Apple’s new indoor security camera is designed to look away when someone comes home. Rather than relying solely on an app setting to signal privacy, the device physically changes its viewing angle.
Unveiled on October 13, the $199.95 LG Indoor Cam automatically tilts downward and stops monitoring when the first household member returns, according to Apple. Developed with LG Electronics for the Apple Home Collection, the camera is part of a rollout beginning in December 2026 in the US, Canada and UK.
The movement provides a visible sign that monitoring has stopped, although Apple has not explained whether it also disables audio recording or other detection functions. That leaves questions about how much privacy protection the mechanism provides beyond repositioning the lens.
How the LG Indoor Cam’s automatic privacy tilt works
Apple’s Home Collection announcement confirms that the camera tilts vertically during remote viewing before automatically lowering its lens when someone returns. Owners can also adjust its position manually or through the Home app.
The feature works with Apple Home automations. A Good Morning routine can lower the camera, adjust the thermostat and play music through HomePod, while monitoring can resume when the last household member leaves.
LG’s official product announcement identifies the plug-in camera as having a 160-degree field of view and physical controls. The broader camera lineup supports up to 2.5K video, along with detection of people, pets, vehicles and packages.
Apple also lists familiar-face recognition and 10 days of recorded event history through iCloud+. Built-in storage allows recording to continue during Wi-Fi interruptions, while eligible subscriptions add AI-generated video descriptions and natural-language footage searches.
A compatible Apple home hub is required, including HomePod, HomePod mini, Apple TV 4K or HomeView. HomeKit Secure Video history requires iCloud+: the 50GB plan supports one camera, the 200GB plan supports five, and the 2TB plan supports unlimited cameras.
The camera joins the devices unveiled during Apple’s October 13 smart home launch. As MacRumors reported in its launch coverage, the Indoor Cam carries a $199.95 US price. Its individual retail release date remains unconfirmed.
What remains unclear about the camera’s privacy controls
Apple says the camera stops monitoring when residents return but has not specified whether it disables video capture, mutes its microphone or suspends motion detection. A downward-facing lens alone does not establish that every monitoring function has stopped.
Neither Apple nor LG has explained how the camera identifies returning household members or what happens if presence detection fails. The companies also have not detailed which household users can override its monitoring settings.
Apple says footage and personal data in the Home app are end-to-end encrypted, preventing either company from accessing them. Video is processed locally through a compatible home hub or through Private Cloud Compute, although those safeguards have not yet been independently tested on the new camera.
The collaboration follows earlier reports about Apple’s partnership with LG on connected-home hardware. The automatic tilt gives the Indoor Cam a visible privacy feature, but whether it protects households beyond changing the camera’s view remains unproven. More technical details will be needed before buyers can judge how effectively it limits indoor surveillance.
Read more: For more on Apple’s connected-home expansion, see how the company prepared its home hub and updated HomePod lineup ahead of the October launch.