Arlo continues to offer free image storage for various cameras

Arlo is reneging on its earlier intention to scrap the free cloud storage feature for various cameras. This storage function will still be retained for existing customers. With this function, images can be viewed for free for seven days.

Arlo’s CEO, Matthew McRae, made announced the changed policy on Twitter. He says feedback and concerns from Arlo users have been listened to by the company and him personally. They expressed their dissatisfaction after the company announced a month ago that the free cloud storage function would end in a year.

The main change is that seven-day storage will not be phased out. McRae says this became possible after asking a team at Arlo to explore ways to continue supporting the service after “planned platform changes.” According to the CEO, “after a considerable amount of work” a solution has been found to continue the seven-day storage.

In addition, the end-of-life data of various older cameras will be further postponed. McRae only cites the Pro 2 cameras as an example. Initially, the end-of-life date of this product was set to January 1, 2024, but that will now be 2025, probably January 1, 2025. Security updates will be released up to a year after that date. That means Pro 2 customers can expect security updates until 2026.

Arlo users can also review seven days of footage without a paid subscription. Those images are stored at Arlo for this purpose. The company advertised this feature prominently on packaging and in marketing materials. Without the free feature, users must pay or use an Arlo Base Station to store recordings locally.

The eight different cameras and doorbells Arlo mentioned last month; with these models, the free cloud function will not disappear anyway. The aforementioned end-of-life dates seem to have moved up by a year, but that is only certain for the Pro 2.