My Microphone and Camera aren't working.

Cover Image for My Microphone and Camera aren't working.
15 Jun 2023

You can select the microphone or camera that you'd like to use before you join an Amplifier call. However, in some cases the devices could be blocked, Amplifier won't detect a camera or microphone or the device selection won't save. Here are a few things you can do to get everything working again!

First things to try

Update Your Browser

We make sure Amplifier works on the two latest browser versions available. Double check that your browsers are up to date:

  • Google Chrome
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Opera
  • Safari - This browser is automatically updated when you update your system

Did you Accidentally Block Permission?

When Amplifier first asks permission to access your camera and microphone, you may have chosen "Block" instead of "Allow" by mistake.

Press the info button in the top left of the browser's address bar to undo the block, then press "Try Again." The icon looks slightly different on different browsers.

Check your system settings

Confirm the Mic/Cam settings for your operating system

MacOS

In MacOS Mojave, Apple has introduced some system-level privacy controls for your mic and camera. These are great for privacy, but it is possible that your browser was mistakenly blocked from accessing your devices. You can check on this and allow your browser to access them from the Security & Privacy section in your System Preferences.

To access these settings, do the following:

    1. 1. Click on the Apple in the top left > select System Preferences.

AppleHelp

    1. 2. Click on the Security & Privacy section.
    1. 3. Click on Camera in the list of options, and tick the box next to your browser to allow access.

AppleHelp2

    1. 4. Repeat Step 3 for your Microphone

After doing this, restart your browser for the updates to take effect

Windows

In Windows 10, you're able to set a default Microphone, but there are also system-level Camera permissions on what applications can access your camera. For either of these settings, the first thing to do is open up your system settings by clicking on the Start menu and selecting the Settings gear.

Default Mic

You can adjust the microphone settings by typing "Mic" into the search bar and going to the Sound settings. Scroll down to Input and use the dropdown to select the proper input device

WindowsHelp

Camera Permissions

Camera permissions can be accessed by typing "Cam" into the search bar. These settings are under your general Privacy settings, but search is the easiest way to access them. From here, be sure that your browser has permission to access your camera.

Check your Browser settings

Chrome

Mic and Cam defaults can be accessed in a number of ways in Chrome, but the easiest is to paste the following links into your URL bar:

Cam: chrome://settings/content/camera

Mic: chrome://settings/content/microphone

Manage the default cam/mic for Chrome in these screens, and also block or whitelist websites from accessing your cam/mic! Be sure that Amplifier is in the allow section.

Firefox

Use a URL link to get to your privacy settings. Start by going to about

#privacy, and then under the Permissions section. Here you can whitelist what websites to use your camera, and you'll want to see Amplifier listed as Allow.

FirefoxHelp

To adjust which camera or microphone Firefox is accessing, you'll need to go into an Amplifier room. From here, click on the icon that's just to the left of your URL bar, and you'll have a dropdown menu where you can select the camera you want to use.

Still not working?

A couple more things to check...

Browser Extensions: It is not uncommon for some browser extensions to be problems with video-call websites. To test this, try using your browser through an Incognito tab or Private browsing window. If all works normally then you know that an extension is causing an issue.

Adjusting your Firewall: Some browsers are not able to connect through strict networks/firewalls. Also there may be bugs in the browser causing problems with connection. If you are experiencing this, try switching to another browser. Currently Firefox is not supporting connections through very strict firewalls, so if you are on a corporate network, try to get all participants to use Chrome or Opera.

At the moment, Firefox is not supporting connections through very strict firewalls, so if you are on an office network, try and connect with the browsers Chrome or Opera.