Robot vacuums: camera, maps and data

iRobot settings

Obstacle photos (Obstacle Image Review)

iRobot HOME app → Menu (three lines, top right) → Account → Privacy → Map Features → Your robot → Obstacle Image Review (off)

Stops the robot taking photos of obstacles and the area around them for you to review. It still avoids obstacles. iRobot says the photos are encrypted, only you (and others on your account) can see them, and they're deleted from its servers after 30 days unless you chose to contribute them.

These steps are for the iRobot HOME app. iRobot's help pages don't give the steps for the newer Roomba Home app (its map guide for that app covers the Roomba Mini, 100/1000, 200/2000, Plus 400, Plus 500 and Max 700), so for that app the path is Unverified.

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Obstacle detection

Classic iRobot HOME app → Product Settings → Cleaning Settings → Obstacle Detection

Turns off the camera's object spotting. iRobot says you can't turn it off on the Plus 500 and Max 700 series.

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Stop sending map data (Mapping Features)

iRobot Home app → Accounts → Privacy → Mapping Features → Your robot → Mapping Features (off)

iRobot says this stops the robot sending any map data to its servers. Map features stop working, including time estimates, cleaning by room or zone and Keep Out Zones, and earlier schedules and favourites are turned off. If you turn it back on, you have to make a new map.

An older iRobot article gives this as Settings → Map Privacy, and says it also turns off Clean Map reports and Imprint Smart Maps (iRobot's saved-map feature). Both articles are for the iRobot Home app; iRobot doesn't give the steps for the newer Roomba Home app.

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Delete a map

iRobot Home app → Smart Maps icon → The map → Delete Map

Deletes the Smart Map you choose. You can also open the map, tap the three dots (top right) and choose Delete Map.

From iRobot's guide to Imprint Smart Maps. iRobot says Smart Maps are kept in its cloud, not in the app, so deleting the app doesn't delete them. For the Plus 500 and Max 700 in the Roomba Home app, iRobot says you can delete the map and start again, but doesn't give the steps.

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Remove the robot and its saved data

Roomba Home app → Your robot → Robot Settings → About Roomba → Factory Reset and Remove Robot

iRobot says a reset from the app removes the robot from your account and disconnects its saved data from iRobot's cloud. In the Roomba Home app you can't keep the map.

In the classic iRobot HOME app: Product Settings → About (robot name) → Remove Device from Account. Resetting with the robot's buttons instead keeps the cloud data and the account link.

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Delete your iRobot account

iRobot app → Account → Your name or email (top row) → Three dots (top right) → Request to delete account → Delete Account

Asks iRobot to delete your account and information. You can also do it from the My Account page on iRobot's website.

Path from iRobot's privacy policy (last updated 6 November 2024). The UK copy of the policy didn't load when we checked.

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Roborock settings

Video calls (remote view)

Roborock app → Camera functions → Remote viewing

Roborock says video calls are off by default. To turn them on you switch the option on in the app, then press the button on the robot when asked, and each call needs a pattern you draw in the app. It says the video isn't kept on the robot or in the app after the call.

Path from Roborock's S6 MaxV article; it may differ on newer models.

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Camera and microphone off

Roborock app → "Hello Rocky" and AI obstacle recognition (off)

Roborock says that once these are off, the camera and microphone stay inactive.

Roborock doesn't give the exact menu names for these switches in the pages we opened. Its app privacy policy says each robot has its own privacy policy, which we didn't find online.

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Obstacle photos

Stored on the robot

Roborock says obstacle photos are saved encrypted on the robot, and when you look at one in the app it passes through its servers without being stored there. One of its help pages says one photo is kept for each object recognised.

Pet photos (Pet Snap, Pet Search) are also kept on the robot, and Roborock says withdrawing permission deletes them all. It says its AI is trained on simulated homes, not customers' homes.

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Built-in voice assistant

In the Roborock app (menu path not given)

Roborock's help page (which doesn't name the model) says the voice assistant is on by default and works even without the app. The robot keeps up to 100 conversations, which you can delete in the app.

Roborock says most models understand commands on the robot itself; some online models send encrypted audio to work out what you meant, then delete it.

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Reset a saved map

In the Roborock app (steps shown only as a picture)

Deletes the saved map so the robot makes a new one.

Roborock's article shows the steps only as a picture, so the labels are Unverified. A factory reset on E2–E5 robots deletes each cleaning's map from the log.

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Delete your Roborock account

Roborock app → Profile → Your name card (top of the page) → Delete Account

Roborock's app privacy policy says this deletes your personal information from its servers.

Roborock says it doesn't delete information stored on the robot itself; for that, it points you to the robot's manual. You can also ask by email: [email protected], or [email protected] in the European Economic Area.

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Roborock's app privacy policy also names a "User Experience Program", with details under Profile → About Us → User Experience Program. It doesn't say how to leave it.

Ecovacs settings

Live Picture

ECOVACS HOME app → Settings → DEEBOT Advanced Settings → Live Picture (off)

Turns off Live Picture. Ecovacs says these photos are stored on the robot and, so you can see them in the app, encrypted on servers in the United States.

Ecovacs says photos taken before you turn it off stay in your account, and you can contact it to have them erased.

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Product Improvement Plan

ECOVACS HOME app → Mine → Settings → Data Authorization → Product Improvement Plan

If you join, Ecovacs says Live Picture photos are sent to it to train its object recognition, and photos of objects the robot can't recognise may be stored in China and checked by staff. Ecovacs says the robot blurs anything shaped like a person in its footage. Leave it off to stop this.

Ecovacs's policy also writes this as Settings → Privacy → Data Authorization Settings.

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Voice improvement programme

ECOVACS HOME app → Settings → Privacy → Data Authorization Settings → User Experience Improvement Plan for Voice Interaction System

Ecovacs says this plan is off by default.

The voice assistant itself ("Okay, Yiko") is off by default too and can be turned off in the robot's controls.

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Video Manager (camera models)

ECOVACS HOME app → Your robot → Video icon (top left)

Video Manager lets you take photos and short videos, talk through the robot and send it round the house.

Ecovacs says a light flashes and a sound plays while a video call is live, and anyone near the robot can press a button on it to stop the call. Saved pictures stay in Ecovacs's cloud until you ask for them to be deleted, storage is full or you close your account.

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Close your account

ECOVACS HOME app → Mine → Settings → Account and Security → Cancel Account

Closes your account. Ecovacs says your 3D home maps are kept until they're replaced, the robot detects a new home, or you close your account.

Path from a 2023 Ecovacs blog post; its privacy policy only says "in your App account setting".

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Dreame settings

Live video and camera

Dreamehome app (menu path not given)

Dreame says live video is off by default. On the X60 series you press the dock button on the robot three times the first time you use it, and the camera settings there let you turn the camera off completely.

Older models ask you to set an activation code. Dreame says a light shows while live video is on, and you can choose spoken prompts too. Live video can't be used while the robot is cleaning.

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Delete a map

Dreamehome app → Map Editing

Dreame's X60 guide says Map Editing lets you rename, back up, restore or delete maps.

A factory reset wipes saved maps. Removing the robot from your app doesn't clear its history or settings.

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User Experience Program

Dreamehome app → Me → Settings → About → User Experience Program

Join or leave. Dreame says the programme collects device details and logs to improve its products.

Path from the Dreamehome privacy policy, last updated 16 January 2024.

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Delete your Dreamehome account

Dreamehome app → Me → Account → Delete Account

Deletes your Dreamehome account.

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Dreame's help pages name an "AI Intelligent Recognition" setting for spotting obstacles, but don't say whether its photos are stored or sent anywhere. Not described.

eufy settings

AI.See obstacle recognition

In eufy's app (menu path not given)

eufy says AI.See uses the camera to spot obstacles and is on by default.

For the X9 Pro, eufy says turning off its AI.See switch stops the camera recognising objects altogether, so the robot avoids obstacles less well. Neither article gives the menu path.

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Obstacle photos (X10 Pro Omni)

In eufy's app (menu path not given)

eufy says a software update (version V2.2.40) removes the Real Obstacle Photos feature from the X10 Pro Omni. The app still shows what type of obstacle was found and where, without the photo.

eufy says the robot still takes photos to recognise obstacles on the robot itself, and they're only uploaded to its servers if you've turned on its "User Experience Program" option. It doesn't say where that option is. We didn't find a live eufy page with the steps to turn off obstacle photos before the update.

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Delete your EufyHome account

EufyHome app → Side menu (top left) → View Account → Delete Account → Delete

eufy says your account is deleted straight away, and every robot on it is disconnected, reset and deleted from its servers. You can't undo it.

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Samsung Jet Bot settings

Home Monitoring (front camera)

Press Start/Stop and Charging together for 3 seconds

Turns off Home Monitoring, which lets you use the robot's front camera from the SmartThings app. Samsung says it's on by default.

Samsung's US page says Home Monitoring is only on the Bespoke Jet Bot Combo AI.

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Microphone

SmartThings app → Jet Bot card → More options (three dots) → Settings → Mic

Turns the robot's microphone on or off.

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Delete a map

SmartThings app → Jet Bot card → Manage maps → Reset map

Deletes the current map so the robot can make a new one.

"Reset map" is from Samsung Ireland's 2022 page; Samsung's US page says maps "can also be removed" under Manage map without naming the button.

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