I’ve had an issue after the other with my two cameras. While one is “perhaps” working better, the original one has stopped recording (despite checking out all motion functions, etc.) and it only shows pictures. Both cameras were automatically changed to one name whereas I had each one with its descriptive name and different emails. What a mess! But now at least I want to learn what to do to have the first camera recording vs. simply showing a picture.
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Picture only means no CamPlus or CamPlus Lite subscription assigned to the camera.
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Thanks for your reply; however, it should not apply to me… it never had.
With two cameras on and off on Cam Plus, I had never been disconnected from video recording. As a matter of fact, due to Wyze’s FORCED auto renewal option, I had discontinued Cam Plus many moons ago but I always got full recording on both cameras. Even at EVENTS ONLY it still does not record videos. Recently, everything went wrong with the two cameras, both showing the videos of one of the cameras at the same time while changing the individual names of the cameras to the name of one. With the problem still present, now this.
I guess Wyze has been in Beta too long for noting or is arbitrarily malfunctioning the system to get Cam Plus memberships. The sad part is that they do not get the message: stop forcing auto renewals via Apple charges or via other credit card on file. I think I am out of Wyze’s … not worth the time wasted with no positive results.
What can I see in one frame only that so far tells me nothing?
You were getting a service that you weren’t paying for. A server or firmware update caught the glitch and corrected your account when the modifications were made.
Since early 2022, the following has been in effect on compatible cams. Doorbells are a bit different.
- No Subscription = Thumbnail Snapshot only, 5 minute Cooldown
- Cam Plus Lite = 12s Video, 5 minute Cooldown
- Cam Plus = Full Length Video, No Cooldown
This explains a lot as to why there were issues. The Wyze system anchors an account to one email address. If Google Play, Apple App Store, or Amazon Checkout is used with a different email address within those accounts, all kinds of crazy breaks loose. And, the Apple App Store subscriptions have a very long, and also quite nasty, history of complaint posts in the forum.
Thank you for your prompt reply with valuable info.
If they did not get the CamPlus renewed way back then, it was because of the unrecognized “Apple charge” that gave me headaches to decipher. Had Wyze billed me like any other company for the renewal, I would have done so using the credit card of my choosing. I never used Apple for this purpose.
Thus, if as you said, they recognized the “error” and have placed one of the cameras on picture only… and they have not fixed the other issues, it has become a nuisance instead of problem solving to own Wyze cameras.
In trying to solve all the other mix-ups that happened and are still there, I agreed to have CamPlus which was charged to Apple again on one camera only. The one with the picture only issue did not get the CamPlus.
The cameras continue to be conjoined by one name and, with the Apple issue again plus all other new issues, I will have no choice but to cancel my account for good. I have other important issues in my life to tend to.
What I regret is having spent so many hours in trying to solve the cameras malfunctioning plus having spent in so many gadgets for the cameras, all for nothing. But I will feel free from current problems and more to come.
I do not know how to fix the mess they have created when I had wisely opened one account; two email addresses and two different names for the cameras. All worked out until it came time to renew and they would not accept for me to pay for the renewal myself… so they went the Apple route.
| SlabSlayer Forum Maven
July 10 |
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Beau2021:
I had discontinued Cam Plus many moons ago but I always got full recording on both cameras.
You were getting a service that you weren’t paying for. A server or firmware update caught the glitch and corrected your account when the modifications were made.
Since early 2022, the following has been in effect on compatible cams. Doorbells are a bit different.
- No Subscription = Thumbnail Snapshot only, 5 minute Cooldown
- Cam Plus Lite = 12s Video, 5 minute Cooldown
- Cam Plus = Full Length Video, No Cooldown
and different emails
auto renewals via Apple charges or via other credit card on file.
This explains a lot as to why there were issues. The Wyze system anchors an account to one email address. If Google Play, Apple App Store, or Amazon Checkout is used with a different email address within those accounts, all kinds of crazy breaks loose. And, the Apple App Store subscriptions have a very long, and also quite nasty, history of complaint posts in the forum.
That is how it starts for most. It is because of the way the subscriptions are purchased and managed.
If a user buys a subscription from the Store tab within the App, they aren’t buying it from Wyze and they aren’t paying Wyze. iOS users are actually buying the subscription from Apple, Android users buy it from Google. Those subscriptions are managed by the respective OS App Store who maintains complete control over them. This is the way Apple and Google get their cut for allowing the Wyze App on their OS. Constant residual income for all in app subscriptions. Wyze has no control over them, no control over the billing, no control over the renewal, no control over the cancellation. It is a real nightmare to manage, especially if you have subscriptions bought from both the in app Store and from the Wyze Online Web Store… which is paying Wyze directly.
If you bought it thru the in App Store, Wyze has no choice in the matter. They can’t bill you for a subscription sold to you by the App Store.
My only suggestion for a solution would be to dump all Apple Store subscriptions, use only one Wyze account, install both cams to that account, go to that account at services.wyze.com, buy one subscription for Cam Plus, assign it to one cam, go back to services.wyze.com, add a second cam under the first subscription, assign the second cam to the added license, and only deal with Wyze in the future.
Thanks for explaining the CP billings so well and your suggestions. But one would think that Wyze would notify us in advance of the renewal date of their “billing arrangements” for CamPlus and, this is a must, give us choices as to how to pay for the service or renewal. Not necessarily via the Apple app or a credit card on file… They should accept the payment method chosen by the customer at each renewal/payment time. Now my two cameras’ original settings suggested in the forum at service inception (one account, two cameras, two camera names, two different email addresses) which had worked well for over two years have been scrambled and, typically, their suggested repair methods cannot be followed. Resetting the cameras does not fix the problems either when there are “fixed,” not applicable choices.
Wyze has a good camera with poor service logistics. (And I am not referring to calling a lizard “person” or the wind “motion” --those I gave up on… or canceling the option to choose 1 picture only, not all as it has been the new option criticized by many).
I am involved in an important project and the increasing malfunctioning of the cameras without viable solutions have already taken valuable hours of my time.
July 11 |
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it was because of the unrecognized “Apple charge” that gave me headaches to decipher.
That is how it starts for most. It is because of the way the subscriptions are purchased and managed.
If a user buys a subscription from the Store tab within the App, they aren’t buying it from Wyze and they aren’t paying Wyze. iOS users are actually buying the subscription from Apple, Android users buy it from Google. Those subscriptions are managed by the respective OS App Store who maintains complete control over them. This is the way Apple and Google get their cut for allowing the Wyze App on their OS. Constant residual income for all in app subscriptions. Wyze has no control over them, no control over the billing, no control over the renewal, no control over the cancellation. It is a real nightmare to manage, especially if you have subscriptions bought from both the in app Store and from the Wyze Online Web Store… which is paying Wyze directly.
Had Wyze billed me like any other company for the renewal, I would have done so using the credit card of my choosing
If you bought it thru the in App Store, Wyze has no choice in the matter. They can’t bill you for a subscription sold to you by the App Store.
My only suggestion for a solution would be to dump all Apple Store subscriptions, use only one Wyze account, install both cams to that account, go to that account at services.wyze.com, buy one subscription for Cam Plus, assign it to one cam, go back to services.wyze.com, add a second cam under the first subscription, assign the second cam to the added license, and only deal with Wyze in the future.
100% on board with that. As an example, my Amazon Prime Membership renewed. I got emails from them more than a month in advance with the date it will Auto Renew, the cost to be charged, how it would be billed, and instructions on how to cancel or make changes to my billing arrangements.
This has been a recurring complaint with the Subscription renewal process.
Yes, no problem here with Amazon Prime’s notifications. Love it! It will renew at a higher price in Nov but I get so much out of the subscription… Even though I still have minimal cable TV, I am doing great with N/F, Prime, Roku, and all others… One extra LCD TV with 3 tuners, connected to an old and simple rabbit ear RCA antenna has the best colors; access to most local channels plus, of course, old movies and programs that I prefer to watching the extreme new norm on most of television’s ads and programs.
And yes, perhaps if Wyze had billed their CP for both cameras, they would not have ended up scrambled and a total mess. I had just turned both on to compare all the inputs and they continue to be totally mixed up: a) The first camera continued with just one picture (good for nothing) plus other issues; b) the second, newer one, not only has mixed data including showing the picture of the other one; I cannot access most settings, plus I cannot make changes.
what about those who have memory cards installed?
I bought my cam’s awhile ago, used memory cards and never had an issue, but now it seems like none of them are working properly, events in the V3 cam’s are just stills , and on my older cam it just pinwheels trying to load some kind of 12s clip. frustrating
Recordings to memory cards have never been dependant on subscription level.
All cams with SD cards record when they are turned on and have a card inserted with the Record to SD Card setting enabled.
The cam records all video in 1 minute MP4 files from the first second of the minute to the last.
If Continuous Recording is set, all one minute MP4 files are saved. If Motion Events is set, the cam only saves the one minute MP4 files that have motion detected within them.
There have been recent bugs in the app update that they are working on. There are many reports “no video at the present time”. But this is the app failing to read the MP4 files correctly, not the cam failing to record them. If you place the card in an external reader, you will see that the video files are there. There have also been bugs reported accessing the SD Playback from the Events page link button.
If you can be specific and provide details as to how they aren’t working properly, there may be a solution or workaround until Wyze fixes the app.
Events are Cloud Server Upload files. They are not SD Card Recorded files. When you view any Event, you are streaming it down to your phone from where it is saved in your account on the server. If the cam is not assigned to Cam Plus or Cam Plus Lite, Events will be still image snapshot thumbnails.
This has also been reported as a problem in accessing events for cams assigned to Cam Plus Lite (12s clips). And I believe it is OS specific. It is a bug that Wyze needs to fix. Note that doorbells that have no subscription also get 12s clips and are incompatible with Cam Plus Lite.
Thanks for the reply, I’ll have to check out my cam’s when I’m home later on.
Guess I’m experiencing quite a number of those reported issues.
I just tried reformatting the SD card in my older Cam Pan , and it’s still reporting 4gb being used (64gb card)
I have this issue when SDcard gets full… simply format card (using app) and it will start recording again. I reported the problem several times now to Wyze Support (since last October) stating that the roll-over overwrite function does not work. It’s a pain as you get no notice memory card is full and only see symptom of no video recording… so you have to monitor all your cameras all the time. Hopefully support fixes soon. Grant
Thanks for the info. I had disconnected some areas of the camera that does not have the CamPlus, which I will fully get rid off, and had formatted the SD card plus restarted the first camera. Drastic measures since what was so badly messed up I cannot fix on my own or with their suggestions. My time is valuable doing something else.
I have allowed payment of the forced “Apple” billing for CamPlus at least this once but dislike being charged to a card of their choice–not mine, the customer.
Welcome to the Wyze User Community Forum WhiteOaksProperties! 
The original post topic deals with a cam that has stopped uploading videos events (Cam Plus \ Cam Plus Lite) to the cloud and is now only uploading Thumbnail Snapshot Image files. This is a function of the subscription that is on the cam.
SD Card Video Recording is not limited in any way by the subscription on the cam and is unrelated to the Event Video uploads saved to the cloud.
SD Card recordings are saved in 1 minute MP4 files. When the card gets full, the cam will delete the oldest 1 minute files and continue to record new 1 minute MP4 files. I have many cams of many models thru every iteration of firmware releases and have never experienced a cam stopping the SD Card recording because the cam was full. There have been app releases that erroneously reported “No Video at the Present Time”, however this was an app issue not a cam issue as the underlying video was still recorded to the card. The App just wasn’t reading or playing it.
Please post your OS Version, App Version, and Firmware Version. There is most likely a team member who can try to replicate the issue to see what is happening.
Also, describe how it is that you know that the cam is no longer recording to the SD Card because it is full. Screenshots are helpful.
Thanks for your info. Right now, I will be discontinuing the second camera for good. The mix-up was so bad that when I fixed one, the other one went bad. I am keeping the first camera, the one that ended up with the CamPlus and, logically, is working okay by itself. Scramble problem solved. I feel like I won the Lotto.
Yes,. it’s a bit different tha the OP
but very simlar, … my cam 3’s stopped recording and only showed a picture.
Well, after a restart, my Pan Cam seems to behave normally, so that’s good.
both my V3 cam’s tho seem to have issues with the SD cards. I’ve taken the cards out both are acting like they’re write protected.
However I stuck a small 1gb card into one of the cams, was able to format it in-camera… tho the camera still onl shows a thumbnail and no video.
Ordered a few new memory cards (Sandisk 32gb) so perhaps those might make things better.
running the most up to date firmwares and iOS app’s
There seems to be some confusion.
The Thumbnail Snapshots or Video files that you see in the “Events” tab are uploaded from the cam to your account on the server. When you view them, you are streaming them down from the server. They are not videos recorded onto the SD Card.
The only way to access the video that was recorded to the SD Card is to click the “View Playback” link within an Event Viewer UI or to click the SD Card \ Playback button within the Live Stream UI.
Are the V3 Cams assigned to a Cam Plus or a Cam Plus Lite subscription? If not, a Thumbnail Snapshot in the Events tab UI is appropriate.
SD Card Playback does not record Thumbnail Snapshots. It records 1 minute MP4 Video files. If set to Continuous in the Advanced Settings, it saves all 1 minute MP4 Video Files. If sent to Motion Events, it only saves the 1 minute MP4 Video files that contain motion.
I do not use iOS. However, there have been a rash of bug problems with the iOS app.
Please provide screenshots of the pages where you are seeing these issues.
I do not have Cam Plus/Lite,
as I use my Wyze cams mostly as secondary camera’s to my homes regular security system. (or to monitor my 3d printers)
so I just inserted memory cards to record events instead of to the cloud.
Currently, wioth either of my v3 camera’s, it senses the motion, savea s still (to the server/cloud?), but in the events window where it shows all the events, there’s what appears to a still icon. (events from my other Pan cam do NOT have tha still icon btw)
I can click on the thumbnail to view the larger image. But when I click on the still to (normally) view a recorded video clip, it takes me to a page suggesting I should subscribe to Cam Plus instead of a recording from my SD card.
I’ve ordered new memory cards just to be sure.
tho if it was an iOS issue, I would then assume (mostly) that my Pan Cam would also have the same issue, but it’s not.
here’s an example of what I’m seeing (the backyard cam is in my office room fro testing).
Yes. Everything in the Events Tab is saved on the Server in the Cloud.
Without a subscription, this is normal for all cams. I will assume that the Living Room Cam is the Pan Cam you referenced. Since there is no Video length listed, I can only assume that this cam is assigned in the Services area of the Account Tab to Cam Plus Lite. If it is not assigned, it shouldn’t be getting any video, only snapshots.
Clicking the thumbnail image should open the thumbnail\video. If the Pan Cam isn’t assigned to a plan, it shouldn’t be getting any video. The fact that it opens a Cam Plus sales ad indicates something isn’t right. I would most likely assign that to an issue with the iOS app.
Clicking on a thumbnail image in the Events page should never take you to the SD Card Recorded footage. The only way to get to the SD Card Recorded Video from within the Events Tab is to press the SD Card Playback Button at the bottom of the screen.
The other access to the SD Card Recorded Video can be launched from the Live Stream UI of the cam. This varies with the model of Pan Cam you have, but it is the “View Playback” bar on the V3.