Is Your Yi Camera Not Saving Recordings to its SD Card?
One of the most valuable features of the Yi Home Camera is its ability to save footage locally to a microSD card, giving you access to recorded events without needing a cloud subscription. When this feature stops working, it can be a major problem, leaving you with no recorded history. If you're finding the playback timeline empty or getting errors about the SD card, this guide is here to help.
We'll walk you through the common reasons why a Yi camera fails to save footage locally and provide a clear, step-by-step process to diagnose and fix the issue for good.
Why Won't My Yi Camera Record Locally?
The problem almost always revolves around the microSD card itself or the way the camera is configured to use it. Here are the most frequent causes:
- Incompatible or Low-Quality SD Card: Yi cameras require a Class 10 microSD card to handle the constant writing of video data. Using a slower (e.g., Class 4 or 6) or a generic, unbranded card is a primary cause of failure.
- Corrupted SD Card: Over time, SD cards can develop errors or become corrupted, making them unreadable by the camera.
- Improper Formatting: The SD card needs to be formatted in a specific way (FAT32 file system) for the camera to use it. Formatting it on a computer might not work as expected.
- Incorrect Camera Settings: The recording settings in the Yi Home app might be accidentally turned off or misconfigured.
- Full SD Card (Without Loop Recording): Although loop recording should be on by default, if it's turned off, the camera will stop recording once the card is full.
- Physical Damage: The SD card or the card slot on the camera could be physically damaged or dirty.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fix SD Card Recording Issues
Follow these troubleshooting steps in sequence. After each one, check the playback timeline in your app to see if new recordings are appearing.
1. Choose the Right SD Card
Before anything else, ensure you're setting yourself up for success with the correct hardware.
- Check the Class: Look at your microSD card. There should be a small number inside a circle. For Yi cameras, this must be a 10.
- Use a Reputable Brand: Stick with well-known brands like SanDisk, Samsung, Kingston, or Lexar. A "High Endurance" card is highly recommended as it's specifically designed for the constant rewriting that security cameras perform.
- Check the Size: Ensure the card's capacity (e.g., 32GB, 64GB) is supported by your specific Yi camera model.
2. The Essential Step: Format the SD Card in the App
This is the most critical step and solves the majority of recording problems.
- Make sure the microSD card is inserted correctly into the camera while it is powered on.
- Open the Yi Home app and select your camera.
- Tap on the 'Settings' icon.
- Scroll down and select 'Storage' or 'microSD Card'.
- You should see the card's capacity listed. Tap the 'Format SD Card' option.
- Confirm that you want to erase all data on the card. The process will take a minute or two.
This process correctly prepares the card for use with the camera. If you receive an error during formatting, the card itself is likely faulty and needs to be replaced.
3. Verify Your In-App Recording Settings
Once the card is formatted, you need to tell the camera what to record.
- Go back to the camera's 'Settings' menu.
- Look for a setting called 'Activity Recording' or similar.
- Ensure the toggle for recording is turned on.
- If you want it to record all the time, you may see an option for 'Continuous Recording'. If you only want it to record when it sees movement, ensure 'Activity Detection' is enabled.
- By default, 'Loop Recording' should be active, which means the camera will automatically overwrite the oldest files when it runs out of space.
4. Power Cycle and Re-insert
A simple reboot can sometimes force the camera to recognise the card properly.
- Unplug your Yi camera from its power source.
- Carefully eject the microSD card. Check the metal contacts for any dirt or grime, and gently wipe them with a dry cloth if necessary.
- Wait for 30 seconds.
- Re-insert the microSD card firmly until it clicks into place.
- Plug the camera back into the power source and wait for it to boot up (it will say "Waiting to connect" and then the blue light will become solid).
- Check the app again to see if the SD card is recognised and if new recordings are being saved.
If you have tried a new, compatible, and correctly formatted SD card and checked all the settings, and it's still not recording, there may be a hardware fault with the camera itself. In this case, you should contact Yi customer support.