Many of us invested in Yi security cameras over many years. We could store video clips to a micro SD card on the camera, could see what the camera saw, remotely, either live or stored on the card.
After buying many of their cameras, Yi/Kami changed the app used to view clips – literally forcing users to watch multi-minute online video ads, played VERY LOUDLY and some times borderline “safe for work” each time you try to view one of the cameras THAT YOU OWN – unless you began paying them an additional up to $15 PER MONTH subscription fee!
Their online reviews went to 1-star (and would be deserving of zero stars if that option were available).
In 2024 or 2025, they changed the app to force numerous, lengthy, video ads to play before you could access a camera. Switch to another one of your cameras? Watch more ads, rendering the system unusable. Receive a security alert from your camera? What 3 minutes of ads before you can see what is happening!
Want to get rid of the ads now that you own their cameras?
Pay them $15 per month.
There are products from others including Eufy, TP-Link Tapo, Roku, Lorex – that still let you view the cameras you own without paying additional fees. Do not waste money on Yi Technology extortion.
DO NOT BUY A FROM KAMI OR YI SECURITY CAMERAS!
(See below – there are some hacking work arounds to bypass the Kami/Yi ad crap.)
The ad system is so bad it sometimes displays ads that lock your device and the only way to get rid of them is to restart your phone.
Here is an AI summary provided by Brave Search
YI cameras have become widely criticized for aggressive advertising, poor customer support, and forced subscriptions, making them nearly unusable for many users. Recent reviews and reports from Reddit, Trustpilot, and SafeWise highlight that the app now forces users to watch long, non-skippable ads every time they open it or view footage, severely delaying access during emergencies.
- Ad intrusiveness: Users report 30-second+ video ads with sound, often for games or Amazon, appearing at every step—making the cameras impractical for real-time monitoring.
- Ads for other scams: Today, as I wrote this, the Yi App displayed an add falsely claiming I had multiple malware on my phone – just click here to download (someone’s malware) to fix the problem!
- Paywalls on features: Previously free motion-activated clips and SD card access are now locked behind a $5–$15.42/month subscription.
- Broken functionality: Many users say SD card recordings have become inaccessible, despite having a microSD slot, seemingly forcing them toward cloud storage subscriptions.
- Poor support: Customer service is unresponsive, with reports of unanswered emails, disconnected phone lines, and difficulty canceling subscriptions—some even claim being charged after cancellation.
- Reputation decline: Formerly reliable cameras are now called “scams” by users who have thrown them in the trash, with one Reddit user stating, “Not even worthy of donating to the thrift store.”
While the hardware was decent, the app and business model have deteriorated significantly, leading to widespread distrust.
As of 2025–2026, SafeWise and other experts no longer recommend YI or Kami cameras due to these issues.
WORK AROUNDS and UPDATE
Yi/Kami closed their Sunnyvale/Silicon Valley office in the US, and moved to China.
There are hacking work arounds to make the Yi camera app usable and bypass the Kami/Yi advertising crap.
Adguard
On your phone, set a private DNS to dns.adguard-dns.com
That’s the easiest solution – and it seems to work to block the ads.
NOTE – you may have to disable Adguard DNS and return to “automatic” DNS when using Wi-Fi at coffee shops or hotels as they often use DNS to redirect to their initial login screen.
Install an old copy of the Yi App
Another alternative is to delete the Yi app and roll back to an older version before they added the advertising: YI Home 5.7.0_20221111041647 (arm64-v8a + arm-v7a) (nodpi) (Android 7.0+) APK Download by Kami HK – APKMirror
Replace the Firmware
A more complex work around is to install replacement camera firmware (on compatible cameras) and run alternative apps to view the camera output, remotely. Most security cameras from other companies, due to common chipsets, now have 3rd party open source replacement software. However, replacement software might not be available for the Yi cameras (I have not found any yet).
The Adguard solution is simplest and appears to be working!
Everyone hates Kami and YiTechnology: does the yi force a lot of advertising before you can view your cameras? at DuckDuckGo
