Removal procedure for microSD card

Since the only way to retrieve your files off the microSD card are to remove it, why don’t we have a removal procedure to do just that? The number of threads about ruined SD cards makes me wonder if simply powering off the camera by pulling the plug, might be causing some of these problems. How do we know it isn’t writing or deleting files when we pull the plug? Is there a way to prevent that by turning off local recording to micro SD first?

We have instructions for inserting cards, but not removing them.

https://support.wyzecam.com/hc/en-us/articles/360019931651-MicroSD-Card-Continuous-Recording-Playback-Timelapse

Installing a microSD card

To install a microSD card, unplug your Wyze Cam and insert a microSD card in the slot in the base of the camera.

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That’s a good idea. I doubt the bricked cards were the result of pulling them (I know that wasn’t the cause for the ones I had). You probably only risk damaging the last one minute video, but it sure wouldn’t hurt to turn off recording, wait a minute and then pull the card.

I have a dashcam that I wanted badly to save an incident that occurred. I stupidly yanked the card immediately to try to preserve the clip. But I ended up trashing the last segment and that was the one that had the video I needed. Lesson learned… shut if down then pull the card.

Probably not all cases, but there are procedures for removing media and popping the card out isn’t it. AFAIK, every device I have that has removable media, has instructions for removing it, except here.

GQ (good question), by the OP (original poster). I don’t even know of a way to power the camera off, except kickin’ the plug.

So, the camera could be writing to the microSD literally anytime, but less likely if recording “record on event”.

Even during a “re-starting”, does the cam check to watch out for a write to the card before re-starting?

Dashcams typically have a small battery with enough power to do a proper shutdown.

Maybe there should be an option in the app to power down where caches are cleared, writes are finished and the media is dismounted before the plug is pulled.

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I don’t know if perhaps turning it to “off” would do that. It should, at least, stop writing to the card.

I heard back and this topic is being submitted for inclusion on the support site.

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Turning what to off? The local storage or the “Turn off” under the more (hamburger) menu?

BTW, do you think we could get the Cliff Notes on proper SD card removal, without waiting for the lawyers to review the docs on the support site? That could take a while.

Until we get an official procedure:

Interesting.