Unexpected Continuity Camera behavior on Mac mini without built-in webcam

Dear community,

I’d like to report an unusual behavior related to the Continuity Camera feature on a Mac mini (M4 chip, running the latest available macOS version) paired with an iPhone 16 Pro (also fully updated).

After many personal tests, I managed to find a temporary workaround, though unfortunately it's not a definitive solution. I'm still new to the Apple ecosystem — this is my first Mac, and I recently switched to an iPhone — so I regret not being able to offer more advanced help.

Here’s the issue: the iPhone camera is only recognized by the Mac mini after physically connecting a USB webcam.

It seems that at startup, if a built-in webcam is present—or if an external one is connected after login—the system activates some underlying service that enables Continuity Camera to work wirelessly, as its name suggests.

Connecting the iPhone via USB forces detection, but wireless Continuity Camera does not work if no other video device is available.

This makes me think that on Macs without built-in webcams (like the Mac mini), Continuity Camera is not treated as a primary video input, but only as a secondary extension, initialized after some video-related service or driver is manually triggered.

It would be great if macOS could recognize Continuity Camera as a primary source even without a physical webcam, especially on desktop Macs — though perhaps this isn't how the feature was originally intended.

I'd appreciate any feedback or quick troubleshooting advice that might help bypass this limitation for now. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to send a more detailed report directly to Apple — their feedback form has a character limit — but I hope this issue can be considered for a future patch.

Thank you to anyone who can help!


Luca



Mac mini, macOS 15.5

Posted on Jun 14, 2025 5:23 PM

Reply
8 replies

Jun 15, 2025 4:02 PM in response to lucadonatocilli

Luca, please report your suggestion to www.apple.com/feedback. Apple does not read or participate in the user to user forums which means all of us are end user just like yourself. You also may find another work around if you call AppleCare and speak to a technician. You can find the phone number for your country by clicking AppleCare Contact Info, selecting the country you reside in and then the phone number will appear.


You also may want to use Apple summarization functionality (part of AI) to summarize your thoughts if you run out of space. This is explained in more detail in:


"MacOS has a built-in summarizing feature, primarily powered by Apple Intelligence, that can create summaries of text, webpages, and even audio recordings. It can condense lengthy articles, key information, or lengthy notes into concise summaries, key points, lists, or tables. This feature can be accessed through context menus, the Safari app, or the Notes app. 

Here's a breakdown of how it works:

Text Summarization:

  • You can select text, right-click, and choose "Summarize" to get a concise version. You can also use Writing Tools in the context menu to summarize, extract key points, create lists, or generate tables. 
  • Webpage Summarization:
  • Safari allows you to summarize webpages by clicking "Show Reader" and then "Summarize". 
  • Audio Recording Summarization:
  • In the Notes app, you can record audio and then generate a summary of the transcript. 
  • Notification Summarization:
  • You can customize your notification settings to get summaries of notifications, reducing interruptions. 
  • Availability:
  • Apple Intelligence is required, and it's available on Macs with M1 or later and macOS 15.1 or later, with specific language and region requirements. "


If you have a problem, then simply pick up the phone and call AppleCare and they will help you!! AppleCare Contact Info




Jun 22, 2025 1:00 AM in response to lucadonatocilli

"Hi, if i follow your path, the system information tells me that the mac mini does not have any video capture device. I think that the problem is exactly this, if i had a built-in video capture device, already installed like for example Mac book pro then continuity camera would have worked correctly"

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Continuity Camera:

Well, if you're not going to have a camera without one built in. So, is this seen when you boot with it plugged in? Save what need be, and then pour off your Mac. Unplug everything from it, and then plug it all back in. See if this external camera then shows.


Go here: Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a Webcam for Mac - Apple Support


Jun 21, 2025 11:53 PM in response to lucadonatocilli

well, Apple's response after taking the logs etc... was yes indeed it is, you can only use it with the cable. A bit sad as an answer, can someone help me understand what service is activated so that I can do some troubleshooting and maybe we give it to everyone? this problem affects any mac device that doesn't already have a built-in camera apparently! Can someone help me? this is my first mac and I'm feeling a bit bad

Jun 16, 2025 2:47 AM in response to rkaufmann87

Thank you so much for your quick reply, all these steps (as a good programmer) have already been done, it's a bit of a wait that I wanted to shorten by trying to troubleshoot with someone more experienced than me in modifying preferences in MacOs. Anyway, thank you, I continue to move forward with my ticket in Apple care support.

Thank you so much

Jun 22, 2025 12:05 AM in response to lucadonatocilli

"Unexpected Continuity Camera behavior on Mac mini without built-in webcam"

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For Tip:

If you want privacy, you can turn off your internal camera, through use of a profile. If you not be used, and only your Phone's camera would potentially be seen. Here is my User Tip: How to Use a Profile to Disable the iSight Camera in macOS 15 Sequoia - Apple Community

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Unexpected Continuity Camera behavior on Mac mini without built-in webcam

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