HomeKit Secure Video Bug Breaks Thumbnails

For about two weeks, iPhone users have noticed a bug in HomeKit Secure Video. Many are seeing outdated security camera snapshots in the Home app. I’m one of those unfortunate users.
Taking a Quick Look at Your Security Cam
One of the nicest features of HomeKit Secure Video cameras in the Home app is the thumbnail you can see on your home or room page. This snapshot typically refreshes every 10 seconds or so. It allows you to take a quick look at your security cam footage without tapping the camera and waiting for it to load.

Well damn. My HomeKit cameras are having issues again (but only in the HomeKit app). Their manufacturer app still works fine.
– Thumbnail keeps reverting to an old thumbnail
– The immediately show the “now” timestamp
– Eventually they will just stop working all-together in Home
— Mario Guzman (@MarioGuzman) January 3, 2022
At least, that’s how it’s supposed to work. Unfortunately, over the past few weeks, a growing number of iPhone owners aren’t getting those refreshes any longer. The thumbnails don’t refresh, so the image you see is outdated. You can see this from my own camera footage below.

How Big of a Problem Is This HomeKit Secure Video Annoyance?
To be fair, the bug poses more of an inconvenience than anything else. The cameras still work fine when you view them live. However, if you’re in the habit of just taking a quick look from the main page of the Home app, it can be annoying.
The bug seems to affect more than just iPhone users, too. Folks have reported the same thing on the iPad, and I see it on my Mac. Third-party apps that have access to your Home data don’t seem to be affected.
Many users have tried fixing the problem by signing out of their Apple ID account and then signing back in. This seems to fix it for some, but only briefly. In time, the problem crops back up.
We’re waiting word from Apple on a fix for this bug with HomeKit Secure Video. If you’re affected by it as well, it might be a good idea to report it through Apple’s feedback page for the Home app.
Tags: Home app, HomeKit, Smart Home