Q: FaceTime Camera Not Working - Green Light Flashing

The warranty entitles you to complimentary phone support for the first 90 days of ownership.

If you bought the product in the U.S. directly from Apple (not from a reseller), you have 14 days from the date of delivery in which to exchange or return it for a refund. In other countries, the return policy may be different. If you bought from a reseller, its return policy applies.

pschlampp wrote:... I'd like to avoid a fresh OS install -- what a pain...

Either you have a low pain threshold ( ), or you don't use the process in OS X Recovery to reinstall OS X.

OS X Recovery requires only a few clicks and few minutes to install a fresh copy of the latest OS X update version.

If you do decide to try a fresh OS install, give OS X recovery a try.

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.10.4

Linc, my 90 days are up but still under the one-year warranty

This thread is the closest to my problem so dropping it here.

I have a MacBook (Retina, 12-inch, Early 2015) running El Capitan 10.11.5.

Whenever I try to access the FaceTime camera (FaceTime App) the green light next to the camera does a slow blink and there is no picture. through.

From System Information > Camera> Model ID: Apple Camera VendorID_0x106B ProductID_0x1570

Are the vendor and product numbers correct?

The camera has worked for 6 months and I have used FaceTime multiple times with no problem.  Multiple users are affected.

Since the problem started this week I have:

1) I installed Skype to see if a second app had a camera problem also; Skype has no camera either.

2) I upgraded from Yosemite 10.10.4 to El Capitan.  No help resolving prob

3) Later I reinstalled the El Capitan using the OS X Internet Recovery.  I did not use the Time Machine.

(A side note to everyone, it was painless and simple and does not require installing the apps.  I wish MS OS reinstall was as simple )

I have reset the NVRAM and SMC even though they don't seem to be related to the prob.  Several other threads suggested this.

Any advice to determine if this is hardware or software issue?  Still digging while waiting for an answer.

Daikusan wrote:...Whenever I try to access the FaceTime camera (FaceTime App) the green light next to the camera does a slow blink and there is no picture. through...

Hello, Daikusan.

If your problem remains after considering the response(s) Linc provides to your specific questions, one of these will fix your camera problem:

(1) If restarting your Mac doesn't fix the problem,

(2) use Apple's http://support.apple.com/kb/HT2090.

(BTW - The Troubleshooting article calls the camera an "iSight".  However, after the article was published, Apple has changed the built-in camera's name on newer Macs from "iSight" to "FaceTime" and then to "FaceTime HD."  Regardless of the name of your built-in camera, the same info and troubleshooting applies.)

Be sure to test more than one Apple app (Photo Booth, FaceTime, iMovie, QuickTime Player, etc.) in more than one user account.  Do NOT use the "Guest" account for this test.  If you do not have more than one user account for the testing, create a new one now.  If you need help, how to do it is explained in http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201754.

A "Standard" user account is all you need for testing.

(3) If your cam won't work properly even with Apple apps, use OS X Recovery to completely reinstall your Mac OS from the Recovery System stored on your startup drive.  Don't bother testing Skype or other third-party apps until you have your camera working with Apple apps.

(4) If none of the above suggestions resolve your trouble, contact Apple or an Apple-Authorized Service Provider to have your Mac professionally serviced. Be sure to backup your Mac and deauthorize iTunes before tendering it for service.

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.11.5

EZ Jim

Thanks for a response (actually Linc never responded to me).  Did everything in the your list and then some as stated in my post. 

Daikusan wrote:...

1) I installed Skype to see if a second app had a camera problem also; Skype has no camera either.

 

2) I upgraded from Yosemite 10.10.4 to El Capitan.  No help resolving prob

 

3) Later I reinstalled the El Capitan using the OS X Internet Recovery.  I did not use the Time Machine.

(A side note to everyone, it was painless and simple and does not require installing the apps.  I wish MS OS reinstall was as simple )

 

I have reset the NVRAM and SMC even though they don't seem to be related to the prob.  Several other threads suggested this.

So to put what you said in a nutshell, it is a hardware prob and to contact Apple.  Correct?

If your problem remains after considering the response(s) Linc provides to your specific questions, one of these will fix your camera problem:

Linc responded to the OP, "pschlampp."

You're most welcome, Daikusan.

Daikusan wrote:.. Did everything in the your list and then... it is a hardware prob and to contact Apple.  Correct?

If none of the other things I list that users can do to correct camera trouble resolves your issue, the call for Apple service will always ensure you can get things sorted.  I am not certain whether I fully understand all you have written, but you are correct that the final step it to contact Apple.  However, you cannot yet have done "everything" in my list. Apparently at least, Item 4 remains undone:

(4) If none of the above suggestions resolve your trouble, contact Apple or an Apple-Authorized Service Provider to have your Mac professionally serviced. Be sure to backup your Mac and deauthorize iTunes before tendering it for service.

Without examination by an Apple tech (who has all necessary special tools, test equipment, and technical data), I cannot tell you with certainty whether the problem is in your Mac's hardware.  However, regardless of the underlying cause of your problem, the Apple techs can correct the trouble if it is economically feasible to do so.  Once they have examined your Mac, they can give you an estimate of any cost beyond diagnostic charges so you can decide whether to proceed.  If repair cost is too high for your budget and you do not want to trade for a Mac with a working camera, you can ask them for an opinion on whether a Mac-compatible external webcam could serve as a lower cost alternative.

Please let us know what you did and what was required to restore your Mac's camera function.

Regards,

EZ Jim

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.11.5

EZ Jim

Thanks for sticking with me.

Yes, you are correct I have not completed step 4 as of yet.  I am past the 90 day free tech service window.  However, it’s still under warranty.

I am new to Mac’s but not new to troubleshooting computers or main-frames.  Just wanted to make sure I was turning over every stone before calling Apple or making the 2 hr drive to the support center.

If it is not a software/problem I can correct - then as far as I am concerned it is Apple’s responsibility.  I don’t want to pay for diagnostics I am capable
of doing myself.  If it wasn’t under warranty I would open it myself to check for a lose connector etc.

Sorry for the poor wording in the last post, I am more than willing to elaborate on the part/s you don’t understand.

BTW - When you make the post it’s my middle of the night; I’m in Japan with an U.S. bought Mac.  The Japanese service is for the most part better than Americans.  That’s not a slam on America, its just that the Japanese are very meticulous.  I'm sure Apple will do me right.

I will do a follow-up with a post with the resolution.

Again thanks for your help.

Daikusan

My pleasure, Daikusan.

The list I give is all but one thing I know that users can do to identify the source of the trouble so they know what to fix.

The only other possible troubleshooting idea I know that you can try without spending money is to zero (secure erase) your startup disk, reinstall the OS and Apple ONLY software, and then test the camera.

If it still does not work, your Mac needs hardware service.  If the camera works with nothing but the apps installed by the OS X installer, add back apps one at a time and test between each addition to be certain you are not adding software that conflicts with your system.  While this does not cost money, it can be a VERY time consuming process if you use many apps beyond those that are installed automatically with OS X.

We will watch for your status update.

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.11.5

EZ Jim

Thanks for the info.  I am certain it is a hardware issue now. 

I erased and did a fresh install.  When the install initialized  —  at the point of selecting a user name and icon there was a choice to use the camera.  Choosing the camera option resulted in the same problem, green flashing light and no image.  Completed the setup without using the camera.  Logged on and again FaceTime and PhotoBooth have the green flashing light and no image.   They were the first two apps I tried with the fresh install.

I wanted to do an erase before turning the computer over to the techs anyway.  Off to Apple tomorrow, hopefully.

EZ Jim is a fitting name for you —  thanks for your input and help.  Will send an update when I get back from Apple.

Daikusan

Thanks for the kind words, Daikusan.

Daikusan wrote:...  Off to Apple tomorrow...

Excellent troubleshooting and action plan.  I will watch for your outcome report.

Cheers,

EZ Jim

Message was edited by: EZ Jim

Mac OSX 10.11.5

Hello my dear all

i would like to mention that same issue has been done with me i did every step mentioned above but nothing make sense

i guess it is a hardware issue

some topics refer to the isight Camera Cable to be loose or not connected as well to the logic board

but the strange issue is that the FaceTime HD Camera get into a black screen and green led smoothely blinking on/off and sometimes acting well

dam getting creazy 

please Daikusan shall u update us regarding what happened with Apple Care

Regards,

yes exactly we need a real report to be a reference to all

EZ Jim and ZiMoFoX

EZ Jim wrote:...  I will watch for your outcome report.

Went to the Apple Support Depot today, the laptop had a fresh un-branded OS X Yosemite loaded on it when I arrived.  The tech branded it with their wifi connection.  The camera light was blinking and no output.  He connected it to another Apple and ran diags on it.  The diags found there was a camera connected and a questionable battery.  The diags obviously didn’t go far enough to check the picture.  They sent the laptop to Tokyo for service – no charge since its under warranty.

At this point I don’t know if the battery has anything to do with the camera not operating properly.  I suppose that is a possibility but I do not place that high on my probability list.

Things I learned during my troubleshooting:

The upgrade form OS X Yosemite to El Capitan should have removed the old OS X apps and reinstalled them.  I still had the problem after the upgrade and with a clean install of El Capitan.

El Capitan no longer has a secure erase/delete feature for both the recycle bin and in the Disk Utilities.  I read in one of the files that it was removed because it causes premature failure of the HDD.  I did not research this thoroughly so do not know if that is the actual reason for removing the secure shredder.  Regardless it’s gone in El Capitan.

Once you upgrade, the Command and R key at the startup sound will only reinstall the version of the OS X that currently on the computer.  If you want to revert to the OS X version that was originally installed, you have to hold down the Command-Option-R keys together at the startup sound.

El Capitan has the option during branding to take a picture with the built in camera for the user’s icon – Yosemite does not.  In my case with El Capitan, the camera light was blinking and I couldn’t make the icon.

I will give a further update when Tokyo service center tells me what they fixed.

Daikusan