Is a phone baby monitor private?
Updated
A phone baby monitor can be very private, but it depends on the app. With Awake, the video and sound go straight from the camera phone to your phone. They aren’t uploaded to a server or stored, and you don’t create an account. Other apps and many smart monitors send video through the company’s servers, so it’s worth checking.
Where the video goes in Awake
- Phone to phone. The camera phone sends video and sound directly to the watching phone.
- Nothing is uploaded or stored. There are no recordings kept anywhere.
- No account. You don’t sign up with an email or password.
- Pairing by code. A phone can only connect if it has the QR code or room code from the camera phone.
Awake’s server only helps the two phones find each other when you pair them. The privacy policy lists the information the app does process, such as room codes, subscription status and crash reports.
Questions to ask about any baby monitor app
- Is the video sent to the company’s servers? If it is, ask whether it’s stored, for how long, and who can see it.
- Do I need an account? An account is one more thing that can be breached.
- How do other people connect? Look for pairing you control, like a code shown on the camera.
- Can I see who’s watching? With Awake, the camera phone lists every connected parent, with a button to remove each one.
- What does the privacy policy say? Read the sections on video, audio and third parties.
Keeping it private
- Share the QR code or room code only with people you trust.
- Remove people from the camera phone when they no longer need to watch.
- Tap Reset room code on the camera phone to get a fresh code.
- Keep both phones updated, with a screen lock.
Using any monitor responsibly
Don’t use a monitor to watch anyone without the consent that the law requires. And remember that a baby monitor helps you supervise; it doesn’t replace it. For safe-sleep advice, follow the NHS or the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Awake is not a medical device and does not replace adult supervision.