iPhone continuity camera not working

Hey guys! I'd been struggling with the same issue for a few days.

I tried restarting my phone, erasing network settings, restarting my mac, but nothing worked.

WHAT DID WORK: turning off my VPN!

If you've been having the same issue, and have a VPN, that might be the cause of the black screen.

I have the same issue.

Looks like it is an MacOS / iOS update problem.

It is not an issue of connecting or getting Continuity Camera to show up as a device for the app that would want to use it as camera or mic input. That all works fine. - There is simply no video stream delivered once the connection is established. Black is all you get.

[Edited by Moderator]

Hello baldoyler,

You're right, there have been reports of iPhone Continuity Camera not working properly on iOS 16.5.1. first Install the latest software updates for both your iPhone and Mac. This includes any macOS updates, iOS updates, facetime app update.

Check for these settings:

iPhone: Go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff. Check if "Continuity Camera" is turned on.

Mac: Go to System Preferences > Bluetooth and check if your iPhone is connected under "Devices.

Both devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and have Bluetooth enabled

If your Mac is using AirPlay or Sidecar, Continuity Camera might not work wirelessly

If none of these works try Reset Network Settings On your iPhone, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset. Choose "Reset Network Settings." This will erase saved Wi-Fi passwords and network settings.

my 14 pro phone finds MacBook pro laptop with bluetooth but not vise-verse?? Also laptop can not connect bluetooth with 2017 IMAC??

In my case, I just solved with a reboot.

After rebooting the Mac and iPhone, it worked.

I'm pretty sure the iPhone reboot did it.

This morning, Continuity Camera stopped working on my OBS and video calls. Yesterday, it had worked just fine.

Disabling and re-enabling Continuity Camera in my iPhone did not work, nor did reconnecting to the same wifi, checking Bluetooth connectivity, or rebooting the Mac.

After rebooting my iPhone, it worked just fine.

(For reference, MacBook Pro 16 M1 Pro 2021 with MacOS 13.6, iPhone 15 Pro Max with iOS 17.4.1)

This problem cropped up for me in the last two days. Prior to this I was using my iPhone 15 Pro Max as a video camera for Zoom. Now I get a black screen. I have rebooted, shut off a VPN and rebooted. my M1 Mac mini.

THIS worked!!!

Open FaceTime or another app to use with your iPhone camera. If the app doesn't automatically begin using it, choose your iPhone camera from ...

Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac

This fixed it for me. (so far) Which is unfortunate, because sometimes I need the VPN.

FWIW, my Continuity camera stopped working after a year or more of using this feature where the camera wasn't listed as an option at all. I tried all of the troubleshooting steps provided here, but what I think resolved my issue was ensuring I didn't have any other app on my phone open that was using the camera. In other words, the Camera app was open on my phone and as soon as I closed it, the phone showed up as an option in Zoom on my MCB

Guess what. I tried everything below and none of them worked.

I connected my phone via type-c cable and added this Mac mini as trusted device on my iPhone and BOOM it worked even after disconnecting from the cable.

Hope this helps..

Had the same problem on my Mini M4. My fix was:

Settings - Network - Thunderbolt Bridge - Make Inactive

Continuity camera started working immediately after that change.

This has also been my issue. It will work for a few minutes after I hard restart the iphone, but then will crash each and every time I use the camera - OR using an app that requires camera use.

I upgraded my iPhone last year BECAUSE i use it exclusively to take photos for work. Do we have an ETA on this so I can know how/if to pivot?

I installed Iriun webcam (software to use Android as your webcam) as an alternative to connecting a webcam since I do not have one. This kicked on the continuity feature for my iPhone 15 Plus with my 2019 Macbook Pro 15.4. I hope this helps and keeps you from having to buy a webcam or keep one connected.

I'm successfully using continuity camera with VPN.

I've notice CC breaking after installing the Zoom client. Anyone else observed the same?

It might just be coincidental. But after this occurring twice in a row, a system re-install and NOT installing Zoom client I've had no issues since.