Troubleshooting

Camera not working?

One cause accounts for most of these, and it is counter-intuitive: the browser asks for camera access once per site. If that prompt was ever dismissed or blocked — even accidentally, even a long time ago — it will not appear again, and no website can make it reappear. Work down this list in order; the first item is probably yours.

No prompt appeared at all, and the picture is black

WhyYou almost certainly answered this prompt before — probably with Block, possibly by accident, possibly months ago. Browsers remember that answer per site and do not ask twice.

FixThis is the common one, and it is not something the site can undo from its side. Open the padlock or settings icon next to the address bar, find Camera, set it back to Allow or Ask, then reload the page.

The prompt appeared, you allowed it, still black

WhyAnother application is holding the camera. On most systems only one program gets it at a time.

FixClose other video apps and any other browser tab that has used a camera recently, then reload. A tab you forgot about counts.

It works in one browser but not another

WhyPermissions are stored per browser, not per computer. Allowing it in one says nothing about the other.

FixSet it again in the browser that is failing. There is nothing wrong with your camera.

The other person cannot hear me

WhyCamera and microphone are two separate permissions. It is entirely possible to have granted one and not the other.

FixCheck the microphone entry in the same settings panel as the camera, and check you have not muted yourself on the call screen.

I turned the camera off mid-call and expected it to stop

WhyBe precise about this: the button on the call screen covers the picture. It does not stop your camera capturing.

FixIf you want no camera running at all, do not start a video call — start in voice or text mode instead. Those never switch a camera on.

On a phone, the camera opens then immediately drops

WhyUsually a background app reclaiming the camera, or the browser being backgrounded by a notification.

FixClose other camera apps fully, keep the browser in the foreground, and try again. On iPhone, a locked screen ends the capture.

Where the setting lives, per browser

Chrome (desktop)

Padlock icon in the address bar → Site settings → Camera → Allow → reload.

Safari (Mac)

Safari menu → Settings for This Website → Camera → Allow. Or Safari → Settings → Websites → Camera.

Firefox

Padlock icon → Connection settings → clear the blocked Camera permission → reload.

Edge

Padlock icon → Permissions for this site → Camera → Allow → reload.

iPhone / iPad

Settings → Safari → Camera → Allow. Per-site blocks also clear with Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data.

Android Chrome

Padlock icon → Permissions → Camera → Allow. If it is missing, check Android Settings → Apps → Chrome → Permissions.

Or skip the camera entirely

None of this is mandatory. Voice mode and text mode never request a camera, and they are not a lesser version of the product — they are two of the three ways it is meant to be used.

Start in voice or text

Keep reading

When exactly the prompt firesThe full sequence from opening the page to the first conversation.What the camera actually exposesWhat the other person sees, and what is kept.Everything elseAccounts, coins, devices, matching.