Security Camera Snapshots in Home App Failing to Refresh for Some Users

A growing number of iPhone users across the MacRumors Forums, Apple Support Communities, Reddit, and Twitter have reported that security camera snapshots in the Home app have failed to refresh over the last few weeks.

homekit secure video package
HomeKit Secure Video cameras added to the Home app each have a thumbnail that provides a still view of recent footage, and normally these thumbnails automatically refresh on a periodic basis. However, users on multiple iOS versions are experiencing an issue with the thumbnails failing to refresh and showing outdated footage as a result. The issue appears to extend to the Home app on the iPad and Mac for some users.

Importantly, the cameras still function properly when viewed live, but the thumbnails not updating is proving to be an annoyance for affected users.

While users have attempted to come up with temporary workarounds, such as the tedious process of signing out of their Apple ID account and then signing back in on affected devices, the issue appears to resurface for many over time. We've reached out to Apple to see if it is aware of the issue and/or planning a fix, and we'll update this story if we hear back. Users can also report the bug via the Home app feedback page on Apple's website.

Popular Stories

iphone 17 models

No iPhone 18 Launch This Year, Reports Suggest

Thursday January 1, 2026 8:43 am PST by
Apple is not expected to release a standard iPhone 18 model this year, according to a growing number of reports that suggest the company is planning a significant change to its long-standing annual iPhone launch cycle. Despite the immense success of the iPhone 17 in 2025, the iPhone 18 is not expected to arrive until the spring of 2027, leaving the iPhone 17 in the lineup as the latest...
apple intelligence black

Report: Apple's AI Strategy Could Finally Pay Off in 2026

Tuesday December 30, 2025 9:01 am PST by
Apple's restrained artificial intelligence strategy may pay off in 2026 amid the arrival of a revamped Siri and concerns around the AI market "bubble" bursting, The Information argues. The speculative report notes that Apple has taken a restrained approach with AI innovations compared with peers such as OpenAI, Google, and Meta, which are investing hundreds of billions of dollars in data...
apple fitness 2026 1

Apple Teases 'Something Big' Coming Soon to Apple Fitness+

Tuesday December 30, 2025 2:11 pm PST by
The Apple Fitness+ Instagram account today teased that the service has "big plans" for 2026. In a video, several Apple Fitness+ trainers are shown holding up newspapers with headlines related to Apple Fitness+. What's Apple Fitness+ Planning for the New Year? Something Big is Coming to Apple Fitness+ The Countdown Begins. Apple Fitness+ 2026 is Almost Here 2026 Plans Still Under ...
iphone 17 pro dark blue 1

iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max Users Report Static Speaker Noise While Charging

Tuesday December 30, 2025 10:39 am PST by
iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max owners are having trouble with the speakers of their devices, and have complained about a static or hissing noise that occurs when the iPhone is charging. There are multiple discussions about the issue on Reddit, the MacRumors forums, and Apple's Support Community, where affected users say there is a noticeable static noise "like an old radio." Some people report...
maxresdefault

Hands-On With a Rough iPhone Fold Mockup

Monday December 29, 2025 10:55 am PST by
Apple is rumored to be introducing a foldable iPhone in September 2026, and since it will bring the biggest form factor change since the iPhone was introduced in 2007, curiosity about the design is high. A 3D designer created an iPhone Fold design based on rumors, and we printed it out to see how it compares to Apple's current iPhones. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more ...
maxresdefault

Where's the New Apple TV?

Monday December 22, 2025 11:30 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Apple TV 4K since 2022, and 2025 was supposed to be the year that we got a refresh. There were rumors suggesting Apple would release the new Apple TV before the end of 2025, but it looks like that's not going to happen now. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said several times across 2024 and 2025 that Apple would...
Mac Pro Feature Blue

What's Happening With the Mac Pro?

Wednesday December 31, 2025 9:59 am PST by
Apple hasn't updated the Mac Pro since 2023, and according to recent rumors, there's no update coming in the near future. In fact, Apple might be finished with the Mac Pro. Bloomberg recently said that the Mac Pro is "on the back burner" and has been "largely written off" by Apple. Apple apparently views the more compact Mac Studio as the ideal high-end pro-level desktop, and it has almost...
macbook air march 2020

Apple Says Final Intel MacBook Air and Apple Watch Series 5 Now 'Vintage'

Wednesday December 31, 2025 8:39 am PST by
Apple today added the final 13-inch MacBook Air powered by Intel processors, the Apple Watch Series 5, and additional products to its vintage products list. The iPhone 11 Pro was also added to the list after the iPhone 11 Pro Max was added back in September. The full list of products added to Apple's vintage and obsolete list today: MacBook Air (Retina, 13-inch, 2020) iPhone 8 Plus 128GB ...

Top Rated Comments

ouimetnick Avatar
52 months ago
The Home app as a whole needs some intensive love. It's been lacking for years.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MikeDProducer Avatar
52 months ago
This is 100% true. The workarounds suggested are time consuming and frustrating for people with an elaborate HomeKit setup. Deleting and re-adding the cameras is a pain in the neck. Signing out of iCloud is also a whole ordeal.

But both of these are only a temporary fix where the issue persists.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
uller6 Avatar
52 months ago
I just want HomeKit stuff to work, and every year it seems to get worse and worse. The Home app on Monterey won't let you watch live videos when the app isn't in focus, whereas that worked fine in Big Sur.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dominiongamma Avatar
52 months ago

Since when is signing out of an account
Tedious?
Are the staff writers that incompetent they can’t slick sign out. Enter a password. Continue sign out.

Then sign back in

All without having to reconfigure ****?

They are trying to make the work arounds sound a lot worse than it really is. Like cmon

It can take up to 1-2 mins in a device if that for the entire process of signing out and back in.
Why should anyone have to jump though any hoops to make a product work ?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dohspc Avatar
52 months ago
I find non native HomeKit devices setup in my homebridge server work better than the native HomeKit devices.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Skb3735 Avatar
52 months ago

The tedious part is redoing all of my wallpapers etc. lol Not the end of the world but it’s not fun doing it every day.
Don’t forget about having to re-enter credit cards into wallet as well
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)