Using and troubleshooting the Blink app, Use the Blink Home Monitor app to check in on what’s happening at home from anywhere at any time. The app connects your home to your phone in HD video so you can see and protect what matters most. With multi-system support, you can use Blink to watch your home, vacation home, or business all at the same time. Plus, you can control multiple camera systems within one single app!

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Using and troubleshooting the Blink app

Table of Contents

Can I have multiple Blink Systems on one Account?

Blink cameras work together with a Sync Module to create a system. You can have multiple systems within an account. The Blink app allows you to manage multiple Sync Module systems and their connected Blink devices from a single account.

Each Sync Module added to your account allows you to group and manage up to ten cameras in a single system.

Learn more about adding your Sync Module 2 to a new or existing system.

Self-Managed Blink Cameras

Alternatively, some Blink devices can create and manage their own systems. These are:

• Blink Wired Floodlight

• Blink Video Doorbell

• Blink Mini

While these devices can create their own system, they are capable of joining existing Sync Module-managed systems as well.

Reasons to have multiple systems

An account with multiple systems can be useful for situations such as:

• Adding more than ten cameras to your account.

• Monitoring more than one property.

• Scheduling different groups of cameras.

• Monitoring areas out of range from your primary wireless router or if you want to use multiple access points.

• Grouping cameras to better suit your needs.

Accessing your other systems

After multiple systems are added to an account, you can select them by tapping on their name at the top of the Home screen. Swipe your finger across the top to scroll and view more systems.

Security Best Practices

For your system security, Blink cameras always use encrypted connections. Blink also hides account details from our support agents until you grant access permission in the Blink app.

Here are some best practices to keep your Blink account secure:

Share account information only with those you trust

Blink will never ask for login credentials or account password. As the account owner, sharing account access should only be with trusted people. Learn more about managing multiple devices on your Blink account.

Note: Any person signed in to your Blink account has access to view and manage all of your Blink devices and account information.

Using and troubleshooting the Blink app

Create strong passwords

We recommend that you don’t use the same password for multiple accounts and services. Blink passwords can be any combination of letters, numbers, and symbols (ASCII standard characters) and must meet the following requirements:

• 8 or more characters

• At least one of the following:

◦ uppercase

◦ lowercase

◦ number

◦ special character

Regularly update your passwords

It is a good practice to update your passwords every three to six months. If you suspect your account has been compromised, we recommend immediately changing your password.

• Forgot your password? Learn more about resetting your password.

• Learn more about how to update your Blink Account settings.

Create a new account in the Blink app

New to Blink? Get started here

This article will help you get started with the Blink app and setting up your new Blink account.

The latest version of the Blink app is always available in your app store. Blink supports most smartphones, tablets, and many Alexa-enabled products.

Tap your preferred app store option below to download the latest version of the Blink app.

Version: 6.31.0

for iOS 14 and later

Version: 6.31.0

for Android v6.0 and later

Version: 6.31.0

for Fire OS v7.0 and later

How to Update your iOS and Android devices

In order to run the latest version of the Blink app, it’s important your mobile device meets the minimum system requirements.

How to auto update your mobile devices

The easiest way to keep the app version of your mobile device current is to turn on the Automatic Update option in your device settings:

• Learn more about how to turn on or turn off automatic updates on the Apple’s Support page.

• Learn more about how to update all Android apps automatically on Google Play Help.

How to manually update your mobile devices

• iOS devices can also be updated manually, which may be necessary if the auto update hasn’t occurred yet. Learn more about manually updating your iOS device.

• Learn more checking and updating your Android app version.

Note

We recommend that you always backup your data prior to updating your mobile device.

• Learn more about backing up iOS devices

• Learn more about backing up Android devices.

Create a Blink account

To get started with the Blink app, follow the instructions below:

With Blink, you have one user account with one email and one phone number. On log in and certain other actions, a verification number is sent to the mobile number or email address of the account.

Note: If you want to share your account with other users, learn more about setting up a second phone or device.

1.Launch the Blink App and tap Create Account at the bottom of the screen.

2.Select your country from the drop-down menu and tap Next.

3.Your region is pre-selected based on your IP address. Confirm your region and tap OK.

4.Enter a valid email address, and tap Next.

5.Create a password and tap Create Account. The password requirements are listed at the bottom of the screen. Tap the eyeball icon if you want to view what you are typing.

6.Complete the multi-factor authentication (MFA) process. Learn more about multi-factor authentication.

Multi-factor authentication steps

Verify your email address

Enter the PIN from the email we sent you and tap Verify.

• PIN codes are valid for 40 minutes.

• If you haven’t received the code after 90 seconds, tap Resend PIN Code.

Verify your phone number

Tap the phone number entry line to bring up a keypad.
Enter the phone number you wish to use for device verification and tap Next.

Optional: Select your country code by tapping the flag icon next to the phone number entry line.

If you prefer to not use SMS, the PIN code can be read to you by an automated voice call.
To choose this option, under Receive code by: select Voice call and tap Next.

Note

The SMS text option is for use with mobile phones and will not work with landline phone numbers. Blink uses this number to positively associate your device to the Blink app to ensure the person making changes is you. Your information is private and will not be used for any additional purposes or shared with third parties.

Learn more why we need your phone number. Contact Customer Service if you don’t have a phone number.

A SMS text message containing the PIN code is sent to the phone number, and you are shown another PIN entry screen.

• Example SMS text Message:

Your Blink verification code
is: <123456>

Enter the PIN from the SMS text message we sent you and tap Verify.

• PIN codes are valid for 40 minutes.

• If you haven’t received the code after 90 seconds, tap Resend PIN Code.

Link your Blink and Amazon accounts

When the phone verification step is complete, you are prompted to link your new Blink account to your Amazon account by tapping Link Accounts. If you don’t want to link your account, select Skip to be sent to the Home screen without linking your accounts.

Note: This is an optional step, but we highly recommend linking your accounts at this time. Learn more about the benefits of linking your accounts.

Sign into your existing Amazon account. You will need to know your Amazon login email address and password. Once the link is established between accounts, tap Next.

Crash Reporting Opt Out

If the Blink app suddenly stops working, recovering the data helps us understand what happened, so we can constantly improve. This “crash report” is sent from your device without any kind of information that identifies you.

You can opt out of sending crash reports on the Blink app Account and Privacy screen, and in your device’s main Settings screen for the Blink app.

Use the Enable Crash Reporting toggle on the Manage Account screen to control the sending of crash reports.

From the Blink app Home screen, tap the gear icon to visit the Settings screen and select Account and Privacy.

Opt-out of sending reports by tapping the Enable Crash Reporting toggle.

You can also control crash reporting from your device Settings screen when you select the Blink app as shown in the image.

How to update your Blink account settings

How to update your email, phone number, and password in the Blink app

This article describes how to change your email, phone number, or password in the Blink app.

Before you can change your email, phone number, or password in the Blink app, you will prompted to enter your Blink account password. If you have forgotten your password, you’ll need to reset it using the Forgot password? link. Learn more about resetting your password.

What if I no longer have the phone number associated with my Blink account?

If your phone number has changed, or you can’t access the phone number associated with your Blink account, contact customer support for assistance. Please note, you must be with your Blink devices in order for customer support to assist you.

Updating your email address in the Blink app

Updating your phone number in the Blink app

Updating your password in the Blink app

How Do I Change My Blink Account Email Address?

These steps describe how to change your email address in the Blink app. Before you can change your email address in the Blink app, you will prompted to enter your Blink account password.

Note: If you have forgotten your password, you’ll need to reset it using the Forgot password? link. Learn more about resetting your password.

Once you can log in to your Blink account, follow these steps to change your Blink account email address.

1.Go to Settings

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in the footer of the Blink app and then select Account and Privacy.

2.Your current email address displays under Account and Privacy at the top of this screen. Tap the email, and enter your account password in the security popup. Tap Submit. If you have forgotten your password, reset your password and then resume these steps.

3.On the Change Email screen, enter your new email address and tap Change Email.

4.A verification email will be sent to the new email address, and you must be able to access it to receive the verification code.

◦ The new email address cannot be an email address that is associated with another Blink account.

◦ If you don’t immediately receive the code, wait 90 seconds until the Resend code button appears and then tap it to resend your code. You may have to repeat this process until the verification code comes through.

5.Once you receive a verification email, enter the code and tap Verify.

6.You are returned to the Welcome screen where you can log in with your updated email address.

Note: One email address can be used with your Blink account. If multiple users are sharing your Blink account login, they will be logged out once this is changed and will need to log back in using the updated email address.

If you are unable to access your email address, unable to change it using the steps above, or experience issues with the email updating process, contact customer service.

Securing your Blink Account with Multi-Factor Authentication

What if I no longer have the phone number associated with my Blink account?

What is Multi-Factor Authentication

At Blink, we take the security of your account seriously. That’s why we’ve implemented a two-step verification process, also known as two-factor authentication or multi-factor authentication (MFA). The extra layer of authentication helps prevent unauthorized users from gaining access to your Blink account, even if they have your username and password.

When you attempt to log in to your Blink account you’ll receive a one-time, six-digit code to verify it’s you. This is sent to your mobile device as a text message (SMS). You can choose to receive this one-time passcode via the email address you have listed on your Blink account or on your phone as a text message (SMS).

Verification codes and emails are sent directly to the main account holder, ensuring that only the authorized user has access to the account. If you want to share your account with other trusted individuals, they will need to obtain the verification codes from the main account holder. Learn more about how to set up your Blink account on another device.

If you prefer not to use SMS or don’t have a mobile phone, we have options available to ensure that you can securely access your account.

How to Grant Account Access for Blink Customer Support

Granting access

One way we protect your information is to hide your account details until you give permission for a support agent to have access. To improve your experience, we recommend making sure this option is enabled before you call technical support.

Note: Blink customer service agents are never able to see your clips or live views from a camera.

To unhide your account details for support agents:

1.Go to Settings

in the footer of the Blink app.

2.Select Account and Privacy.

3.Scroll down and tap the switch for Grant Blink Support Account Access.

4.The following popup message appears, showing the permission expiration date. Access is granted when you tap OK.

Customer support has access to your account details for 14 days. You can revoke permission at any time by tapping the switch again.

If you are not able to access your account, contact our Customer Support team.

This privacy feature is present from Blink app versions 6.1.3 (iOS) and 6.1.2 (Android and Fire OS) onward. Refer to Current Blink App Versions and Keeping Your Blink App Version Current to learn about updating your Blink app.

Blink Support contact information

Blink customer support is here for you 24 hours a day / 7 days a week.

If you are in the US or Canada and need help setting up or using your Blink system, please call 781-332-5465* or toll free 1 833-392-5465.

If you are located in Europe and need technical assistance, please call us at +44 1158 384189*

How to reset your Blink password using the Forgot Password link

Reset your forgotten password using the Forgot password? link

This article walks you through resetting your password in the Blink app.

If you’ve forgotten your password or you’re unable to log in, you will need to reset your password by tapping the Forgot password? link on the Welcome to Blink! login screen.

Note: You must tap the Password box to display the Forgot password? link.

Note: If you are already logged in and want to update your existing Blink account password, learn more about How to update your Blink account settings.

Resetting your password

1.On the Welcome to Blink! login screen, tap the Email field and enter the email address associated with your Blink account.

2.After you have entered your email address, tap the Password box.

3.When the Forgot password? link appears in the lower left, tap it.

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4.The following message displays, “Please note that changing your password will require you to sign in again on all of your devices, as well as relink your Alexa and IFTTT accounts.” Tap OK.

5.A verification code will be texted to your mobile device. Enter the code and tap Verify.

◦ If you don’t immediately receive it, wait 90 seconds until the Resend code button appears and then tap it to resend your code. You may have to repeat this process until the verification code comes through.

6.On the Change Password screen, enter your new password and re-enter it. Make sure to follow the password requirements listed on this screen and then tap Change Password.

7.The Welcome to Blink! login screen displays again where you can enter your email and new password.

8.After logging in, a final verification screen appears. Enter the code that is sent either via text or email and tap Verify.

Unlinking Your Blink and Amazon Accounts

Linking your Blink and Amazon accounts allows you to see and manage all of your Blink Subscription Plans in one place. It is required in order to activate subscription plans and you can unlink your accounts at any time.

When you unlink your accounts; however, the subscription plans covering your devices(s) will be paused and they will no longer be covered by the plan’s benefits. Refunds are provided to customers with active (and paid) subscriptions that remain on pause status for 12 or more months.

If you prefer to save clips only to local storage for a certain camera or video doorbell and don’t want it covered by a Basic subscription plan, it is also necessary to unlink your accounts in order for that camera or video doorbell to be removed from your subscription plan by customer service.
.

How to unlink your Blink and Amazon accounts

1. Tap the Settings icon at the bottom of your screen.

2. Select Account and Privacy.

3. Then tap Amazon Account Linked.

4. Next, tap on Unlink Accounts.

5. You will then see a warning that your subscription plan will be paused. Select Continue to proceed.

6. Next, enter your Blink password and tap Unlink.

7. Your Blink and Amazon accounts are now unlinked.

You then have the option to link both accounts again or return to the Account screen.

How do I delete Motion Clips?

Caution: Once you delete a clip, it is permanently erased from Blink’s servers and cannot be recovered by Blink Support.

Clips can be deleted in the following ways:

• Automatically, which requires no interaction

• Manually with the Blink app

• Manually from a computer (clips saved on a USB flash drive)

Automatically delete clips

When you’re subscribing to a Blink plan with Cloud Storage, clips are deleted automatically after a certain period of time. The default auto-delete period is 60 days and can be adjusted to 3, 7, 14, or 30 days (EU and UK users have 30 days maximum).

Auto-delete is available with:

• A Blink Subscription Plan or a free trial

• An account activated on or before April 15, 2020

• An early generation Blink device – XT2, XT, and Indoor (generation 1)

Storage Settings

To change the number of days after which clips automatically delete, tap Clips > Storage Settings and select the new Auto-delete clips older than setting.

You can also access Auto Delete After within App Settings.

1.From the Home screen, tap Settings

> Device and System Settings > Cloud Clip Storage.

2.Tap Auto Delete After and select the desired period to change your auto-delete period length.

Note: Storage Settings is available to users on a Blink subscription plan. If you were formerly on a plan, your auto-delete Storage Settings will remain as the time you previously selected before the subscription plan expired.

Delete a single clip in the Blink app

1.Tap Clips

to view your available motion clips.

2.Tap the clip you would like to delete.

◦ We recommend you verify the clip before you delete it. Deleted clips cannot be recovered.

3.Tap anywhere on the video that is playing. The video will dim to bring up an actions overlay. Tap the trash can

4.A confirmation message will appear. Tap Yes to confirm deletion.

Delete multiple clips in the Blink app

• Cloud storage gives you the ability to select and delete multiple clips at once. This feature is not available for Local Storage Clips.

• Edit (iOS only) and Filter options are also specific to Cloud storage do not appear for Local Storage Clips.

iOS

Android

Warning

Unlike single clips, the app does not prompt you to confirm multiple clip deletion before it completes the action.

1.Tap Clips

to view the available motion clips.

2.Tap Edit and then tap each clip you’d like to mark for deletion. A blue checkmark appears over the clip’s thumbnail showing you it’s been selected.

3.Tap Delete to delete the clips.

4.You can also use Select All to select every clip in the list, and then tap Delete to remove all of the selected clips at once.

Delete a clip from your USB flash drive

The USB flash drive connected to your Sync Module 2 can contain either local storage clips or clip backups. Learn more about Local Storage with Sync Module 2.

Local Storage clips

Local Storage clips can be viewed and deleted one at a time within the Blink app. Delete them the same way you delete single clips in the Blink app.

To delete more than one clip at once, safely eject the USB drive from your Sync Module 2, and move it to a computer to access clip files directly. Delete the clips using the operating system of your computer.

Clip Backups

If you have an active subscription plan and are using a Sync Module 2 with USB flash drive to store clip backups, these backups can’t be viewed or deleted in the Blink app. Instead, safely eject the drive from your Sync Module 2, and move it to a computer. Delete the clips using the operating system of your computer.

How to share or save Clips in the Blink App

Use this article for understanding how to share or save your motion clips using the Blink app.

These instructions work for any clip that you can view in the Clips section of the app.

Sharing clips

Saving clips

1.From your Home screen, tap Clips at the bottom.

2.In your list of clips, choose the clip you want to share by tapping it. The clip plays automatically.

3.Tap the video. It will dim and an actions overlay appears. You can Pause the video if you’d like.

4.To share your clips, follow these steps depending on your mobile device:

◦ iOS Share icon: Tap

in the upper left corner. More options will appear for sharing your clip.

◦ Android Share icon: Tap

in the upper left corner. More options will appear for sharing your clip.

5.From the Share menu, you can send the clip to a contact either via email or a messaging app.

Viewing Motion Clips in the Blink app

View, mark as viewed, or filter motion clips

Learn how to view motion clips, mark clips as viewed, and filter motion clips for a optimum viewing experience within the Blink app.

Your camera(s) starts recording motion clips after your Blink system is armed. Once motion is recorded, you can view motion clips in the Blink app.

Clip storage locations

When you use Blink cameras, motion clips can be stored in three different locations.

Motion clips are separated by tabs within Clips. If there is only one section that appears in Clips (no tabs), your clips are only found in that storage location.

1.Cloud Storage clips – Found in the Cloud tab. Cloud storage of motion clips begin when you have a Blink Subscription Plan or you’re enjoying a 30-day free Subscription Plus Plan trial.

2.Local Storage clips – Found in your Local Storage tab. This tab shares the same name as your system name. These clips are recorded onto a USB flash drive plugged into a Sync Module 2 and are viewable from the Blink app. Local storage occurs when you do not have a Blink Subscription Plan.

◦ Learn more about Local Storage with the Sync Module 2.

3.Backup clips – Found on your USB plugged into your Sync Module 2. Backup clips are not viewable in the Blink app. Backup recordings of motion clips begin when you have a Blink Subscription Plan and a USB flash drive plugged into a Sync Module 2.

◦ Learn more about how to view backup clips.

How to view your stored clips

1.From your Blink home screen, you can access all of your motion clips when you tap Clips

2.Tap any clip to begin playing the video in the clip player.

◦ Newly recorded clips have an orange dot to the right of the timestamp.

◦ In the footer of the home screen, a number within a red circle appears above the Clips icon. The number is how many unwatched clips are in the list.

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How to mark clips as viewed

Single or multiple clips can be selected and marked as viewed without actually viewing them. This will remove the orange dot next to the clip.

Note: Marking clips as viewed will be reflected on all other user’s devices who share that account.

iOS

Android

1.When viewing Clips, tap Edit in the lower left corner and then tap to select the unviewed clips you want to mark as viewed.

2.A blue checkmark will appear to the left of the clip. Tap to select multiple clips as needed.

◦ To select all of the clips in your list, tap Select All.

3.Tap Mark as Viewed in the bottom right of your screen.

How to filter clips

The more clips you have, the more time it will take to sort through the clips you want to see. Fortunately the Blink app offers a way to filter different types of clips, clips from a certain system, or clips from certain cameras. The default view shows all clips from all your cameras on all the systems that are available.

This feature is exclusive to accounts attached to Blink subscription plans, within trial periods or accounts created before April 16, 2020. Edit and filter options are not available when using only Local Storage. Learn about Blink subscription plans and how they work with cloud storage.

1.To view your clips in the Blink app, tap Clips

2.Tap Filter at the bottom of Clips.

3.Once you’re done viewing clip views, tap Done to save the filter and return to your filtered list of clips.

Filtered results

Once you’re done setting up your desired filter, tap Done to return back to Clips.

○Filter means the default view is showing all clip types, all systems, and all cameras.

●Filter shows that a filter is active. Tap ●Filter to change the filter settings.

How To Save Live View Clips

Note: We’ve enhanced the design of the Blink app. If the steps listed in this article do not match your current app version, you can view the updated design.

Info

Saving all clips, whether they’re Live View or otherwise, requires a Blink Subscription Plan or a free trial.

Live View allows you to see what the camera is currently capturing and monitor the scene as it happens, rather than viewing a recorded version of the event.

Here are the Blink Cameras that support saving Live View clips:

• Outdoor 4 Camera

• Wired Floodlight Camera

• Mini Camera

• Video Doorbell

• Outdoor and Indoor Camera (3rd Gen)

• XT2 Camera

Live View clips are never saved or backed up to Local Storage. This includes Live View sessions accessed from Alexa devices like an Echo Show (no Local Storage option).

XT2 camera Live View clips take more storage space than motion clips, so be aware of your 7200 second storage limit. When the limit is reached, your oldest clip will be automatically deleted to make room for the newest one. Learn more about how clips are deleted.

XT and Indoor (generation 1) cameras do not allow you to save Live View clips.

Here’s how to save Live View as a clip.

1. From the Home screen, tap the Live View icon located in the lower left corner of each camera.

2. On the Live View screen, Save in the lower left indicates the current session is saved to Cloud Storage for that camera. Tap this icon to enable or disable saving the Live View session. The Save icon changes whether saving is active or inactive.

Tap Save to enable saving the Live View session.

The icon changes and a message appears confirming the current Live View session is saved to Cloud Storage.

Save icons

• Cloud with play symbol – Saving Live View clips is disabled. Clips won’t be saved to Cloud Storage.

• Blue circle with a check mark – Saving Live View clips is enabled. Clips are saved to Cloud Storage.

Note: When Save all Live Views is enabled in your Blink App Settings, Save is on by default for each time you enter a Live View session. You can turn off saving the Live View session at any time by tapping Save.

Tap the Clips section in the footer of the Home screen.

• Saved Live View sessions show the Live View icon

beside the camera name in your clips list.

• Motion clips show the running man icon

• Tap Edit to select which clips in the view get marked for deletion.

◦ The Edit option is only available on iOS devices. Learn more about deleting multiple clips at once.

• Tap Filter to select which device is included in the view.

Note: Any deleted clips are permanently removed from our systems and cannot be recovered.

This setting allows you to automatically save a Live View session to Cloud Storage any time you access Live View through a camera.
1. Tap App Settings in the footer of the app and select Device and System Settings.

Home screen

2. Under Systems, select the system name by tapping it.

select the system

3. Tap Save all Live Views and Live View events for the system selected above will now be saved in Cloud Storage.

toggle on "Save all Live Views"

Saving Live Views with Alexa

When you have a Blink subscription and use an Alexa-enabled device to open the Live View session, the entire session is saved unless you stop it manually.

To start a live view from your Blink camera, say:

“Alexa, show [camera name].”

To stop a live view, say:

“Alexa, stop.”

“Alexa, end.”

“Alexa, exit.”

“Alexa, go home.”

“Alexa, hide [camera name].”

Note: Live view commands work with compatible Alexa-enabled screen devices.

How do I view backup clips?

Viewing Clip Backup from a USB drive

Clip Backup occurs when you insert a USB drive into your Sync Module 2 and you have one of the following:

• a Blink Subscription

• a Blink Subscription trial

• your Blink account was created on or before April 15th, 2020

The Clip Backup feature is available for the Wired Outdoor 4, Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), and the Mini. Learn more about Blink Subscription Plans.

Once every 24 hours, a backup of your Cloud Storage clips are saved to the storage device plugged into your Sync Module. To access the backup files, the USB storage device must be removed from the Sync Module 2 and inserted into a computer or similar device.

Note: Backup clips are not viewable from the Blink app.

Warning – if your drive is full

When your USB flash drive has less than 375MB of storage space, Local Storage clips and backup clips are no longer saved. To free up space, delete clips, format your USB drive, or insert a new USB drive into the Sync Module.

Safely Eject the USB

1.First, note the date and time of the Backup completed.to be sure the clip backups you want to view are on the USB storage device. Since the backup occurs once per day, it is possible that the files you want are not yet saved to USB

2. From the Local Storage screen, tap Safe Eject and wait to receive the “USB Disconnected” message and the USB icon changes to inactive (not green) as shown below.

3.You can now remove your USB storage device from the Sync Module 2, and insert it into a computer or similar device to view the files. If you reinsert the USB storage device into the Sync Module 2, backups resume and new, unsaved files are added to the blink_backups directory.

How to view Backup Clips

1.Insert your USB drive into a computer and access the flash drive as you normally would.

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2.Backup clips are found on the USB drive in the blink_backup folder. The subfolders within this folder correspond to the date when the clips were saved.

Example

blink_backup – This folder contains backup clips from eligible cameras.

20-09 – This folder indicates a two digit year 20 for 2020, and two-digit month 09 for September.

01-20-21-38_Outdoor_1234567.mp4 – File name is generated using this convention: [Day of month] – [Hour (in 24-hour format)] – [Minutes] – [Seconds] _ [camera-name] _ [camera UID].mp4

◦ Note: The timestamp used in the file name is in UTC.

3.Select the clip you want to view and double-click to open the file. Clips are viewed using any media player that supports the common MP4 format, such as VLC, Windows Media Player, or QuickTime Player.

How do I view backup clips?

Viewing Clip Backup from a USB drive

Clip Backup occurs when you insert a USB drive into your Sync Module 2 and you have one of the following:

• a Blink Subscription

• a Blink Subscription trial

• your Blink account was created on or before April 15th, 2020

The Clip Backup feature is available for the Wired Outdoor 4, Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell, Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), and the Mini. Learn more about Blink Subscription Plans.

Note: Backup clips are not viewable from the Blink app.

Warning – if your drive is full

Safely Eject the USB

2. From the Local Storage screen, tap Safe Eject and wait to receive the “USB Disconnected” message and the USB icon changes to inactive (not green) as shown below.

How to view Backup Clips

1.Insert your USB drive into a computer and access the flash drive as you normally would.

2.Backup clips are found on the USB drive in the blink_backup folder. The subfolders within this folder correspond to the date when the clips were saved.

Example

blink_backup – This folder contains backup clips from eligible cameras.

20-09 – This folder indicates a two digit year 20 for 2020, and two-digit month 09 for September.

01-20-21-38_Outdoor_1234567.mp4 – File name is generated using this convention: [Day of month] – [Hour (in 24-hour format)] – [Minutes] – [Seconds] _ [camera-name] _ [camera UID].mp4

◦ Note: The timestamp used in the file name is in UTC.

Accessing clips on your USB drive from a PC

Use this article to learn how to access the motion clips saved to your USB flash drive.

Types of clips

The Sync Module 2 uses the USB drive in one of two ways:

Local Storage – If you are not subscribing to a Blink Subscription Plan, motion clips are saved to the drive. These clips are known as Local Storage clips.

• These clips can be viewed and deleted from the Blink app as well as through a PC.

Clip Backup – If you are subscribing to a Blink Subscription Plan, motion clips are backed up to the drive every 24 hours from the moment it is plugged in. These clips are known as backup clips.

• These clips cannot be viewed or deleted from the Blink app. Plug the USB drive into a PC to view or delete them.

Warning – If your drive is full

When your USB flash drive has less than 375MB of storage space, Local Storage clips and backup clips are no longer saved.

To free up space, delete clips, reformat your USB drive, or insert a new USB drive into the Sync Module.

Always follow the Safe Eject process in the Blink app before physically removing your USB drive from your Sync Module 2.

Plug the USB flash drive into a PC

Insert your USB drive into a computer and access the flash drive as you normally would. Clips are viewed using any media player that supports the common MP4 format, such as VLC, Windows Media Player, or QuickTime Player.

Folder names on the flash drive

Your clips can be saved in two folders on your USB flash drive named blink and blink_backup.

Local Storage

Backup Clips

Local Storage clips are found on the USB drive in the blink folder. The subfolders within this folder correspond to the date when the clips were saved.

Example

blink – This folder contains clips from eligible cameras.

21-05 – This folder indicates a two digit year 21 for 2021, and two-digit month 05 for May.

21-05-02 – This folder indicates a two digit year 21 for 2021, a two-digit month 05 for May, and a two-digit date 02 for the second day of the month.

12-54-30_BlinkMini_001.mp4 – The filename shows: [Hour (in 24-hour format)] – [Minutes] – [Seconds] _ [Camera Name] _ [Clip Number].mp4

Troubleshooting Motion Clips Saved in Local or Cloud Storage

Here are some common issues regarding motion clips (video).

If you’re new to Blink, we recommend first learning about viewing your clips in the Blink app.

Caution: Once you delete a clip, it is permanently erased from Blink’s servers and cannot be recovered by Blink Support.

Troubleshooting Cloud Storage or Local Storage Clips

My camera is recording motion clips when there isn’t any motion.

If your camera is recording motion clips when no movement occurs, you may need to adjust the camera or its settings. Consider these factors for optimal motion clip capture.

• Thermal detection. The motion sensor detects changes in temperature in the camera’s field of view. Big sources of heat or cold can cause false triggers. Try moving the camera to a different location. This will isolate any environmental factors that may be triggering the motion sensor.

• Retrigger time. Increase the Retrigger Time to 15 seconds. Learn more about Retrigger Time.

• Location. Is your camera located where it will get the view you want?

◦ If your camera is placed outdoors, it will be more prone to false motion notifications. When it is outside, the changing temperatures or moving objects (at slightly different temperatures) can trip the motion sensor.

◦ Angle the camera to avoid viewing random motions, bright spots from reflections, blowing trees or high traffic areas.

◦ Learn more about how to properly place your cameras for motion detection.

• Sensitivity. Each camera has a setting to control how responsive it is to motion.

◦ Low Sensitivity means the camera is less responsive to motion, so it takes more motion to trigger an event.

◦ High Sensitivity will respond to just about any motion like blowing leaves or rain.

◦ Set the sensitivity so that your movement is detected, then use Motion Zones to block out areas of random motion or reflections.

◦ Learn more about adjusting sensitivity for your Blink camera.

• High motion areas. Is there a regular source of motion in the camera view?

◦ Active roads, moving shadows, flocks of birds, and neighborhood pets can all cause a motion event.

◦ Motion Zones can be set to block out motion in a certain area. Learn more about Motion Zones.

• Network. If the camera has a weak connection to your wireless router, it may cause the camera to record false motion clips. Increasing the Retrigger Time should resolve this issue. You can also move the camera closer to your wireless router.

• Power cycle. Power cycling the camera may also resolve this issue. Try removing and then reinserting the batteries or the USB cable connection.

Adjusting Sensitivity for your Blink Camera

Your Blink camera captures motion based on heat moving across the camera’s field. The total size of heat objects and amount of motion together cause a motion event. Your camera’s Sensitivity setting adjusts how much input it takes to send you a notification.

Low sensitivity is less responsive, so a larger amount of heat and motion are needed to cause a notification. The highest setting may cause alerts from blowing leaves or even shadows.

If you are receiving too many notifications with nothing interesting, try turning the Sensitivity down two points. If that is effective, test by arming the system, and walking in the field of view when Motion Detection is on, to make sure a human sized object will trigger a notification.

Be careful if you tap the notification and enter Live View with your microphone or speakers on, significantly loud feedback may occur. Tap mute speaker in the upper right corner of the Live View.

Each camera has an individual sensitivity setting. You can find this in the Camera Settings for each camera in your system.

Choosing High or Low Sensitivity

The sensitivity setting on your camera not only depends on what is making the movement, but how long the movement is occurring.

• High sensitivity means less motion over a shorter period of time will create a notification.

• Low sensitivity means more movement over a longer period of time will create a notification.

The motion can be a big or small object, or a lot of small objects. Motion detection depends on where the object is in relation to the camera lens. For example, a bird flying close to the camera can be perceived as bigger than the person walking on the sidewalk in the distance. A person walking directly toward the camera will produce less motion than a dog walking left to right across the camera’s field of view. It’s about the amount of motion that’s occurring within the detection zone of the camera and not necessarily how large the object is.

Testing sensitivity for your home camera

1.From the Blink app main screen, tap

Settings above the camera thumbnail and then Motion Settings.

2.Then select Motion Sensitivity and move the slider two or three points to the left towards L, for Low. Tap Save to save this setting and walk out of the frame of view of this camera.

3.From the main screen of the Blink app, set your system to Armed to enable Motion Detection.

4.Test the camera sensitivity by introducing movement.

◦ People, packages, and pets are what home cameras are for.

5.If the sensitivity is not successful, reduce the slider more, save, and try again.

6.If you have adjusted the sensitivity to your liking, proceed to test with a larger moving object, such as yourself. Walk in front of your camera and check to see if the setting gives the desired motion alert.

7.If the lowest sensitivity continues to cause an unwanted Motion notification, you may need to create an Motion Zone instead. Learn more about setting Motion Zones.

How to adjust Retrigger time

Adjusting the time between motion event recording

This article describes how to adjust the retrigger time for your Blink camera.

Retrigger time is the amount of time between the end a motion capture and beginning of a new motion event. During the retrigger time, your camera does not record motion events.

By default, the system will capture a five second clip, and wait for the retrigger time of 30 seconds. If motion continues, the camera will capture another five second clip. Retrigger time can be adjusted under Device Settings.

Note: Each camera in your system has an individual retrigger time setting.

Adjusting the Retrigger time

1.Tap Device Settings

next to the camera you would like to adjust and select Motion Settings.

2.In Motion Settings, you can adjust the Retrigger time value from 10 to 60 seconds. To increase the retrigger time, move the slider to the right and to decrease the delay move the slider to the left.

◦ The longer the retrigger time is set, the longer you camera is not recording between motion events. This is useful if your camera views an area where motion occurs often or if you are getting false motion notifications.

3.When you have this setting where you want it, tap Save.

Test your setting
After your camera’s retrigger time is set, Arm your Blink system and walk through the camera’s field of view. You’ll receive a motion notification on your mobile device. Continue to walk through the camera’s field of view to produce a second motion notification. If the retrigger time was too short or too long between captured clips, return to Device Settings and adjust the Retrigger time.

Arming and Disarming your Blink System for Motion Detection

Note: We’ve enhanced the design of the Blink app. If the steps listed in this article do not match your current app version, you can view the updated design.

When you first set up your Blink system, your system is Disarmed by default.

system will be Disarmed by default

Arm your system by tapping Armed in the middle lower part of the Blink app.

system will be Disarmed by default
.

Armed system camera icons

When your system is Armed, two icons appear. The Snooze icon a bell shaped grey outline with smaller letter Z to show a snoozing bell and the Running man .

Early Notification

When Early Notification is enabled, the camera sends the alert when motion is first detected.

When Early Notification is not enabled, Motion Alerts are sent after the Motion Clip is saved.

The amount of time ‘earlier’ you receive an Early Notification depends upon your Clip Length settings and other factors like network speeds.

The Early Notification option is only available for the following Blink devices:

• Blink Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen)

• Mini

• XT2

Early Notification is enabled by default and can’t be turned off on the Blink Outdoor 4, Wired Floodlight and Video Doorbell.

Why would I use Early Notification?

A real advantage of Early Notification is being able to enter Live View if you tap the Motion Alert notification, when you’re within the time frame of that clip length, or five seconds after. In this way, you can be interacting with visitors using two-way voice, or viewing whatever triggered the motion alert, within a few seconds of receiving your notification.

Note: If you pass the five second time frame after the clip has ended, you will be automatically taken to the clip list screen with no clip selected.

Can I save the Live View session?

If you have an active Blink Subscription Plan‍ and your camera supports recording the Live View session, a “Save / Discard ” toggle appears in the live view. When the toggle is set to “Save”, the current session records until the timeout, or when you stop the Live View by tapping “Close”.

How do I use Early Notification?

To enable Early Notification, go to the camera settings screen and select Motion Settings. Then switch on Early Notification.

Early Notification is off by default for Blink cameras, as shown in the image.

Early Notification toggle

Understanding Motion Detection

Note: Before you Enable Motion Detection on your camera, you must first arm your Blink system. Once you arm your Blink system and Enable Motion Detection, you will then receive motion notifications on your mobile device. This article describes how to manage the Motion Detection feature for your Blink camera.

How Blink cameras detect motion

Blink cameras use either Passive Infrared (PIR) or Pixel Difference Analysis (PDA) to detect motion. Both technologies provide similar motion detection. Blink cameras detect motion best from about 7 to 19 feet (2m to 6m) away, and can respond to motion at 30 feet (10m). Other factors affect what motion is detected like camera placement, object size, and temperature.

Motion Detection using Passive Infrared (PIR) sensors

Blink Outdoor 4, Wired Floodlight, Outdoor and Indoor (3rd Gen), Blink Indoor (1st Gen), XT2, XT
The Passive Infrared (PIR) sensor detects heat energy from anything in the view. To detect movement, a special lens exaggerates activity across the sensor. PIR can be sensitive to groups of motion, like sunlight and shadows through a tree, blowing leaves, or rain.

PIR is most sensitive to motion moving across the field of view. Objects that are the same apparent temperature as the background may not be detected when they move. PIR sensors also work well with the Night Vision IR light in Blink cameras.

Motion Detection using Pixel Difference Analysis

Blink Mini
Pixel Difference Analysis (PDA) compares every frame of video to the next one, looking for a certain amount of difference. The amount of change needed to make a Motion Detection event is controlled with the Sensitivity setting in the Blink app. Low sensitivity means it is harder to make a motion detection event. High sensitivity responds to small amounts of motion.

Mini cameras have been used to detect motion through glass. Remember, this is not the most accurate way to detect motion, but these tips will help.

• Make sure the area being watched is well lit.

• Put the face of the Mini as close to the window as possible. Some people have even used gaffer’s tape to seal the Mini against the window.

• Turn off the Recording LED and the Night Vision IR LED to prevent glare from reflected light.

Note: The Mini camera was not designed to detect motion through glass and your results may not be consistent.

Motion Settings

Motion Settings allow you to customize how your Blink camera detects motion. Located in Device Settings for each camera, you can control motion detection, zones, retrigger time, and more. Visit the New Device Layout Settings article for a complete list of motion settings for your Blink camera. Note: Before you Enable Motion Detection on your camera, you must first arm your Blink system.

How to Snooze motion-activated notifications

Note: We’ve enhanced the design of the Blink app. If the steps listed in this article do not match your current app version, you can view the updated design.

Use this article to understand how to use Snooze for motion-activated notifications. The Snooze option allows you to temporarily pause motion event notifications being sent to your mobile device.

For example, if you are receiving too many motion notifications from your camera you can temporarily stop receiving all motion notifications. The camera; however, will continue to record clips.

Since Snooze is on a timer, it will automatically disable the pause after the desired length of time is reached.

• The length of time is 30 minutes. You can also select 1, 2, 3, or 4 hour increments.

• If you are subscribing to a Blink plan, you can use Custom Snooze, that lets you specify the length in 1-minute increments up to 24 hours.

Turning on Snooze Notifications

1.When the camera’s system is Armed, Snooze

appears next to the Running Man icon (Motion Detection)

◦ By default, this icon is gray (Snooze is off).

◦ If the Running Man icon is gray (Motion Detection is off), the Snooze icon does not display.

2.Tap Snooze

and the bell turns solid blue

. A message displays asking you to choose how long you want the Snooze to last. Select 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

◦ Use the checkbox to apply the selected Snooze time to all other cameras on the system that currently have Snooze active.

Turning off Snooze Notifications

1.When Snooze is active, the icon turns solid blue

. Tap an active snooze to end it early. A confirmation message displays the amount of Snooze time remaining. You can tap the X in the upper-right hand corner to continue the active snooze or select End Snooze.

◦ The Snooze icon will switch back to gray

◦ Tap the Apply to all devices checkbox to end Snooze for all cameras on the system.

Alexa Snooze Notifications

Alexa will continue announcing events even if you have turned on Snooze notifications for your camera or system. To turn off Alexa Motion Announcements, follow these steps:

1.Go to the Alexa app.

2.Go to Settings > Device Settings.

3.Select the device you want to stop the announcements for.

4.Under ANNOUNCEMENTS, turn off Motion Announcements.

If you want Alexa to resume announcing motion notifications, you must turn on Motion Announcements in the Alexa app.

Setting a custom Snooze notification

When you have a Blink Subscription Plan or trial, you can set Custom times up to 24 hours. Learn more about Blink Subscription Plans extra features and benefits for your devices.

1. Tap Snooze on the home screen and select Custom.

2. Select the amount of time to Snooze your notifications and then tap Start Snooze. You have the flexibility to select any time between 1 minute and 24 hours to stop your notifications.

Your set custom Snooze time will then appear as a notification on the Home screen.