Apple's New Security Cameras Ship in December 2026 — Should You Wait?

Apple announced its first security cameras, a video doorbell, and a smart lock on October 13, 2026, priced from $199.95 to $399.95. The cameras and doorbell ship in December 2026 to the US, Canada, and UK; the lock ships the same month but only to the US and Canada. The cameras also require an ongoing iCloud+ subscription to store footage. If you want your own property watched before the holidays — or without buying new hardware and committing to one company's ecosystem — you don't have to wait: a phone already sitting in a drawer can start recording tonight.

What Did Apple Actually Announce on October 13, 2026?

Apple's new Home Collection, built with LG Electronics and Schneider Electric, is the company's first real push into cameras people mount on their own walls and doors. According to Apple's October 13, 2026 newsroom announcement, the lineup includes:

• Indoor Cam, plug-in: $199.95
• Outdoor Cam, plug-in: $299.95
• Floodlight Cam, plug-in: $399.95
• Video Doorbell, wired: $249.95
• Smart Deadbolt Lock: $349.95
• Smart Thermostat: $199.95

Apple says the cameras and doorbell will reach the US, Canada, and UK in December 2026, while the lock and thermostat ship only in the US and Canada. That's a separate device from a privacy-focused, non-recording home sensor Apple is reported to be developing for a 2027 launch, according to AppleInsider's September 2026 report — this is Apple's first camera lineup that actually records and stores video.

Do Apple's New Cameras Need a Subscription?

Yes. The hardware price is just the entry cost. Apple's cameras store event video through HomeKit Secure Video, which runs on iCloud+ storage tiers: the 50GB plan ($0.99/month) covers one camera, the 200GB plan ($2.99/month) covers up to five, and the 2TB plan ($9.99/month) covers an unlimited number, according to Apple's own support documentation. The cameras and doorbell are also exclusive to Apple's ecosystem, so an Android household can't use them at all.

Why Does the Timing Matter Right Now?

December is also when package theft peaks. Porch piracy cost American consumers and retailers an estimated $37 billion over the past year, with roughly 104 million packages stolen nationwide, according to SafeWise's 2025 Package Theft Report. Nearly a third of Americans — 31% — reported a stolen package in the prior 12 months, the same report found. Waiting on hardware that ships after Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and most of the holiday shipping window means the riskiest weeks of the year pass with no camera watching the door at all.

Apple's new cameras won't ship until December — porch pirates don't wait that long.

Should You Wait Until December, or Start Watching Your Home Now?

If you already own Apple's smart home accessories or want a lock that unlocks automatically as you approach, waiting a couple of months for a vetted, tightly integrated system is a reasonable call. But if the goal is simply to see your own front step, driveway, or side yard starting today, you likely already own the hardware: a retired phone. Apps like iCameraPlus turn an old iPhone or Android phone into a camera that records continuously, archives footage to a private cloud you can browse from any web browser, lets you start or stop recording remotely, and dims its screen so it isn't a bright distraction sitting on a shelf. It works on whichever phone you have, Apple or Android, so switching ecosystems later doesn't strand the setup.

For more on getting a spare phone ready for this job, see Can You Really Repurpose an Old Phone? and our breakdown of whether security cameras record all the time, which covers how Apple's camera approach compares to always-on recording.

Quick, actionable takeaways:

• Find an old phone before Black Friday
• Mount it facing your entry door
• Keep it plugged in continuously
• Check footage from any browser

Quick answers

When exactly do Apple's new cameras ship? Apple says the camera, doorbell, lock, and thermostat lineup becomes available starting December 2026, with the camera and doorbell reaching the US, Canada, and UK and the lock and thermostat limited to the US and Canada.

Do Apple's new cameras work with Android phones or non-Apple hubs? No. Apple's cameras and video doorbell are built for the Apple Home ecosystem and iCloud+ storage; they don't integrate with Android devices or non-Apple smart home hubs.

Can an old phone really cover the gap until December? Yes — a spare phone mounted facing a door or driveway and kept powered on can record continuously starting the same day you set it up, with no hardware purchase or waiting period, which matters most during the high-theft weeks between Black Friday and New Year's.

Sources

• Apple Newsroom: "Introducing Apple Home Collection" (October 13, 2026)
• Apple Support: "Store encrypted security camera footage in iCloud with HomeKit Secure Video"
• SafeWise: 2025 U.S. Package Theft Report
• TechCrunch: "Apple's new smart home lineup includes a smart lock, thermostat, and video doorbells" (October 13, 2026)
• AppleInsider: "Apple's home security devices may now launch in 2027" (September 4, 2026)