Safari blocking webcam

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Level 1

18 points

Safari blocking webcam

Safari appears to be blocking my webcam. When I visit a few websites that want to use the webcam nothing happens. The video doesn't appear and Safari doesn't ask for permission to access the camera.

It works just fine in Chrome (asked for permission and then the camera worked). Non-Safari apps (Quicktime, Zoom, Skype) work just fine (asked for permission and then the camera worked). The behavior is the same (Safari no, Chrome yes) when I boot in Safe mode and when I log in as the Guest user.

I am on Mojave 10.14.6 and Safari 13.1.

From my Google research it appears that Safari is supposed to be granted access automatically. It doesn't appear in Settings>Security & Privacy>Privacy>Camera at least.

Any ideas of where I can check what's blocking this?

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14

Posted on Apr 14, 2020 4:50 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Apr 15, 2020 12:58 PM in response to Mark Thomas5

Hello Mark Thomas5,

Thanks for that info and for choosing the Apple Support Communities. If I understand correctly, you are unable to use the camera on your Mac with certain websites in the Safari app, but you don't have this issue in a different browser, and you have already isolated this in safe mode and a new user account on your Mac. To isolate this further, make sure your Mac is up to date, as the updates contain stability fixes that can resolve issues like yours, as well as important security updates to keep your Mac safe.

How to update the software on your Mac

Use the App Store to update apps on Mac

Cheers!

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Answer 2

Joseph_S.

Community Specialist

Apr 16, 2020 9:54 AM in response to Mark Thomas5

Hey Mark Thomas5 and thanks for that additional info, it really helps. Since you have updated and based on the description of the situation, please follow the steps in this Apple resource to see if these websites are being blocked from camera access:

If features on a webpage don’t work in Safari on Mac

Have a great day and thanks for using the Apple Support Communities!

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Answer 3

Mark Thomas5 Author

Level 1

18 points

Apr 15, 2020 9:15 PM in response to chris_g1

I just updated to the latest version of Catalina 10.15.4. I then tested the websites I'm trying to use and I was still not prompted to give access to the camera.

The two websites I'm trying to use are:

http://classdojo.com (when creating a message to parents, one of the options is to record a video. When I choose that option nothing happens - the screen just hangs at a loading screen)

https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/10128119/ This is an example of many projects on Scratch that work with the webcam - but I never get prompted to give permission to use the camera.

On a related note, earlier today (while I was still on Mojave) I participated in a couple of Google Meets and each time I was prompted to give access to the camera.

The above websites work with Google Chrome however.

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Answer 4

Mark Thomas5 Author

Level 1

18 points

Apr 18, 2020 8:56 AM in response to Joseph_S.

Thank you, I tried the settings on that webpage, but the websites still don't work. I'm not prompted to for permission to use the webcam.

I tried the websites on my wife's MacBook Pro, so obviously its something wrong with my laptop. I suppose I need to reset Safari? How would I do that?

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Answer 5

BreeZee_17

Community Specialist

Apr 18, 2020 11:06 AM in response to Mark Thomas5

Thanks for that update, Mark Thomas5. At this point your next step is to contact Apple directly for further assistance with your situation with these websites and Safari:

Contact Apple Support

Cheers!

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Safari blocking webcam

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