Support Home Blink App Using Your Camera

How to use Live View

Live View allows you to access real-time video and audio from your camera directly within the Blink app and from certain Alexa-enabled devices. This article describes how to access Live View.

How to access a Live View

From the Blink App

Note: If the Live View play button is not visible for your Video Doorbell, your camera may be in Event Response mode. In this mode, Live View can only be accessed from a notification sent to your mobile device when a motion event is detected.

Starting from the home screen of the Blink app, identify the camera thumbnail you wish to view. Each thumbnail has a play button at its center. To initiate Live View from a specific camera, tap the play button.

From a Motion Notification

Note: While motion notifications may appear on multiple devices simultaneously, Live View access is limited to one user at a time.

Live Views can also be accessed by tapping the Motion Notification sent to your mobile device. To enter a Live View from a motion notification, you must turn on Early Notification. Once you've turned on Early Notification, you can talk to visitors using two-way audio, or view whatever triggered the motion alert within a few seconds.

From an Android device home screen

On Android devices, you can press the Blink icon on your home screen to view cameras on your account. Then tap one to start a Live View. You can also drag cameras from the pop-up list, to create icons for direct Live Views for those cameras.

How to save all Live View sessions

Note: To save Live View sessions, you must have a Blink Subscription Plan or a free trial.

On the Live View screen, the Save button, located at the bottom left, signifies the status of the current session's storage to the Cloud. By tapping the Save button, you can alternate between enabling and disabling the saving of the Live View sessions.

The appearance of the Save button changes according to whether the saving function is active or inactive:

A cloud with a play symbol indicates that the saving of Live View clips is currently disabled. Clips will not be stored in Cloud Storage.
A blue circle with a checkmark indicates that the saving of Live View clips is enabled, resulting in clips being saved to Cloud Storage.

Tap the Save button to choose your preferred setting at any time during a Live View session.

How to leave a Live View

To leave Live View, tap Close (top left on an iOS device) or < (Android device). If Live View ends before you've finished viewing, simply tap the Play button again to restart Live View.

Note: Alexa enabled screen devices do not display the Continue? button and remain in Live View until they reach the viewing limit.

What is Extended Live View?

Blink Subscription Plans enable many premium features including Extended Live View - exclusively for Blink Wired Floodlight and Mini cameras. This feature provides images and sound directly from a camera to the Blink app, up to 90 minutes at a time without user intervention. In addition, you can view regular Live View sessions up to five minutes without tapping on Continue.

Extended Live View is not compatible with Alexa and only functions within the Blink app. When using your Blink Wired Floodlight or Mini camera without a Blink Subscription Plan, you must tap Continue every 60 seconds in Live View and your total session length is limited to five minutes.

Extended Live View is ONLY available in Blink Basic, Blink Plus and free trials of the subscription plans. Regular Live View is still accessible to all users. Learn more about Blink Subscription Plans.