Is Your Canary Camera Missing Key Features?
Canary cameras offer a suite of powerful features designed to enhance your home security, such as Two-Way Talk, Person Detection, and extended video recording. If you've noticed that these options are greyed out, have disappeared from your app, or are simply not working, it can be confusing. You might be wondering if your camera is faulty or if there's a problem with your account.
This guide explains the most common reason for missing features—Canary's subscription model—and walks you through the steps to understand and resolve the issue.
Understanding Canary's Subscription Tiers
The most important thing to know is that many of Canary's advanced features are tied to a paid subscription plan (Canary Premium). When you first purchase and set up a new device, it often comes with a free trial of this premium service. When the trial period ends, the camera reverts to the 'Basic Safety' plan unless you subscribe.
Here's a quick breakdown of features that typically require a subscription:
- Two-Way Talk: The ability to speak through your camera.
- Person Detection: AI-powered alerts that specifically identify people.
- Full-Length Video Clips: Recording until the motion stops.
- 30-Day Video History: Storing your recorded events in the cloud for a month.
- Desktop Streaming: Watching your camera's feed from a web browser.
- Custom Activity Zones: Defining specific areas for motion detection.
If these are the features you are missing, the cause is almost certainly related to your subscription status.
How to Restore Your Canary Features
Follow these steps to diagnose the problem and regain access to the functionality you need.
1. Verify Your Subscription Status
First, confirm whether you have an active paid plan.
- Go to the official Canary website (my.canary.is).
- Log in with the same email and password you use for the app.
- Navigate to your account or profile section.
- Check your subscription details. It will clearly state whether you are on 'Basic Safety' or 'Premium'.
If you are on the Basic plan, you will need to purchase a Premium subscription to unlock the missing features.
2. Log Out and Back In
Sometimes, the app on your phone doesn't correctly sync with your account's status. A simple refresh can often fix this.
- Open the Canary app on your smartphone.
- Go to the settings menu (usually a gear icon).
- Find the option to 'Log Out'.
- Close the app completely.
- Re-open the app and log back in with your credentials.
This action forces the app to re-check your subscription status and can make the premium features reappear if you have an active plan.
3. Use the 'Restore Purchases' Option
If you subscribed through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, there is a dedicated option to re-sync your purchase with the Canary app.
- In the Canary app's settings, look for an option like 'Restore Purchases'.
- Tapping this will communicate with the app store to verify your active subscription and apply it to your Canary account.
4. Update the Canary App
An outdated version of the app can sometimes have bugs or compatibility issues.
- Go to the App Store (on iOS) or Google Play Store (on Android).
- Search for the Canary app.
- If an 'Update' button is visible, tap it to install the latest version.
By checking your subscription and ensuring your app is properly synced, you can easily resolve the issue of missing features and get the most out of your Canary security camera.