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Introduction to Tapo Device Sharing 2.0

Part 1: Permission Tiers — The Basics

Q1: What changed from the old sharing system?

A1: Device Sharing 1.0 was binary — you either shared a device with someone or you didn't. Everyone who received a share had the same level of access (roughly equivalent to what is now called Basic). With Device Sharing 2.0, owners can now choose from three permission tiers:

Tier

Who it’s for

What they can do

Live View Only

Babysitters, guests, neighbours

Live view, capture, and record only. No controls, no settings. Camera products only.

Basic

Family / regular users

Live view, camera capture, record, volume, call, Tapo Care cloud playback. No device settings access. Mirrors Device Sharing 1.0 behavior.

Advanced (Admin)

Trusted household members

Full device access: live view, settings, playback, SD card management, and firmware updates. Cannot reshare or remove devices.

Note: Live View Only is only available for devices with a live video feed (cameras, doorbells, baby monitors). Smart plugs, lights, sensors, and door locks use Advanced or Basic only.

Q2: What can a user NOT do, even with Advanced permission?

A2: To protect the owner's home configuration, even Advanced (Admin) shared users cannot:

  • Re-share a device with additional users
  • Remove a device from the owner's home
  • Purchase, cancel, or manage TapoCare subscriptions
  • Change device ownership
  • Reset the device to factory settings

Q3: Can a user mix Home-level and Device-level sharing at different permission tiers?

A3: Sharing is scoped to either the Entire home (with Advanced or Basic), or Individual devices (with Advanced, Basic, or Live View Only for camera products).

You cannot grant a user Basic home access and then separately upgrade one specific device to Advanced. If a user is added via home sharing and some devices were previously shared with them individually, home sharing takes precedence, overriding the device-level shares.

Q4: What happens when a shared home has a mix of device types?

A4: Permission tiers apply uniformly across all shared devices in a home share. Non-camera products (plugs, lights, sensors, locks) do not have a Live View Only tier — they operate under Advanced or Basic only. The app will not display Live View Only as an option when sharing via the Home method.

Part 2: Migration & App Version Compatibility

Q1: A user has updated to the new app, but their shared family members are still on the old version. What happens?

A1: The system handles cross-version sharing gracefully. Here's the matrix:

Owner APP

Recipient APP

Result

Old

Old

Works exactly as before (Device Sharing 1.0). No change.

Old

New

Recipient sees the share labelled as Basic in the new UI. Functionally identical to Device Sharing 1.0.

New

Old

The owner sends an Advanced or Live View Only share — the old app recipient sees it, but it behaves like Basic. An in-app banner on the old app reads: "User B is on an older version of the app and will only receive Basic device access. Ask them to update."

New

New

Full Device Sharing 2.0 experience. Correct permission tier is respected end-to-end.

Q2: Did existing shares get migrated automatically?

A2: Yes. All existing Device Sharing 1.0 shares are automatically interpreted as Basic permissions in the new system. Users do not need to re-share their devices. No data was lost. If a user wants to upgrade an existing share to Advanced, they can edit the sharing settings and change the permission level.

Q3: A user on an old app received a Home Share from a new app user. Why do they only see individual devices, not a "home"?

A3: The older app has no concept of "home" in sharing — it only understands individual device shares. When a Home share is sent from a new app to an old app, the recipient will see each device listed individually (all at the Basic level). This is expected behaviour. The recipient will see a banner prompting them to update their app to get the full Home sharing experience.

Part 3: Notifications

Q1: Do shared users receive push notifications?

A1: Yes. Both Advanced and Basic shared users receive push notifications for the devices they have access to. Notification preferences (on/off, type, cooldown) are managed locally by each user through their app. These are per-user settings stored device-side — the owner's preferences do not override the shared user's settings.

Live View Only users do not receive push notifications (no access to configuration).

Q2: What happens if the owner has a TapoCare AI subscription — do shared users get AI push events (facial recognition, smart alerts)?

A2: Yes — with an important distinction:

  • Basic and Advanced shared users will receive AI-generated push events (e.g., facial recognition alerts, AI motion events) passively, as long as the device owner holds an active TapoCare AI subscription.
  • However, Basic shared users cannot configure AI detection settings. They receive the alerts but cannot edit the triggers.
  • Advanced shared users can both receive and configure AI detection.

Part 4: TapoCare & Subscriptions

Q1: Can a shared user access cloud-recorded video?

A1:

  • Basic and Advanced shared users can access Tapo Care cloud video playback as long as the owner has an active TapoCare subscription.
  • Shared users cannot purchase, cancel, modify, or manage TapoCare subscriptions — that is owner-only.
  • Shared users cannot delete cloud videos unless they have Advanced permission.

Q2: Will a Basic shared user see TapoCare upsell prompts or free trial offers?

A2: No. Subscription management features (including trial prompts) are not surfaced to shared users. These remain owner-only.

Part 5: Device-Specific Edge Cases

Q1: How does sharing work for smart hubs with linked cameras?

A1: Hub-camera sharing requires both to be shared for the shared user to access camera playback:

Hub Shared?

Camera Permission

Playback Access?

No

Live View Only

No

No

Basic or Advanced

No

Yes (Basic/Adv)

Basic or Advanced

Yes

Q2: What about door locks — how does sharing work?

A2: Door locks support Advanced and Basic permissions (no Live View Only — there is no video feed).

  • Basic shared users can lock/unlock and view lock status.
  • Access time for door lock sharing defaults to all-day if not explicitly set by the owner.

Part 6: Privacy & Security

Q1: How long does a sharing invite link stay active?

A1: Invite links expire after 24 hours. The owner will receive an in-app notification that the link has expired (visible in the In-App Notification Center). If the invite expires, the owner simply needs to resend the invite.

Q2: Can the owner revoke access at any time?

A2: Yes. The device owner can remove a shared user at any time from their sharing management screen. Access is revoked immediately upon removal.

Q3: Can a shared user see other shared users on the same device?

A3: No. Shared users only see their own access. Only the device owner can view the full list of people who have been shared on the device.