Support Home Using the Blink App Using Your Camera

How to use Live View

Use this article to understand how to access Live View from your Blink camera. Live View allows you to see your camera's live video and hear sound directly from the Blink app and from certain Alexa enabled devices‍.

Blink cameras use your Wi-Fi network to send Live View. The connection must have 2 MB per second or faster upload speed (from your camera to the Blink app). Live View can fail if the internet connection is too slow or external factors like signal strength and wireless interference.

How to access Live View

From the Blink app

To access Live View from the Blink app, tap the Live View play icon on the camera image you want to view.

From a motion notification

Available with certain cameras, Live Views can also be accessed by tapping the Motion Alert push notification sent to your mobile device. This setting must be enabled in the app in order for push notifications to be sent to your device. Learn more about Early Notifications.

If you do not see the Live View play icon for you Video Doorbell, your camera may be in Event Response mode. When this occurs, Live View is only accessible from the notification sent to your mobile device in response to a motion event. Learn more about Event Response.

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

Live View additional options

What does the Continue? button do?

To conserve bandwidth, your Live View may dim and a Continue? button appears at certain intervals. The button appears a few times until your viewing limit of five minutes is reached. Tap this button to continue watching the Live View.

Portrait orientation

When viewing the Blink app in portrait orientation (tall, not wide), the camera view fills the screen width. You can use the 'pinch to zoom' gesture to view image details; however, the actual image size does not change.

Tap the icon in the top right of your Live View to switch to from portrait to landscape view. You can also turn your mobile device 90° sideways to automatically switch to landscape view.

Landscape orientation

Generally, the Blink app is viewed in landscape orientation (wide, not tall) and the images appear in full screen (as shown below).

Tap the icon in the top right to switch back to portrait view. You can also turn your mobile device 90° vertically to automatically switch back to portrait view.

Save

Saving Live View clips is an exclusive feature of a Blink Subscription plan. Learn more about how to save Live View clips.

Audio Options

Speaker Icon
While in Live View, tap the speaker icon to enable or disable the camera's audio.

Two Way Audio
Cameras with a microphone and speaker display a microphone button at the bottom. Two-Way Audio‍ is supported on the Video Doorbell, Outdoor and Indoor (Gen 3), Mini, and XT2 cameras.

Learn more about how to use two way audio with your camera's microphone.

Note: The audio button name depends on your camera.

Mini, Indoor and Outdoor (3rd Gen), XT2 and XT cameras - Hold to talk
Wired Floodlight Camera, Video Doorbell - Tap to Mute

More Options

While in Live View, tap More for other options. Settings vary between devices.

Extended Live View

Extended Live View is only available in through the Blink Basic, Blink Plus and free trial subscription plans.

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.

Learn more about Extended Live View.

Device Settings
Device Settings can be accessed in two ways. One way is from the Blink app's home screen through . The other way is by tapping the More button in Live View and then tapping . Learn more about how to access your camera's device settings.

Wired Floodlight Camera: Siren On/Off

The siren can be turned on and off remotely through the app. This plays a loud alert noise through your Wired Floodlight camera's internal speaker.

Learn more about using the Floodlight Siren.

How to leave Live View

When you're ready to stop Live View, tap Close in the top left corner on iOS devices and < on Android devices.

Alexa enabled screen devices do not provide the Continue button and remain in Live View until the limit is reached. If the Live View ends before you are finished, you can re-enter Live View by pressing the icon again.

How to record Live View clips

To save Live View clips, you must have a Blink Subscription Plan or a free trial. Visit How to Save Live View clips to learn how to save Live View clips.