HomeKit Secure Video now available for the Logitech Circle 2 camera

What you need to know

• Logitech has released a software update that enables HomeKit Secure Video for Circle 2 cameras.
• This release makes the Circle 2 camera the first to support HomeKit Secure Video which was announced by Apple at WWDC 2019.
• The update moves all recording and controls to Apple's Home app and removes it from Logitech's Circle app.

Announced earlier today by Logitech, an update to the Logitech Circle app is now available that enables owners of the Circle 2 wired camera to upgrade to HomeKit Secure Video. The feature, which was announced by Apple back in June at the annual World Wide Developers Conference in San Jose, enables the Home app to record and view footage and does so in a way that puts privacy at the forefront by using end-to-end encryption, and iCloud.

Logitech refers to this new upgrade option as converting your camera over to HomeKit, and it is marked as "Beta" within the Logitech Circle app. Converting your camera over to HomeKit Secure Video is just like its name implies, as it completely changes the way that you interact with the camera as it will no longer be available in Logitech's app. Logitech warns users that they will lose several other features, such as viewing their cameras on other platforms like Android or on the web, as well as losing any recordings currently saved through their Circle Safe subscription service.

Owners of the wired version of Logitech's Circle 2 Camera will need to first download or update the Logitech Circle app to version 3.4.5. Once in the app, the option to convert to the HomeKit Secure Video will be found in Smart Home Integrations portion, and users will have to agree to several checkboxes that confirm that they understand all of the changes that will be made. The biggest change that users will need to be aware of is that they will not be able to downgrade back to the Circle 2 app on their own and that they will have to contact Logitech's support for assistance.

After the conversion, owners will control everything related to their camera in the Home app, and they can delete the Circle 2 app as it can no longer be used with the camera. All notifications will come from the Home app afterward, and in the app, users will see new options in their camera's settings to toggle options such as night vision and status indicator lights, as well as recording options.

Recordings are viewable by tapping on the live camera view and swiping through a timeline of events, complete with icons depicting the type of motion. The HomeKit Secure Video feature sends these recordings over to an Apple TV or HomePod that is setup as the hub for the home, where it is analyzed to determine what caused the motion and can label it as cars, animals, or people. Users can set notifications to only occur for specific motion events, filtering out recordings for things such as a car passing by.

We will have more on HomeKit Secure Video in the coming days, including guides on setting it up and navigating all of the new features.