fix it is to unplug and plug back in. The fun part is, 5 out of the 7 days there’s nobody home at this time to reset it. So it stays off ALL DAY!!! What’s the point of having it? If you’re in Australia, get the Kmart Anko ones. We have the doorbell as well and it’s brilliant!! And free to access all your vision!!.Version: 4.5.3
✓ Camera great, app terribleBought as a pet cam to keep an eye on dog when I’m at work. Imagine my horror when at work, I can’t access the camera because the app says my login has expired and no matter what I do, I can’t get access to my camera to check on my young dog. Also keep getting a ridiculous amount of messages about Kami cloud which is difficult to get rid of. Today, once again, I find my camera is inaccessible due to my login apparently expired and it seems there’s nothing I can do to fix it. Please please sort this out, otherwise I’ll have to abandon and choose something more reliable, this just isn’t fit for purpose!.Version: 6.0.9
✓ Horrible appCan’t even connect with app .. it just keeps sending s message connection times out.Version: 6.0.3
✓ Remove adsRemove ad soon as possible, or I remove YI camers.Version: 6.0.9
✓ Be aware of Kami Vision Hidden ChargesFor the price this was a great low cost security camera app that we had used. However when I opted not to renew my subscription a few months ago I noticed I was now being charged for Kami Vision. I had no idea what it was until I was able to find the link connecting it to the Yi Home which is its cloud version. They were charging me $15 a month separately outside my app subscriptions!! Why am I now being charged for this if I CANCELED THE CAMERAS? The charges began when I canceled the Yi Home subscription so I know it’s separate. Once you opt to cancel you are required to continue with chat, phone or email to continue through with the cancellation. It’s all in fine print and this is how they get you if you’re not paying attention!! It’s like trying to break out of Alcatraz just to cancel this!!! I’m not a fan of this type of business practice..Version: 6.3.0
✓ App keeps crashing!Used to be great and cheap but now too expensive and unstable really disappointing, I keep deleting the and reinstalling the app as it crashes at the loading screen..Version: 6.1.1
✓ Nothing but crashesThis app crashes on launch - even on the latest version; what good is functionality when app never works? Are these developers ignoring feedback?.Version: 6.3.1
✓ New update sucks!!Wish I could go back to previous versions. Not being able to see the live time clock is a horrible change. SD card playback also doesn’t show the exact time when rewinding back which is a horrible change. Don’t fix what isn’t broken. Previous version was great as is. Don’t understand why we are no longer given the option to simply view the running clock/time. Please please fix!!!.Version: 5.0.1
✓ Used to be great now just pushes salesI’ve had these cameras for 5+ years and they were great in the beginning. Reasonably priced, had SD card slots, easy to set up, could view multiple screens at the same time, free updates, app worked well etc. Now all they do is try to push their paid subscription even when you use a SD card…. They want to charge for playback on your own memory card… (EDIT: they stopped this with the new update) Any new features they have are only for subscription members. They want you to pay to view multiscreen when you didn’t have to before. Overall has gone downhill with the constant trying to nickle and dime over every little function and the app is slow to load. EDIT: WORSE now they have added ADS when you open the app on top of it taking forever to load.Version: 6.1.7
✓ Très mauvais serviceL’application me coûte 18$ par mois. Elle est extrêmement lente, incomplète et pas fiable. La qualité de l’image, même en HD, est médiocre. Elle capte une fois sur trois. J’ai acheté 6 de ces caméras, que je compte bien me débarrasser pour avoir mieux ailleurs. J’ai écrit à YiHome, jamais eu de réponse… Je ne recommande pas..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Impossible to get any supportI have the premium continuous recording membership which at some point randomly stopped recording alerts (as it should). There’s nowhere in the app to contact support. If you click app support from here in the App Store, it takes you to a page where the ‘contact us’ button does nothing. When it was recording alerts, it would never pick up people leaving and entering the house whilst pointed out the window at the front door, however I was very knowledgeable on the comings and going’s of all the local butterflies, bees and birds. And that was on the lowest sensitivity setting. Absolute rubbish. Had another issue a while back and again was unable to speak to a person. I’m going to buy a different camera from another company..Version: 4.7.2
✓ It was a good appIt was working well. Now the company push you to buy cloud storage plan cost over $120 per year. Without it it seems cannot even replay the motion detection video chips stored on the SD card..Version: 5.7.0
✓ Update SucksThe newest update sucks and doesn’t let you use your memory card as storage. Forcing you to purchase the cloud storage. NO WAY WILL I EVER BUY YOUR APP WHEN I ALREADY BOUGHT YOUR CAMERAS. ILL SOONER THROW THE CAMERAS OUT AND GET NEW ONES!.Version: 5.0.1
✓ Sucks after updatingAfter update, hardly connects with internet, sound gets silent by itself that cause I didn’t even know my baby is crying !.Version: 4.4.0
✓ Worst type of appThe only reason I bought 2 of these cameras was the SD card recording feature. Pretty dirty of YI to render this feature useless on the last update. DONT BUY THIS CAMERA OR APP until they fix it. YI is holding your camera hostage by charging you to see your own SD recording. This should be illegal!!!.Version: 5.0.1
✓ Stop changing things!Agreeing with the review from troutboynz, the app has now started giving advertisements (money grabbing scheme?) and takes longer to load when opening up the app. These new updates have made this previously helpful app for their products a pain to use. Might just end up changing to a new security system as it looks like they are starting to drop the ball with this..Version: 6.0.9
✓ Big Security problemsI got these cameras because they could record locally to a micro SD card, supported WiFi, and are inexpensive. The app interface is pretty decent. The cloud storage is expensive, but not a concern as I will use the local storage. There is a free trial that expires but other services offer free cloud storage. The ability to rotate a camera 90 degrees in software to match physically rotating it would be ideal as I need a vertical view of one location so it shows up sideways until I view it full screen. The major red flag with this service is the 16 character maximum password length which means they are likely not hashing your password and are storing it in plain text. There is no 2 factor support. In addition they don’t connect to WiFi networks with special characters, and silently fail the setup leading you to believe they require firmware update. Changing the WiFi password lets setup continue normally once you realize what is happening. Lastly the wirecutter review says the local storage only stores six second clips with 3 minute gaps between them, but they record continuously from what I have seen..Version: 3.2.0
✓ Bad app to useRegretting that I bought cameras from you.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Issues with iOS10There are issues with iOS10. Push notifications do not work anymore. I tested in iOS9 and they do work fine there. Also the timeline feature does not work either, it constantly skips to the livestream when I want to browse the recording. Those issues makes surveillance kinda useless..Version: 2.7.2
✓ Lost connectionHow come out of no where i can not access all cameras ?.Version: 4.0.1
✓ If it fails after many years of use , delete and reinstall appIf you are getting black or white screen on the app, after many months/years of use, just delete the app and reinstall as a new account. You will have to connect each camera again.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Latest update is poorI’m afraid the latest software update and made things worse. The cameras are so good but the app to support the use is now sub standard. Please can you reinstate the last version of the app, there was nothing wrong with it and it worked really well with these great camera. It has been over a week since the app was updated and nothing has been done to rectify. Every single review since the update has been one star, probably because you can give zero stars which is what I want to give. I find it incredible that the developers can’t revert to the old up. They done it before not that long ago where an update wasn’t good so they reverted after a few days. I will give the developers a few more days to do something, if not I will have no choice but to change my cameras & supporting app to something that works. I need my cameras and the date stamps and the ability to scan footage which I cannot do anymore. Like I said in my original review, the cameras are really good but the current app means now they can’t be used as intended too..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Trash app nowTurned into such a garbage app with ads and never loads.Version: 6.1.7
✓ Very disappointed. Do not buyWhy are you limiting access to my SD card to 1 day only?. What a stupid decision. Do not buy these cameras as they force you pay monthly fees, and why do you need SD in this camera?.Version: 5.0.0
✓ Recent revamp cripples functionalityI don’t write many app reviews but this is frustrating. The recent redesign has removed quality features and made the app complicated to use. It now prioritises its subscription features over the core point of the system - security. I fell in love with these cameras due to the app functionality. Very simple to use, no issues. Well this has changed. Whilst the new app is more visually pleasing, it simply has made my experience worse. Activity alerts 1) Used to have an easily press-able delete button. This has now been replaced with a small button which if missed clicks a link to buy kami cloud. 2) To complete a clip, there used to be a simple option after the video ended. You can no longer do this as Cloud and SD recordings are now in separate tabs. 3) Activity alerts can’t be deleted by swiping left. Timeline 1) Timeline used to allow for fine control by showing the time to the second. The new timeline cannot do this. 2) The feature of going back to a particular day is subscription only despite being able to scroll back manually on the SD card. 3) The removal of the timeline bar in landscape mode defeats any objective of reviewing footage..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Cameras gone after app updateAfter app updating, registered camera has gone. I will need to take my cameras down and add them into this app again. Can you update app without doing this annoying process?.Version: 4.0.5
✓ Confusing and non-functionalI’ve had these cameras for about three years and they’re constantly glitching. The ‘cloud plan’ doesn’t update properly so it will show that you don’t have a cloud plan when you actually do, or it will say that your camera has already been ‘bound to another plan’ so you won’t be able to use it with the one you just bought? It will also not inform you if you already have one and accidentally try to purchase another so you end up double paying. There’s no rhyme or reason to the way the cameras connect for sync, it will constantly tell me there’s no cloud connection when I’ve bought the plan, if they go off when I’m not at home I’ll go to check on the house and it will glitch and say ‘no sd card inserted’ even though I have the cloud! I’m a millennial, I grew up with technology so there’s no disconnect on how I’m interpreting the app, it is truly just not user friendly, confusing and for the last few years is not worth the frustration.Version: 5.5.3
✓ Change it back!They changed the computer app so that it can show up to 9 cameras at once but because I only have 4 cameras so instead of filling the screen like it used to I get a little tiny video feed. I hate it. Probably gunna cancel soon if they don’t change it back..Version: 4.7.0
✓ Let down by the constant advertising in-appNice app and product but I’m let down by the constant advertisement when opening the app even though it’s just a few seconds. Is there a way to disable it completely. I feel it’s unfair that we are forced to see the ad when we have already paid and bought the product..Version: 3.2.0
✓ Useless on iPhoneSwitched to iPhone from Samsung, notifications worked perfectly on Samsung but nothing on iPhone. Reading through previous feedback, I decided to turn on my old Samsung on to see if it was an app issue or if it was something else, the notifications are coming through as they should on the Samsung but nothing on iPhone. This is obviously an apple issue but needs sorting asap. Given there’s not even any feedback on any reviews, the company obviously aren’t bothered. There is a new app which I have downloaded, this doesn’t send notifications either, they obviously know there’s an issue as when you click on download app from the App Store, it doesn’t do anything but Google play goes right to it. In a nutshell, don’t buy a camera from this company if you are on iPhone!!!.Version: 5.5.3
✓ Latest update is terrible - most of the time app won’t openLatest update for YI home is terrible, 9/10 the screen just stays on the launch page and won’t open to the camera or if it does it says camera offline but it isn’t! Very disappointing.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Upside Down Image In Landscape ModeUPDATE: Developer says to call them so they can “better understand the problem”. I have spoken to them countless times and sent in countless support emails. I’ve also described the problem in detail in this review. If they don’t understand the problem by now, they’ll never understand it. I’m sure anyone else reading the description of the problem understands it. It’s not really that difficult to understand. I have been trying to get them to fix this for over a year but even with many updates in that time it’s still the same problem. Landscape mode only works properly when the bottom of the phone is facing to the right. If you turn the phone 180° opposite direction and the bottom of the phone is facing to the left, the image is upside down. Every other iPhone app in existence works correctly in landscape mode regardless of which direction you’re holding the phone. Other than that, the app is fine..Version: 6.1.8
✓ Ads reallyAds in the app really not good guys need to remove them before app is removed.Version: 6.1.2
✓ Cannot access my cameras due to advertisementsI had an emergency in front of my house and wanted to see right away. I went to the app and opened it immediately. An advertisement showed up. I could not find the button to remove it. I had to close out the app and restarted, and another advertisement showed up. Several seconds were wasted where I wasn’t able to look at my camera while this guy was in front of my house messing with my car. Another time when it wasn’t as important I went to my camera and the advertisement again would not go away. I closed the app and restarted it about three times and finally gave up during that time. So I guess if you’re not using the Kami cloud and sending them money every month. Then they’re going to inconvenience you with their camera service.Version: 6.1.4
✓ Black screen!!It is showing me a black screen only everytime when I open the app! Seriously????.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Detection issues - not recommendedI've been using this app and cameras for about 1 1/2 years and it's been ok at best. Recently the developers of the app updated the software to where you need to get their cloud service or, you're constantly getting notifications that someone is present when really no one is there. I've tried to set the sensitivity on low and notification on low and still getting notifications all day. I've tried to minimize the detection area and still no luck. I've tried to turn off detection zone and only keeping detection but still the same. They are pushing the user to buy their Kami Cloud service which is expensive otherwise you will be getting notifications till you just give up and turn everything off and then you only use the cameras for viewing and not for detection which doesn't make sense. I'm going to look for another app and camera system. Very disappointed with the tactics used to force you to buy their service. Not recommended at all.Version: 6.0.1
✓ Worst update everThey removed all the useful functions and force you to subscribe. They only care about $$. Worst update ever, bring back the old options. I am looking for other camera options now and I am never going to recommend this camera to anyone. Whoever updated the app must be fired!!!!!!.Version: 5.0.1
✓ Cloud subscription do not work and YI fails to refund moneyI purchased the outdoor camera and everything was fine after the free trial. I purchased the 3 month cloud service once and it worked fine. When my previous subscription expired, I purchased an extra 3 month cloud subscription but the app was not working properly. I was charged for a service didn't get, however Apple issued a refund. I attempted to purchase the cloud subscription one more time and the system failed again. I was charged one more time and didn't get any service. Contacted Apple again and they refused to issue a refund after showing them that I was charged. Contacted YI customer service and explained to them the issue. Showed them proof that I was charged for the subscription and they sent me a screenshoot that shows all of my purchase attempts and they showed as null or payment failed. My payment did not failed, they did. I was charged and both Apple and YI are failing to return my money for a service I paid for and didn't get..Version: 3.4.1
✓ AVOID!Constant ads just to try and see what’s on a video camera you paid for! No hood in any emergency, typical Chinese company trying to make the most out of their consumers!.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Good camera, sub-par serviceCamera quality is good and works reasonably well. However the app has issues - I made an accidental purchase due to a glitch, and customer support was difficult to work with and slow to respond. It took 3 weeks to get an answer to a relatively simple billing issue. The issue is resolved now but the situation left a bad impression on me - I’m not sure if customer service is lacking staff or resources but Yi needs to focus on that if they want to be a leader in this space..Version: 4.0.3
✓ Outdoor camera is good; app awkward to useThe Yi Home app is awkward to use especially to manage subscriptions. How come there are no annual plans available via the app in Australia?? When viewing footage from the cloud, can we please have the date/time stamp showing on the screen?.Version: 4.0.4
✓ Keep getting issuesI have had my cameras for over 7 years, loved them as they did what I needed them to do, I did not have to pay a monthly fee as I could purchase a SIM card to view recordings for the past 7 days. However for the pass 7 months, that has changed, I felt harassed into purchasing a monthly plan for a cloud package that did what I was already getting. However, since I opted to not purchase said offer, the app started logging me off weekly so I had to log back in to see my alerts. Then the app went blank and I could no longer log in, I had to delete the app and reload, now I just get a logo and no view. I purchased my cameras to do a service, they were not cheap and now I have something that requires me to pay monthly in order to use it, but that was not disclosed when I purchased them. I tried to look for a number to call, no such number can be found. Buyers beware!!! Please do your research as you are lured into these services and then held hostage in order to use them..Version: 6.1.5
✓ App issuesLately my app keeps on crashing!!! I have to delete the app and download it over and over again for it to work…..Version: 6.1.7
✓ AwfulOnly been using this camera for 7 months, when I started it was pretty slim on what you could do with it now it’s pointless having unless you want to pay a subscription, now I don’t get notifications if someone is in front of the camera nor does it save it so I can see who it was. I love when company’s do this thinking they are bigger than what they are…. Give it 5 years this company will be bust. Why would I pay for basic features? Would much rather pay the extra for a ring camera then this awful service. Please if you are thinking about buying one of these cameras DONT! just look at these reviews of customer’s opinions, they clearly don’t take notice of them just money grabbers….bye bye yi hello ring :).Version: 5.6.3
✓ CrashesCrashes on iOS, I suspect due to ads. Sometimes freezes at start screen and I have to restart app multiple times until it gets to an ad that will load properly..Version: 6.2.4
✓ New update is complete garbage - forced to buy cloudThe new update to the App is super frustrating. I’ve never had a problem saving recordings to the SD card, and now when I try to play back it says “no videos for this day” and then 30 min later there is video for the entire day available. Or if I watch playback and try to rewind the video or fast forward it doesn’t respond and is stuck on the original “motion tracking” activity in the alerts and I can’t control rewind or fast forward. I just bought my second camera a few weeks ago and this new app upgrade makes me want to return it because it’s useless if I can’t even watch what is happening besides a 10 second clip. Before the upgrade, things were great, slightly glitchy app and my camera would freeze periodically and need to be unplugged. But now, not being able to watch back on the recordings is kind of a deal breaker and I refuse to be forced into paying for “cloud storage” when I have a SD card with plenty of storage. Ive had my 1st camera for over a year and never had to pay for cloud storage and relied solely on the SD card. This seems pretty sneaky to remove the SD storage option to try and force people into paying for cloud storage. Not cool. And after reading other reviews, seems I’m not the only one considering purchasing a different brand and returning my camera. Wrong move on Yi’s part. You just lost a ton of customers..Version: 4.4.0
✓ Yi April 2023Since January 2023, these cameras are CR@P. Connectivity issues, camera not detecting SD card and on top of everything you need to pay in order to see what is on your sd card that’s apparently not detected. Real piece of garbage.Version: 6.0.6
✓ Ad’s? Seriously ?Ad’s? Seriously ? I purchase your product and download the app as part of package and now you feed me with ad’s?. This is so wrong , and you think someone actually is going to click on the links ? Please make it professional as your products overall are good and even the app itself except the ad’s. They annoy me so much that I won’t buy any more products from you cause I know I will have to use this app and see the ad, horrible..Version: 4.7.2
✓ Try the kami app insteadSince day 2 of installing the 2 cameras and downloading this app I’ve had nothing but problems. Laggy app full of frozen main menu screen issues and freezing when you can finally click on which camera you want to view. Nothing more frustrating then having to close out the app time and time again, sometimes 10 times before it finally allows me to view my footage of whatever alert my cam sent me. If you have cams just for monitoring wildlife or something that doesn’t concern you with the above issues then download this crap app! For someone to pay a monthly subscription to have some piece of mind that their property is safe and secure and that they can view the live feed and their cloud on demand then this app doesn’t deliver a good service. I downloaded the kami app and it booted up faster then this app ever has but I’m not holding my breath and I’ll be looking for different cams until my subscription is up in august..Version: 6.1.4
✓ From good to absolute garbage.When I first bought it 4 years ago my 2x cameras was fine pop in SD card and when ever there was movement it saves few minutes before and after. Nowadays you got 2 options 24/7 recording or it just saves a fraction of when something moves and not even from the start, sometimes it dose not pick up anything even, advanced features are behind paywall. And the biggest annoying part is when you open app you have to watch add, for what exactly I bought your hardware??? Why do you make people suffer more??.Version: 6.1.9
✓ Avoid.Had these for probably 5 years and never had any major issues until recently. You can no longer see thumbnails or previews of notifications/alerts. You have to Manually sit and watch all of the footage to look for something that happened. Don’t recommend them to anyone anymore..Version: 6.0.4
✓ Cameras are nice. App needs workThis is a review about the app and not the camera. I like the camera but the app needs some work. First I will state the good parts. The app allows you to turn off the IR lights without turning off the IR cutoff filter. It has a 6 second cloud storage on activity detection. The camera loads pretty fast. You can add additional security via PIN number and it supports Touch ID. You can select activity area for motion detection. Now, the bad parts. The motion sensor on lowest setting is still pretty sensitive. The app only supports custom activity area for up to 2 cameras. My third camera doesn’t even have an option for activity area despite it being the same model as my other cameras. The notification icon will show old videos that are not deleted every now and then. It doesn’t support auto orientation. I can live with most of my negatives. However that first one of being restricted to just 2 cameras for activity area really renders my third camera obsolete as I get too many false positives to be useful..Version: 4.0.3
✓ Yi know know as kami. Rubbish! Con!One of the reasons I brought 3 Yi cameras for the home is because I could put a memory card in them all and record 7 days of footage. However that all changed about a year or so ago and no mater the size of the memory card in the camera they made it only possible to view 2 days of footage and if you wanted a longer history you have to subscribe to kami cloud. Kami cloud is very expensive I tried it a year ago and couldn’t view my cameras there was huge time gaps and the app crashed a lot whilst trying to access the footage. Today just trying to view the 2 days Yi has restricted me to without subscription is worse than ever. I feel the app has got even worst in another attempt to get people to subscribe but don’t bother it’s just as bad with a subscription. It’s still freezes a lot and then crashes. These camera started out well even tho the sound has always been poor at best but now I will be taking them down for good..Version: 6.0.7
✓ Cloud back up disappeared and support is terribleThey updated the app, my cloud back up subscriptions disappeared and then I went round and round with the support team before I just gave up and cancelled the subscription. Wasn’t worth my time to try and get it resolved or refunded. Video footage is also not timestamped which can be annoying..Version: 4.0.8
✓ NOT FIT FOR PURPOSE!So frustrating! Have 3 cameras and despite the app stating it gives motion detection and a few seconds video, this has ceased today. First there were standard images of a lounge from the app and when pressed to review the clip it stated motion detection failed and now there are not even any motion detection alerts OR few seconds clips at all on any of the 3 cameras, despite settings stating very clearly “Motion Detection” on, frequency “High” etc. NOTHING, completely useless, waste of space and money and not fit for purpose! Nothing helpful to look at resolving the issue, no communication!! Was put automatically onto a short free trial which ended 24 November, didn’t want this and it did nothing and had NO benefits, so would never purchase a plan! Even that was useless and not fit for purpose. Total waste. Extremely annoyed and unhappy. Very unsatisfactory..Version: 6.0.0
✓ Don’t waste your moneyThese cameras have a great picture. But they play up non stop hassle. They now don’t work live stream. Which means you can’t keep a eye on things when your away from your home. My cameras only work when I’m at home connected to the same WiFi. What’s the point of that. They worked ok when I 1st bought them and within 3 months I’m fed up and looking at other options. Tech support is also terrible. Have you turned it off try resetting it is it connected to WiFi reset the router try deleting the cameras and starting again. That’s the type of bull they come back with. And to get access to the cloud cost a ridiculous amount of money. Wish I hadn’t bothered with YI.Version: 4.4.14
✓ Great camera, terrible softwareUPDATE: I still think this app is the worst that I have on my phone. For something like a security camera, the software is just not fit for purpose. Although recording to SD card was temporarily fixed, it has stopped working again. I refuse to subscribe to the cloud storage service because if they can’t make the SD recording function work, why would I waste money on the cloud service? Again I say, good hardware, terrible software. If I could give a negative number of stars, I would. The camera is very robust and reliable but the software is just abysmal. Why isn’t there an iPad-specific version? Why is the software so dedicated to portrait orientation when the camera is wide-screen? The playback system is awful, very difficult to find and watch any video after the motion-triggered activity. Also, the annoying nag screen requesting feedback has prompted me to leave this review. I was given this camera by a friend, I wouldn’t waste my money on it. It’s a toy at best, a waste of time at the worst. If you seriously need a security camera, look elsewhere. Typical Chinese product - reasonably cheap hardware, very poor software..Version: 5.0.2
✓ Can’t view footage past midnightBought this in summer time worked awesome till new update now kinda useless since I can’t view much playback Since new update Cannot view footage before midnight please go back to old version.Version: 5.0.0
✓ Cannot use SD for play back anymoreThe best part about this camera was the playback feature. The recent update removes this feature and forces you to purchase a subscription in order to playback. Do not buy!! Not as advertised. Why have an SD slot if it serves no purpose!? Fix this!!!.Version: 4.4.1
✓ Ads, subscriptionCan’t play back, need subscription. I bought SD cards but the app won’t read them anymore. Bought several packs of these cameras and hardware just to waste time watching ads and be bombarded with subscription ads..Version: 6.1.5
✓ App gets worst with every "update"I was an early adopter of Yi cameras and have seen the growth through the years. However, the app has gotten annoying. At first, when opening Yi Home app, I would be blasted by Yi's ads telling me to subscribe to their cloud services or new products. Then they added a static banner on the main screen advertising cloud services and what not. In the latest update, I am getting full screen ads for irrelevant things that I have to X out before it would take me to the main screen, where Yi would advertise their cloud services. Seriously, who else does this? I have Nest, Wyze, Eufy and tried others like TP-Link. Nobody else that I have used / tried put a static banner advertising their cloud or new products on the main devices page. They sure as heck do not put random advertisements in their app that show up at the start; making this feel so cheap and spammy. The full page of random ads was the last straw. I am done with this brand..Version: 6.1.3
✓ Do not buy Yi cameraIt tries to force you to pay for subscriptions , making this app unusable , I would buy a new camera rather then paying them.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Full screen ads in appIs this a joke? I pay good money for these cameras and now when I hear my baby at 1:00 am I have to watch an ad with volume..Version: 6.1.5
✓ Rubbish cameras and product!!!Update December 19- Camera software has been updated a number of times as has this app and I am pleased to say things have improved. They are still not perfect but are certainly a huge improvement!! Camera works 90% of the time with the odd hiccup being easy to fix with a quick reset. One frustration is still on this app- I have adverts on the home screen ‘switched off’ in settings yet I am still pestered to sign up for ‘cloud’ storage plans and supporting crowd funding projects. These are too intrusive and annoying. Camera WAS working well until 2 days ago when the app was updated. Now AGAIN the camera doesn't work. How can YI be such an incompetent company. Don't touch these products they are useless!!! ***Latest update. Can't view any recordings at all- shows as having recorded nothing!!!! Another reason to avoid!!!!**** The app itself is ok but unfortunately I have had the cameras for a couple of months and in this time they only work 50% of the time. There is a clear issue with the cameras which stops them recording to the SD card and as such makes the camera (and hence the app) useless. Since the latest update I can't even view ANY footage. I wish I had never bought them!! To make it worse- customer services are useless and after a month of being without a camera they still have not resolved the problem or replaced two faulty camera. Take my advice AVOID YI CAMERAS!!!!.Version: 4.1.13
✓ Why did they add publicity? Very annoyingThis app was working OK for many years but they had the bright idea to include ads at every launch. Now the app is freezing and I’m losing time skipping ads all the time. Looking for alternatives…..Version: 6.1.5
✓ Needs an iPad versionApp is fairly reliable, however, really needs a native iPad version. At the moment it just scales the iPhone app which negates the need for HD as image quality is lost. Video is slightly distorted as well as it's not properly scaled..Version: 2.7.1
✓ Latest ios app is patheticEverything was working fine before the YI Home app update. The new user interface on the iOS is pathetic. Now there is a horizontal grey bar on the top which takes most of the view. Secondly SD Card playback doesn’t work correctly. It is a hit and miss. Especially when you are on a different network. Please bring back the old iOS application. It was perfect..Version: 4.4.0
✓ Latest update broke the appGets stuck loading camera on 80%. Annoying. Was good before..Version: 4.1.13
✓ Shady businessRecent update took away the primary feature that I purchased the camera for: local storage on the SD card. Now they force you to BUY their cloud storage plans. SHADY. DO NOT BUY..Version: 5.0.1
✓ App software problemUK connectivity worked fine until YI tried an update on the App and now nothing works. Continually give a Timeout message or failed to connect yet the internet connection works fine on all other non YI activities. Despite YI support team efforts over last 24 hours the problem still persists. When trying to access the cameras there is a ribbon message at top of screen which says “there is a problem connecting to the server of the app please try again later” Clearly the problem lies with YI and we can only request an urgent resolution as the cameras normally perform a very important security function which is now failed and requires a solution from a competitor product..Version: 3.4.1
✓ NOT FIT FOR PURPOSEI have to admit I used to love this little device, so much so I recommend to all my friends and family. HOWEVER…. I’m now expected to pay for all the features that were originally FREE , I was drawn to this camera because there were no hidden fees, them ‘Boom’ they sting you with additional charges. My camera now only pics cars up, it doesn’t detect people at all, so it’s deemed useless in my opinion. The whole point of me having a home camera is to see if/when people are on my property, I don’t care how many cars drive past per hour. Yi Home, you need to sort this otherwise you’re going to lose a LOT of custom. People just can’t afford the added expense..Version: 6.1.5
✓ Tracks location and is not trustworthySends data to China and cannot be trusted..Version: 6.2.7
✓ Used to be greatWell since the app keeps asking me to review still here goes, I used to love these cameras. I’ve had them for 3 years, and bought many of them. A four pack, 2 moving cameras and 2 outdoor cameras plus a few more. However the app has turned into a desperate plea for more money. With ad after ad trying to get you to buy the premium version which is mostly just them giving you back the features that were included and free 3 years ago. They also deleted my profile and I had to create a new one and when I logged back in and got my cameras hooked up again I lost my ability to watch the 6 second playbacks. When I emailed them for help they said any accounts that were created prior to (I forgot the date but less than a year ago) lost the ability to view the 6 second clips and the only feature you have is the live now, essentially making the cameras useless. If they change the way the app works and allow us back the previously free ability to watch the clips I will change my review..Version: 6.1.3
✓ Absurdly obstructive adsWith one of the new updates you now can’t event react to notifications about movement detected without going through the the very intrusive advertisement screen. It is even worse because the link letting you view pathetic 6 seconds of recording so small that it might take several taps to work. And after seeing a recording you’ll be nagged again with a push to buy cloud storage. The best user experience ever..Version: 6.3.1
✓ Reconnect cameras all the timeEvery time I update this app I have to go around to all my cameras reset them then connect them all again. Huge pain in the ass. Will not be updating again..Version: 4.3.21
✓ Useless playbackCamera and app work pretty well with the exception of one key feature, recorded video playback. Completely unable to scroll through recorded material, no matter what specific time you try to view it immediately takes you to the beginning of the recorded day. If you wanted to scroll back and see an event that happened at a specific time you would have to view from the begging of the day and wait in real time until the playback eventually got to the specific hour you were hoping to view. Completely useless!!! It’s all recorded but you can’t view it!.Version: 4.0.0
✓ BrokenNow when I launch the app I get a black screen. Nothing more. Please fix!.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Reasonably price cctvI’ve been looking for a cctv system for a while but didn’t want to install lots of cameras outside the house so thought I’d try these...I have one outside covering my drive and one inside that covers the front (through the window, not ideal but it works). On the whole I’m impressed with these little cameras, based on price point. The app is a little flakey and I have some issues when trying to play back clips (which I store in inbuilt SD cards rather than using the cloud) but on the whole I’m happy with this setup, so much so that I’ll be getting another outside camera in due course. The playback issue I have is that when I select ‘play entire clip’ after watching the motion alert clip, it starts right back at the beginning of the day...try to skip to the time stamp and I reverts back to the earliest time...a little bug that needs ironing out..Version: 4.0.0
✓ Constant ads to buy their monthly service!Constant pop-ups to buy their monthly service! When you open the app it’s just a blank screen nothing works! I’m on a bran new phone bought all their cameras and now I got a glitchy app and when it does work, I’m filled with their advertisements and pop-ups. So sad…. Oh, and they only let the cameras work on 2.4G ( No 5G wifi ) Would love to change my review, please please fix these issues for your customers,.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Device time and date does not rotate on iPad.Previous versions operated properly, but about 3 or 4 updates ago, a bug was introduced that prevents this. I like to watch TV while watching this, and the video will not go into landscape mode. I emailed support, and they suggested reinstalling the app. I did that, but the problem persists. I checked other iPads in the house, same issue. The funny part is that Yi support sent me an email asking me to rate their support. What support? You did nothing to solve my problem. If this problem is not resolved, I will throw out my yi camera’s, and buy something with support that is actually useful. On a positive note, the cameras are clear, the interface is OK, but not great, and having an mini SD card slot to hold video is a great feature. With a better support team, this camera system could be a winner. I am slightly concerned about Chinese ownership, considering China’s behavior recently, so if things get worse between our 2 countries, I may dump them anyway, due to security concerns..Version: 4.3.17
✓ It used to work perfectly but now the app just won’t openI have used this camera as a baby cam with both of my kids, it always worked great and I was very happy with it. However with these new features of getting ads via the app it crashes it all the time. Now my baby cries in the middle of the night and I am trying to quickly check what is going on and the app just won’t launch. 7 times out of 10 maybe even 9 times out of 10 I open the app to check on my kids, the app won’t launch. What the point of a camera when you can’t see what is happening because of bloody ads that make the app overloaded and won’t allow it to launch. I bought the camera, it’s not like it’s free and I am unable to use its features because they decided to earn more money by introducing weird ads. I just think it’s very stupid. I need to quickly see what is going on, not spend 15mins trying to close ads before I can access my video feed. Just fix this, the camera at this moment is just an accessory to my baby crib that serves no function since the app doesn’t work, idiotic!.Version: 6.1.0
✓ Now subscription onlyTerrible company ethics. rebranded to kami and latest update removed SD card recording features so you have to sign up to their cloud subscription for your camera to work..Version: 5.3.2
✓ Borderline ScamThe camera and service itself are just ok, but there is no customer service department. It may be 1 guy at most that occasionally checks his email. They have a phone number that plays music for 2 minutes then hangs up on you. I have called countless times throughout there there posted customer service hours for 2 weeks and never, NOT EVEN ONCE, had anyone ever answered. They automatically sign you up for auto renewal and you are unable to turn it off yourself. When you go to cancel subscription it prompts you to reach out to customer service to cancel and even makes you click “I understand.” Joke is that you can’t reach customer service. No one answers the phone, the bot just tells you no one is there then pushes you to email, and with email they just keep sending the same one over without solution. At this point I am still on auto renewal….i have received the same 3 emails about how to cancel my subscription, I told them that the app says it has to be done from there end, I get an email back saying that they cannot change their Apple subscriptions, I send an email back with screenshots and (for the millionth time) begging them to just cancel my subscription……no response. I have had to disconnect my payment method to avoid their auto renewal. After this is current one is up, I will no longer be a customer..Version: 6.2.6
✓ No longer records on SDI have had the Yi Home Camera for a few years and the recent “update” no longer allows an SD card to record video. Effectively making this camera useless - do not buy! You are forced to purchase online Cloud storage options.Version: 4.3.8
✓ Very disappointedReally disappointed in this product. For some reason it will not let me view live footage unless I am on wi-if. So even when I’m on full 3G/4G I can’t stream. I have checked all my settings and they are all correct. I’m able to view recordings of movement, but that’s it. I have only been able to view live footage once on 3G which lasted for 2 mins. Since then I’ve had nothing. I’ve emailed the company several times (as theres no direct customer number which is frustrating) However no one has responded to me. I will probably discontinue with my subscription payments very soon and go with another product. Such a shame.Version: 5.5.1
✓ AdsWorks well overall, camera times out on occasion. New update with ads is brutal though. Advertising with sound and video is pretty painful when you’re trying to check on a crying child in the night, also when you have to skip the same ad twice just to get into the app. Especially when you paid money for the camera to begin with..Version: 6.1.8
✓ YI Cloud/support problemsI wouldn’t recommend subscribing to the YI Cloud service. I paid for an annual subscription and it isn’t recognised by the YI Home app. YI support was initially responsive and helpful but quickly went quiet after basic troubleshooting failed to solve the problem. I then requested a refund several times, but it seems that neither Apple nor YI support are able to help with that either. At the end of the day, I guess that cheap camera = poor service, and I’d probably recommend spending a bit more on another brand..Version: 3.4.1
✓ No download from SD cardWhen I first bought a camera on the recommendation of a neighbour I was so impressed I bought another and all was good. Colleagues at work even bought one on my recommendation. No additional cost unless you used their cloud storage. Fantastic. We have SD cards in both cameras and we were able to download footage if required. That was until about 12 months ago. Now without any notice Kami have, though a software ‘upgrade’ taken this away. Having contacted customer services they only now offer 2 options. Take out a subscription which is unbelievably expensive or get up on ladder and remove the SD card every time I need to download footage. If there was a zero stars option they would have it. STAY AWAY UNLESS YOU WANT TO PAY OVERINFLATED SUBSCRIPTIONS. Needless to say we are now looking at replacements..Version: 6.1.2
✓ App and hardware have really declinedIve been using Yi for years, but within the last few years it has become really bad. I have FIVE cameras on the front of my house. FIVE. All five collectively failed to capture a porch pirate. The reason I have five cameras is because the cameras and the app are so unreliable, my hope is that one of the five will capture an event when needed. It says a lot when five cameras fail. Problems encountered were: The motion recording didnt trigger. Motion tracking detected the wrong thing, cameras turning themselves backwards for literally no reason, poor wifi reception, meanwhile other hardware makes connections at further distances. Unreliable cloud recording storage. UNRELIABLE DOWNLOADS, and that’s a big one - literally any notifications on my phone cause the download to fail. There was a point in time when Yi met my needs and did well, but that was many years ago, and the last few years have gradually gotten worse..Version: 6.3.0
✓ Instead of becoming better, service became poorI bought this camera a long time back and loved it. After using it, I recommended this product to 100s of my collegaues and friends but after the updates , for the slightest thing, you now push your customers to buy cloud service, made it a worst option and i took back my recommendation and I am so happy that none of them ended up buying this product. A big dissapointment!.Version: 4.7.2
✓ Cannot see Mainland China locationNo longer can see my cameras as it wants me to login and can no longer select Mainland China as location.. every other Locations doesn’t show my cameras anymore.Version: 4.0.5
✓ App not working after updating to iOS 16.5App was great years ago when we can view all full length recorded videos In microSD, until that greedy cloud PAYWALL roll out. Hardware still good but shame on the software buggy iterations after iterations of updates. Get rid of that paywall limited view barrier and Yi Home will get good reviews!.Version: 6.0.9
✓ Very hard to cancelThese people kept replying to my emails with counter offers and all I wanted to do was cancel a service. Not happy with the quality, length of 6 second videos. Also one of camera always keeps losing connection at every use so waste if time to set up every day. Use your own SD card probably better. Cloud service not good. Customer service worse as they refuse to cancel. Just go to Apple subscriptions and cancel from there. You do not need to engage with them. Not happy!.Version: 6.2.1
✓ DONT BOTHER WITH THIS APPThis app was ok before because u could just purchase a camera pair it and your good to go with 6second clips, now you can’t even watch clips without a subscription so stupid all you can do now is watch live feed..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Downgraded AlertsYi have just done an upgrade to the app that said it was to ‘fix a few bugs’. Yeah right. They’ve downgraded the alerts function so you can now only see today’s alerts, not even last nights. You have to buy the cloud subscription for this now. Arrogant behaviour. Not what I paid for when I bought the camera..Version: 4.0.8
✓ App is not working after updatedI had previous versions of this app and was happy even some times was not working but now is not working at all. Very disappointing.Version: 6.0.9
✓ App is ok, settings are naive, support is appallingThe cameras are easy to set up and monitoring is simple. Do not get the cloud option as it slows down logging on to cameras. And the SD timeline format is easier to read and navigate. After accidentally accepting the cloud trial (because the pop-up constantly appears… apparently this can be turned off) the settings on the app changed and I was not getting notifications for activity. When I reached out to customer support, I received 3 emails from different people telling me the same thing. When I repeated my original request, they gave up. I eventually sorted it out on my own. Really not impressed that their support team couldn’t help me with a basic issue and didn’t seem bothered at all that my monitoring system was not working properly. If you feel that you may need support for your system, do not download this..Version: 6.0.0
✓ Ruined the playback and streaming interfaceUpdate version 4.4.0 - you reverted back to original playback UI but it’s still extremely buggy. Please go back and fix this. Please revert back to your original settings. You’ve ruined the UI with the green and black - which makes it hard to see at night time. Also 80% the time it doesn’t play anymore. Using an iPhone 11 Pro..Version: 4.4.0
✓ Bug?I don't know what happened but this app keep getting worst and worst.. stuck at first loading screen, fail at loading the camera, crashes.. every time that happens, need to be completely removed and re-install all over again. Not only that, some features are not perfectly working (detection is not detecting the events) and some features is not even available (such as, got no option for recording 24/7 non-stop) Please, you guys used to be one of the best.Version: 6.1.2
✓ Poor softwareGreat cameras and functions. Very easy to fit and set up…… BUT terrible software. When I first brought these and used them it did what I wanted. A system I could view from anywhere in the world to make sure my family are safe. Now after updates it defaults to the cloud, unless you are on the same WiFi network, and you can’t view the cameras without paying the mind numbing fee for subscription. If I’ve got to pay for that as well then the cameras are no longer in the reasonable price range. For the camera and cloud costs I could get a far better system with remote access. Terrible shame that greed has ruined what was and would’ve been a good system to buy..Version: 5.5.3
✓ Better resolution cameraThe app is quite usable, however it would be great to have the option to purchase a far better resolution camera which can recognise vehicle number plates. I would happily pay a higher price for a better performing camera which works with the YI Life app.Version: 4.5.6
✓ Cannot Sign In with AppleApp returns Login failed, unable to get your account info. This happens when I click "New users" after clicking on "Sign In with Apple". I am unwilling to share my email address by signing up directly with the app..Version: 4.4.11
✓ DisappointedVery disappointed with the app. I selected the 7 day trial and was immediately billed for 1 year of service and didn’t even get the “7 day trial”.Version: 5.0.0
✓ AdsNot impressed that a product I paid for and app I have had for 5 years now has ads everytime I open it. I shouldn’t have ads when I paid for this!!!!.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Love it but get the problem fixed where it freezes everyone’s iPhones.Works great for a bit… but after a few minutes in the app it will freeze our phones. We have the 12 and the 13 and both iphones freeze while using app. It has been like this for probably a year. Can we get a fix yet? Update: Now the app just freezes on startup and they completely changed the way the indoor cameras save to the SD card making it much harder to record. A year ago it was so much easier to navigate, and it logged and saved anything that moved without needing to “detect it”. Going to get rid of the 6 cameras I have and go to blink as they are much easier to use, and do not update into a worse way. Overall not happy with the updates. I just want to open the app, and be able to go right to a camera and see on the timeline when there was movement rather than getting 400 notifications regarding a plastic bag moving from a fan..Version: 6.1.5
✓ "Free Trial" is not really free!!I've been using the free version since I bought the camera, and was considering getting the subscription. I do like the camera overall and figured i'd try the free trial for the base plan to see if I wanted to use it - it is NOT free. You get 7 days "free" but it automatically signs you up for auto-renew once the 7 days are over and they give you NO easy way to cancel the subscription so it doesn't charge you after the trial period. It prompts you to log in to the website to cancel the plan, then you have to either call or email. If you call, it's hard to reach a real person and you end up having to email anyways. Then you have to say you want to cancel three times before you ever get real help (which I still haven't gotten any real help.) They sent me instructions to cancel through paypal, but since I hadn't technically been charged yet, I can't cancel it on my own as it isn't showing up in my auto subscriptions yet. So i'm supposed to wait to get charged $40 to cancel? No thanks. What a bad business practice. They need to make cancelling subscriptions way easier like other apps do, otherwise it's just unethical..Version: 6.3.1
✓ Cannot view SD footage anymore before midnightCannot view SD footage anymore before midnight.Version: 5.0.0
✓ Dishonest CompanyAs other reviewers have stated, this is a dishonest company I could never recommend doing business with. I signed up for the 7 day free trial of cloud storage after purchasing a Yi outdoor camera, and on the 6th day I decided to cancel my subscription as I didn’t really find it useful and the subscription fee was way too high. However, unlike on most apps where you can just cancel your subscription yourself on the app instantly, Kami takes you all the way through the cancellation process and then at the end states you have to “confirm” your cancellation with an agent. Okay, but why?? Anyway, you are given three options for this: via the Live Chat feature on the app, via a phone call or via email. Well, the Live Chat feature and the phone call don’t work because on both there are “no available agents” which has actually been the case for days now. So your only option is email, which they basically ignore. I have no other alternative but to assume this is a deliberate ploy to make cancellation almost impossible so they can continue to take your money. Sure enough, they have taken $108 from my account and I am still no closer to getting this resolved with Kami because……guess what?……there are no agents available to talk to me. I’m in the process of disputing this charge with the bank but I am beyond angry at this whole process, which amounts to fraud in my opinion. Avoid these cowboys like the plague..Version: 6.0.4
✓ Camera ConnectThe connect easily. The quality is good for the price. But the software is lacking. The Mac version, if you want to show more then one camea they are displayed in landscape mode by Vertical not Horizontal. There is no way to rotate them for viewing. A real pain..Version: 5.6.0
✓ Updates create issues with the appI bought these cameras back in the end of 2017 to watch over my daughter overnight when I moved her to her own room, since her room is pretty far from mine in the house. I never had a problem with keeping the app open all night on a spare phone and being able to see and hear her anytime either I woke up throughout the night or she cried. I continued to use the cameras for this same purpose now with my son, and didn’t have any issues initially, However, the most recent updates to the app now make the app shut down after a while and when I wake up my phone screen is off and the app is closed, or I wake up to hearing my baby screaming wildly, for God only knows how long before I notice, because the app is closed for some unknown reason. I would have given a 5 star review previously, but this glitch is making me consider buying a different brand camera cause I need something that will stay on all night without issues..Version: 5.0.1
✓ DO NOT BUY YI HOMEUpdate 06/2023: I deleted the app and reinstalled. It works now, however, the video quality is such a fraud. Yi Home adds a filter on your video picture so it appears darkened, particularly the upper and lower parts of the screen. Absolutely fraudulent company. DO NOT BUY THIS GARBAGE. Update 06/2023: The latest app does not work, loading up shows only a black screen. Update 01/2022: Yi went out of their way to ensure locally saved video playback quality is garbage. They apply some sort of filter to the video where the top and bottom quarter of the screen is darkened. This is their dirty tactic to encourage owners of their cameras to buy into their cloud service. Sep 11, 2021, Yi home has changed their app to prevent owners from watching more than 6sec of recorded video even though it is all available and stored on your SD card. Any attempt to view your footage and it will stop with “your 6 seconds preview has ended” and they push you to subscribe to their Kami cloud service. I have bought over 6 camera and have recommended them to family and friends for years. They have destroyed their customer relationship and I will remove all their cameras going forward. I do not recommend Yi Home, terrible they did this to all their loyal customers and major selling point that you can store/access video locally. 0/5 stars..Version: 6.1.1
✓ These are the worstThese were excellent when first bought so we purchased 12 total. What a waste and tons of frustrations. After about year or two, they have become useless. Especially during times you need to see what’s going on. We would have people show up at our door and the camera would say it’s offline. So then I loaded the software of 2 other apple devices to figure out if it was my phone or network or camera. One phone would show offline, another show the live feed another just buffer. It was a crapshoot on which device would show. A few more yrs down the road I started to see other cameras live feed instead of the correct live feed. It was happening on almost every camera. I emailed support but after a month of them doing nothing I gave up. I tried to post the issue in the community and they blocked my post. So they obviously know that what I’m experiencing should never happen. I have never posted a review but since they keep forcing me to click on a box to review their product I just decided to post the truth. The picture quality is great, far better than most . It’s not my devices as I have tried many and I even put in a separate network to rule out that or my isp of which it still occurs. They are worth nothing if your getting robbed or whatnot because they are not consistent. Don’t waste your money and energy it will just get you frustrated..Version: 6.2.4
✓ Keeps asking log in infoI need to re enter log in information all the time to use it.Version: 4.0.6
✓ BuggyApp has become buggy since upgrading to paid service, wouldn’t recommend..Version: 6.1.4
✓ QualityQuality is fine but app freezes all the time. Especially when you need..Version: 6.1.5
✓ I guess it’s goodFor the most part I don’t have a problem with the app and camera. Except if you create an account on the mobile app using your Apple ID to sign in it won’t be an option for the pc app. Made me create a whole second account and wouldn’t let me even share the live feed with myself. So while I sort of recommend it don’t use your Apple ID if you want to use both mobile and pc apps. create a normal log in with an email or with Facebook. otherwise you’ll end up with two accounts or need to delete your first one and reset everything to redo for the pc. which means I’d have to delete my cloud account too since it wouldn’t let me sign in there either. didn’t even give me the option of registering my second camera to the first cloud account made me set up a whole second one because things aren’t very clear. So meh, use it don’t use it whatever.Version: 4.7.2
✓ Currently non functional.June 2023 Another update, and app non functional. Just a black screen. Jun 2022 Yet again another update has now removed sharing unless a subscriber. Lost my trust again in monetising a product that was paid for in good faith. Back to 1 star. Very poor. Well, it seems they have bowed to the very negative and deserved feedback on the last so called upgrade to basically blackmail users in paying for the subscription service for functionality they removed. 5.02 sees a return of the original functionality. Rating changed from 1 star to 3 stars, as time will tell if this company can gain my trust again. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Like others the September 5.01 “Upgrade” is poor. Keeps crashing and unresponsive. Timeline not available on playback when full screen. No date/time stamps on playback any more. Will be seeking a direct refund from manufacturer as functionality has been removed from original product which was the reason the purchase. Now Not fit for purpos.Version: 6.1.1
✓ Latest update faultsApril 2023. I’ve been using this app with Yi cameras for a few years now, and found it to be very good, but the latest update has wrecked it. When reviewing overnight activity the activity list now reverts to the most recent recording, whereas it previously returned to the same thumbnail as was being reviewed. It is now almost impossible to selectively review activity recordings without scrolling backwards through dozens (if not hundreds) of thumbnails after checking a recording. It’s such a simple change, but it has a profound effect on activity management. The obvious solution would be to give users a choice of how the review process is set, either return to previous recordings or return to latest recording..Version: 6.0.7
✓ Used to be much betterI used to like this app and the cameras from this company. Unfortunately, like many other companies greed has taken over. With the latest update, you have to suffer some type of ad pedaling some kind of crap that you're not even remotely interested in. Even if I was interested, I make a mental note to not ever click “more information” simply because of having to sit, held hostage while the ad times out so I can exit out so that I may finally be able to look at my cameras which is why I’m opening the app to begin with. Imagine this; you get an alert that someone is in your house without your permission so, you get out your phone or computer to see what’s going on and time is of the essence because your home is being broken into…. But wait! You have to sit through an ad for some insurance company promising to save you money. Well while you’re being held hostage in ad prison, some guy with a hoodie and his pants around his thighs is relieving you of your electronics and cash and jewelry you have in your home. At least you’re going to save a few buck on your insurance because of this ad. Long story short; I’ve already given you money when I bought my cameras from you. Quit being so disgustingly greedy and lose the ads..Version: 6.1.3
✓ Was good but SD playback brokenSD card playback no longer works as of updating a few weeks back. Tried numerous cards, reformatting, resetting the camera, reinstalling the app but the same thing every time. You click on play the Complete clip after viewing the 6 second preview in timeline and it just goes to live view. If you manually do a recording you can play it back through the album - whilst fairly useless, that bit works. It is just the motion triggered clips that no longer work. Annoying as I’d ordered another Yi cam a few weeks ago but not going to set it up until this is fixed. Please fix this basic functionality. It’s been long enough.Version: 4.3.10
✓ Broken appApp updates seem to break basic functionality quite often. Perhaps trying to update their cloud subscription model is more important than stability for regular users. I’m not opposed to cloud recording but the pricing is steeper than a cheap SD card. Latest update broke being able to zoom in on video properly (can only zoom centre of image not anywhere in frame)..Version: 5.3.1
✓ It’s ok but it has some issues!I’ve held off reviewing this app as I believe an app shouldn’t be reviewed until it’s been used for a given amount of time, in my case that’s two weeks. I recently purchased and installed the Yi 1080p outdoor WiFi camera. As far as the camera is concerned the picture/video quality is amazing both during daylight and and under infrared and is definitely 1080p, the app however is a different issue! To cut a long story short the alerts system works well and notifies me of any activity but the actual clip of the footage isn’t always available to view. The cloud storage service is intermittent even though I’ve set it to constant recording mode, I have many gaps when I watch footage from the cloud. Also I often have problems with the app not communicating with the camera, I’m not sure if this is a network problem on my part but I’ve tried everything possible to solve this, I’ve even gone as far as too install a WiFi extender which is within three foot of the camera installation. Overall the Camera is an amazing product but not short of technical problems which will hopefully be resolved over time..Version: 4.0.3
✓ Ruined a Great app.Like so many others. Since the Sept update, this app has been ruined. Huge backwards leap. No ability to extract clips from SD card. Can’t scrub through timeline in full screen mode. No accurate display of time when watching footage back. Annoying toggle switch you have to press every time to go between cloud and SD card footage. Timeline used to have thin lines to accurately move to motion recorded activity, now harder to find with these green “chunks”. I could go on. Listen to your customers. You tried, It failed. Put the old version back. Was going to buy more cameras but will go to another brand if not sorted. Wish I’d never updated..Version: 5.0.1
✓ The new UI is worseYou can barely understand anything like activity times and history. It defaults to a buggy cloud view instead of the sd card view. Basically a huge downgrade of the app. Reverse it back!.Version: 5.0.1
✓ Doorbell cam is unnecessarily uselessI’ve been using these cameras for years, the motorized HD indoor cameras are excellent. The app works excellent. However, I purchased their doorbell camera when it first came out, was so excited as I was waiting for it to become available. It worked fine for about a year. Then one day it randomly lost connection with my network. I couldn’t get it to reconnect. After some internet research I determined the problem is that the camera is a 2.4ghz device and my cell phone is a 5ghz device. My wifi router is dual band so all my devices connect no problem. In order to get the doorbell camera back on my network my cellphone has to be 2.4ghz but there’s no way to get my cellphone on the 2.4ghz frequency. So after a year of use my doorbell camera is now completely useless. Very upsetting. Apparently, the only fix is to set up two separate networks, a 2.4 and a 5ghz, so I can force my cellphone onto the 2.4ghz network - just to pair the device. First, that’s alot of work for someone who doesn’t really understanding IT, and second I’m not reworking my entire network just to accommodate setting up this one device. I bought a dual band router so I didn’t have to worry about this. Seems to me like Yi needs to step up their game and figure out a workaround as lots of customers are having the same issue. I’m strongly considering abandoning all my yi cameras and switching to Ring. What a waste of time and money. Come on, Yi… figure this out!.Version: 5.6.1
✓ Can’t delete videosLatest update seems to have removed the ability to delete video leaving me awith a long list of small videos can’t tell which ones are the important ones..Version: 5.2.0
✓ App no longer worksUse the app for few times and it stops functioning (stuck on loading). Only fix is to delete the app, reinstall and it works for few times, before being stuck on loading again. Basically all cameras can’t be accessed… Frustrating.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Not worth the updateDo not update it will take away the options of viewing history on your sd card so they force you to pay for their cloud services ... don’t waste your money on this or any camera from YI.Version: 5.0.1
✓ AvoidI LOVED these cameras. I bought 5 of them for our home. They were perfect to keep an eye on the critters when we were gone. I have been avoiding the update for some time and at some point, my app was updated. The new playback is horrific. I can still see the playback from my SD card, but if I put my camera to full screen aka to see the entire captured video, I can’t look at the saved SD footage. The update makes the app look juvenile and childish, and is now more difficult to navigate because there are more steps. I will be replacing my cameras based on this app update alone..Version: 5.0.1
✓ GarbageUsed to be good Now it has ads which make you wait to see the feed and the app freezes. Don’t recommend..Version: 6.1.7
✓ Was great now LESS THAN PERFECTSince the last update I no longer receive Alert Notifications. Nothing has changed in my set up - when I try to look at the “alert mode” set up it says “Poor network condition, please check network settings and reconnect” - nothing has changed in our set up! It is set to “Motion detection always on” as it always has been. How has the notification alert gone from working perfectly to not working at all? Frustratingly I can still access and view the camera without any issues 🤔 but I want alerts should something activate the camera!.Version: 4.7.2
✓ Ads play before you get to look at your camera feedUsed to love this camera, now ads play every time you open the app - super annoying and I will no longer be recommending this to people!.Version: 6.1.5
✓ Use Wyze insteadUsed to be great, but now everything is getting slowly pushed behind a paywall. Vehicle or person detection, watch a longer playback of an alert, and I also used to be able to use the watch multiple cameras to see all my cameras at once until the newest update put that behind a paywall too. Plus, I get a big ad pop up every time I login now trying to convince me to upgrade to their stupid Kami cloud spam. I would never recommend this product anymore and would definitely go with Wyze instead of this now trash brand..Version: 6.0.2
✓ Was very good now useless very expensive cloud requiredThis was a great system using sd cards I bought 4 additional cameras and all was good. Then they decided to change the app which now defaults to cloud (pay service) and most of the functionality has been removed from just using your sd card in the camera. Viewing has become a nightmare. But if you pay their extortionate cloud charges everything will work again! There are other app providers that work with these cameras so when I am at my elderly mother in laws next week I will delete the cameras from the app and delete the app and just try some of the other offerings. A real shame because until last week I would have recommended this system to anyone. Now it’s just a greedy sales scam trying to force you to spend more money to get what you had back..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Buggy, full of ads, freezes. I am going to replace this! :(The UI was good. Last few updates have been buggy, freezing and full of ads before you can even load up the UI to watch what’s going on… so you miss what you might of wanted/needed to see. There are Way better options out there that are better. Steer clear of this interface as the last 5 or so updates have sucked really really bad. You have been warned. The reviews are real. Too bad..Version: 6.1.5
✓ Update is horribleV5 upgrade removed play back function in full screen and record function for alert. Older version software is much more user friendly. Have used this camera for a few years, it was good until now. I am thinking to buy a different one now..Version: 5.0.0
✓ Poor excuseI bought camera with SD card with plan to see videos. They changed app so cannot see videos without plan. That is a fraud as far as I am concerned. Sorry excuse for a security company..Version: 6.0.7
✓ Playback features got removedNew update pushes for cloud which you have to pay. Very limited on what you can do now. You can maybe see up to two or three days of history and you can’t select from calendar anymore, you need to slide through the time the last to see them..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Terrible appThis app is terrible. It constantly crashes the notification for activity only seem to work half the time and any major update wipes your cameras off the app..Version: 4.3.16
✓ AdsThe app was once great but over the last year it’s been updated with no new obvious features and instead just ads. Now you have a 3 second countdown on the first screen, you may then get a full screen ad which you have to wait for or it takes you to the Home Screen. If you are lucky enough to get the ad it can take up to 10 seconds for the close button to appear (white button on light background) and randomly crashes. If you are just wanting to quickly check on your home camera don’t bother, you could be waiting 30 seconds before everything has loaded and the video plays.Version: 6.1.7
✓ Not Good BusinessI agree with the other review that the recent update prevents you from using the playback feature which came with original purchase. It is not right to make an update that reduces features and virtually ruins the use of the camera and features that we advertised and paid for. Not a happy customer!!!!.Version: 6.0.3
✓ AVOIDAs others say, app updates have removed key functionality. You can no longer view more than a handful of seconds video clips of activity. You used to be able to watch back activity at full length as it was recorded and available to playback from the SD card. Now the company are forcing you to pay a subscription to their cloud service for this functionality. Give them videos AND pay for functionality that was available when I purchased the camera? No thanks. AVOID and buy something else. I would LOVE a response from the developer on this subject, but I am pretty sure one won’t be forthcoming..Version: 5.5.5
✓ Version 6.1.1 - black screenEver anise this update 2 days ago I get more solid black screens then I do security footage. When I try to open the app or click on an viewing I just get this black screen the majority of the time. So frustrating when you pay for a service and don’t get it!!.Version: 6.1.1
✓ NilNil.Version: 6.1.3
✓ Terrible updateThe videos of alerts were readily available and easy to scan through until the latest update has made the cameras useless. There is no access to videos from the previous day and you must now watch the entire video before you can delete it even if you know what it is. This is especially frustrating when a spider web covers even a small portion of the field of view. Every 6 minutes all night long alerts happen and you end up with a library you either can’t access as they were before midnight or you must watch the whole thing. So then the alert indicator stays on forever. The tech dept seemed to be responsive then stopped caring and responding. The hardware is good, the app is horrible. UPDATE This has been getting worse. The alert goes off and the video shows no reason. And the newest alert doesn’t show up for viewing for many minutes so if there was a reason, it’s likely too late to do anything about it. SIMPLY WORTHLESS unless all you want is a dummy camera.Version: 5.4.1
✓ Money grabbing, ad spamming app.I’ve had these cameras for 4+years and I’ve got 14 of them and now all I get is ads popping up which I gotta wait to play before I can skip it like it’s some crap spam game! Remove these bogus ads! We paid for cameras to work not cameras at a cheaper rate so you could spam us with ads everytime we use the app and view the app! No I don’t want your temu ads or cloud storage ads! I wanna look at the cameras I paid for! It’s bad enough your motion alerts are all garbage! Don’t advertise smart motion alerts like face detection human detection…. But they charge extra for it after you already bought the cameras! That’s false advertising!!!! All these cameras do is send our bogus motion alerts!!! Probably a another way to cash grab spam ad you… cause you get the alert and you check the app… guess what pops up but ads! You know they get paid by view right! Total garbage scum buisness practices!!! I will be removing my cameras and buying another product that does what they claim and without ads!.Version: 6.2.6
✓ App stopped workingApp has completely stopped working, can you rectify this soon..Version: 6.0.9
✓ New version is lacking functionalityI've been running my cameras absolutely fine using local storage for years now. If I ever needed a clip then I could scroll through video on the app and save video directly either by downloading a clip or recording a new clip from existing footage. With this update they have pushed their cloud services to the point that you now can no longer manually record clips from your security footage. This has drastically reduced the useful of the cameras, and it feels like nickel and diming existing customers who have already bought hardware. For those of us who don't want additional subscription services, this is a bit of a kick in the teeth..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Black Screen — App Is NonfunctionalThe app has been completely down for almost 2 full weeks now — with no fix in site. I tried clicking on the link for app support today but now it says their IP address is also down. It’s getting to a point where it feels like YI Home is scamming their customers. I paid for these cameras and I paid for a subscription to watch back footage but if I can’t access the app at all, then that’s just money down the drain. I see on other recent reviews the developer is telling people they’re “working to fix the issues”. However, I had to come here to find that out. I mean by now, you would think YI Home would have sent an email to all their customers/users about the issues going on and what they’re doing to resolve the issue. However it’s been radio silent on their end and there’s no telling when (if at all) the app will be functional again, which is making this feel more and more like a scam..Version: 6.1.2
✓ Amazing piece of…Never managed to connect my camera. Troubleshooting and help is hepless. Not recommend buying this… )$&@@!!.Version: 6.1.0
✓ Latest update breaks the appJust a black screen on latest update. Can’t view on my phone and that’s how I signed into the pc app too so all my cameras are useless now..Version: 6.1.1
✓ App ok but each update will delete connected camerasApp works ok on ipad and good to view remotely however each time there is a upgrade to the app all settings log in etc are lost. Effectively a new app. Will need to set up cameras and log in again. Which means resetting cams so they no longer work on desktop app and have to reset this too. Would rate higher if they fixed this.Version: 4.0.9
✓ Terrible Software and Flakey ConnectivityCamera software isn’t the best and not properly tested before its rolled out. I invested in over 15 cameras with them and my outdoor cameras always disconnects randomly. Only way to reset is to switch the power off the whole house and hope it reconnects. Very disappointing..Version: 4.2.3
✓ Good app if only.I've been using this app for ages and I is brilliant, at least it was at the beginning but the constant reminders and pop ups to get a cloud subscription is unbearable. You have a choice to subscribe for recoding on the cloud or use you own Micro SD Card. By buying a subscription you all good with no constant notifications, however, if you decide to use an SD Card you get pop ops and notifications everywhere. There's even one where you trying to view you recording and you get this big banner at the bottoms pestering you to get a subscription. When I first downloaded this app, there was only a shop page where you could select to and subscribe to cloud recording, and now it's so in your face that I'm actually considering moving to a different system..Version: 4.0.4
✓ Predatory subscription plan scamPredatory subscription plan designed to scam users into paying 200usd upfront without opportunity to unsubscribe. App crashed after signing up making it impossible to cancel free trial.Version: 6.2.8
✓ Terrible SupportI have been using Yi cameras for a few years now and have been paying for a 5 camera subscription. Issue 1 The IOS app, when you attempt to watch the full clip stored on cloud it displays an error “no SD card detected” you can get around this by viewing the daily recorded cloud video stream but is a timely and slow process compared to the former. Issue 2 Recently my Facebook account can no longer log in to the PC app(nothing to do with my account it’s a problem with their software). I logged a support request 8 days later they continue to ignore the issue highlighted in the original request. I have sent 3 subsequent emails requesting the issue to be escalated, their replies seem to ignore request for support and attempt to conclude the issue without resolution. Based on the above I will be selling all my Yi and Kami equipment and moving to the Google Nest ecosystem, cameras are twice the price but I imagine the ecosystem will be better supported based on other Google products I already own. I DO NOT RECOMMEND YOU BUY YI HOME OR KAMI EQUIPMENT..Version: 4.4.1
✓ Long time customer. Used to be happy but not any more.I have had a Yi camera for several years now and the camera is great, it’s the software and all the changes over this last few months that has made me change a 5 star rating down to a 1 star rating. The software has changed from allowing users to view a live feed plus 6 second snippets of recorded past feeds for 7 days to just viewing the live feed. Which of course renders the point of having the camera useless since most people don’t just sit and watch the live feed. They have also disabled the use of using the sd card to play back the 6 second snippet videos when motion is detected. They say they are in the process of pushing an update to allow users this feature again but I still cannot view any prior videos. I get they want you to purchase a cloud subscription but to not tell their customers they are disabling the sd card and make you think there is something wrong with the camera or the sd card is pretty poor customer service. I can view the videos from the sd card on my computer so I know there is nothing wrong with the card but it’s quite inconvenient. Not to mention the point is to be able to view both the live feed and the recorded snippets through the app on whatever device you use..Version: 5.0.1
✓ Dodgy marketing strategiesThe app forces you to buy Kama subscription. Even I selected use local storage, it will sometime show the SD card icon for you to check the footage. Majority of time it will show cloud with short clips to trick you to buy subscription Loading time is horrible, my internet is NBN so don’t blame on connection.Version: 6.0.3
🙂 YI Home Positive Reviews
YI Home works most of the time. If it is not working for you, we recommend you excersise some patience and retry later or contact YI Home.
⛔ YI Home Problems
