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FaceTime and Photo Booth
#60486 01/08/22 05:30 AM
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I'm not sure this is the correct forum, but I mentioned a few years ago that when I try to use FaceTime it states there is no camera available. I forget what the advice was back then, but it didn't work. Now I am wondering since my email problem was fixed by tossing a folder out of the library, I am wondering if there is some folder I can toss regarding the camera???


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60494 01/09/22 04:03 AM
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OK, so no takers yet. How about this? I was looking here Fixing Camera Error on Mac OS. Rebooting does nothing. Under the heading: Force quit AppleCameraAssistant and VDCAssistant it uses terminal. I have been cautioned about terminal use here, so what do you think? Should I try it?


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60495 01/09/22 04:30 AM
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Our version of Catalina hasn't got AppleCameraAssistant, but it has got VDCAssistant.

Launch Apps/Utilities/Activity Monitor > Memory and search for VDC. Select it, and hit the "X" in the top left corner to quit or, as necessary, force quit it. No need to get involved with Terminal.

Can't hurt...I guess...

I also guess that it would pay to restart afterwards.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60496 01/09/22 05:03 AM
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I did what you said and "quit" VCD assistant. Nothing happened. I then Force Quit it and nothing happened. But I did get a weird message: Do you really want to quit “VDCAssistant”?The process “VDCAssistant” is owned by _cmiodalassistants. I restarted but it made no difference. I even went to my test account and still no camera access.




Originally Posted by artie505
Our version of Catalina hasn't got AppleCameraAssistant, but it has got VDCAssistant.

Launch Apps/Utilities/Activity Monitor > Memory and search for VDC. Select it, and hit the "X" in the top left corner to quit or, as necessary, force quit it. No need to get involved with Terminal.

Can't hurt...I guess...

I also guess that it would pay to restart afterwards.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60497 01/09/22 05:37 AM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
I did what you said and "quit" VCD assistant. Nothing happened. I then Force Quit it and nothing happened. But I did get a weird message: Do you really want to quit “VDCAssistant”?The process “VDCAssistant” is owned by _cmiodalassistants. I restarted but it made no difference. I even went to my test account and still no camera access.
When you hit quit/force quit, the process should have disappeared and reappeared. If that didn't happen after you responded to the message with a "yes" or whatever the appropriate positive is, you'll have to go the Terminal route.

Copy & paste the VDC command, hit "return," and I again suggest a restart. (You'll be asked to enter your password, but you won't see any indication that it's been entered.)

The bit of searching I did suggests that quitting the process may be your answer.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60498 01/09/22 06:11 AM
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When you hit quit/force quit, the process should have disappeared and reappeared. If that didn't happen after you responded to the message with a "yes" or whatever the appropriate positive is, you'll have to go the Terminal route. It did disappear and reappear. There was no way to respond to the question except click on quit or force quit which I did.

Copy & paste the VDC command, hit "return," and I again suggest a restart. I will try this tomorrow. (You'll be asked to enter your password, but you won't see any indication that it's been entered.)

The bit of searching I did suggests that quitting the process may be your answer. [/quote] I did quit but it didn't work or do you mean after entering the Terminal command? Anyway, I'll try the terminal command tomorrow. Time for bed.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60499 01/09/22 10:52 AM
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I doubt that Terminal can accomplish anything that Activity Monitor couldn't, but I guess it can't hurt to try.

It looks like it's time to reset NVRAM as per your linked doc, though. (The doc sounds ominous, but I've never run into any problems after the many times I"ve done it.)


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60502 01/09/22 06:15 PM
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Before I do that (it says I will lose all my preferences), what about finding a container in the library like we did for mail? That worked perfectly.


Originally Posted by artie505
I doubt that Terminal can accomplish anything that Activity Monitor couldn't, but I guess it can't hurt to try.

It looks like it's time to reset NVRAM as per your linked doc, though. (The doc sounds ominous, but I've never run into any problems after the many times I"ve done it.)


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60503 01/09/22 06:32 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower
Before I do that (it says I will lose all my preferences), what about finding a container in the library like we did for mail? That worked perfectly.


Originally Posted by artie505
I doubt that Terminal can accomplish anything that Activity Monitor couldn't, but I guess it can't hurt to try.

It looks like it's time to reset NVRAM as per your linked doc, though. (The doc sounds ominous, but I've never run into any problems after the many times I"ve done it.)
No such animal.

As I said, that "lose prefs caveat" is nowhere near as ominous as it sounds. They're just covering their butts. You aren't likely to have any issues afterwards.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60505 01/09/22 07:51 PM
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Nope! One website said: There are camera settings that you can adjust within the application itself. With Skype and FaceTime, you can specify whether you want to use your build in camera or an external one. Make sure that you have selected the build in camera. I have no such setting in FaceTime. I'll keep looking. We have the same OS version. Does yours work?



Originally Posted by artie505
Originally Posted by plantsower
Before I do that (it says I will lose all my preferences), what about finding a container in the library like we did for mail? That worked perfectly.


Originally Posted by artie505
I doubt that Terminal can accomplish anything that Activity Monitor couldn't, but I guess it can't hurt to try.

It looks like it's time to reset NVRAM as per your linked doc, though. (The doc sounds ominous, but I've never run into any problems after the many times I"ve done it.)
No such animal.

As I said, that "lose prefs caveat" is nowhere near as ominous as it sounds. They're just covering their butts. You aren't likely to have any issues afterwards.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60506 01/09/22 08:08 PM
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Under system prefs, security/privacy, privacy, camera it lists apps allowed to access the camera. The only ones mentioned are Zoom and Quicktime with no other options to add an app. This is a free app to do that. Maybe I should try that if there's no other generic way to do that manually.

Add Apps to Camera Privacy


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60508 01/09/22 09:32 PM
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Oops. I just clicked on the link below and it's not what I thought I put there. I'll have to find that page.
Originally Posted by plantsower
Under system prefs, security/privacy, privacy, camera it lists apps allowed to access the camera. The only ones mentioned are Zoom and Quicktime with no other options to add an app. This is a free app to do that. Maybe I should try that if there's no other generic way to do that manually.

Add Apps to Camera Privacy


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60509 01/09/22 09:53 PM
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What about this terminal command? It's for Mojave but maybe it would work.

Terminal Command to reset Camera and Mic permissions


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60512 01/09/22 11:19 PM
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The tccutil command is in the Darwin kernel and is still there in Monterey so it should work on your OS version as well. Note: everything in Terminal is case sensitive so TccUtil is not the same as tccutil. The safest option is to copy the command out of the article and paste it into Terminal and then press Return.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
joemikeb #60513 01/09/22 11:26 PM
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OK, thank you.

Originally Posted by joemikeb
The tccutil command is in the Darwin kernel and is still there in Monterey so it should work on your OS version as well. Note: everything in Terminal is case sensitive so TccUtil is not the same as tccutil. The safest option is to copy the command out of the article and paste it into Terminal and then press Return.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
joemikeb #60517 01/10/22 03:59 AM
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The terminal command tccutil reset Camera com.apple.Safari is for Safari. Isn't the camera a mac OS
thing, not a browser thing? It shows how to do it for QuickTime and other stuff but not FaceTime itself, so I am not sure of how to put it into terminal. Would it be something like this? tccutil reset Camera com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX only remove QuickTimePlayerX and put in FaceTime?


Originally Posted by joemikeb
The tccutil command is in the Darwin kernel and is still there in Monterey so it should work on your OS version as well. Note: everything in Terminal is case sensitive so TccUtil is not the same as tccutil. The safest option is to copy the command out of the article and paste it into Terminal and then press Return.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60521 01/10/22 06:37 PM
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BEFORE YOU DO ANYTHING DRASTIC
  1. I am not clear on whether you have checked to see if the camera works in either PhotoBooth or FaceTime when you are logged in on the test account? If they do NOT work in the test account the tccutil commands are unlikely to fix anything as they only change the settings for the logon account.
  2. PhotoBooth: On the menu Bar go to Camera and see what appears in the drop down menu. Exactly what options appear in that menu? Which items are checked (✓)?


IN ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION

Originally Posted by plantsower
The terminal command tccutil reset Camera com.apple.Safari is for Safari. Isn't the camera a mac OS
thing, not a browser thing? It shows how to do it for QuickTime and other stuff but not FaceTime itself, so I am not sure of how to put it into terminal. Would it be something like this? tccutil reset Camera com.apple.QuickTimePlayerX only remove QuickTimePlayerX and put in FaceTime?

Yes the Camera and the Microphone are MacOS "services" but each application must be granted access to the service on a application-by-application basis in System Preferences > security & Privacy > Privacy. Because of the nature of the application the system assumes FaceTime, PhotoBooth, and Safari are assumed to have access to the Camera and Microphone and therefore do not appear in System Preferences > security & Privacy > Privacy. (Safari is unique in allowing access to the camera and microphone on a site-by-site basis within the application itself.) Remember too the article is in reference to a specific issue that had been raised by another user. For a better understanding of what is going on, read this article on tccutil.

If you still want to proceed, use the instructions for the NUCLEAR OPTION at the bottom of this article but be aware you will have to reauthorize any other applications that use either the camera or microphone and it may not "fix" the issue with PhotoBooth or FaceTime.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
joemikeb #60523 01/10/22 07:56 PM
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[*]I am not clear on whether you have checked to see if the camera works in either PhotoBooth or FaceTime when you are logged in on the test account? If they do NOT work in the test account the tccutil commands are unlikely to fix anything as they only change the settings for the logon account.

Yes, I checked them before I got here. Camera didn't work there either.



[*]PhotoBooth: On the menu Bar go to Camera and see what appears in the drop down menu. Exactly what options appear in that menu? Which items are checked (✓)? There was no menu bar just a window as such: Photo Booth
[/list]


If you still want to proceed, use the instructions for the NUCLEAR OPTION at the bottom of this article but be aware you will have to reauthorize any other applications that use either the camera or microphone and it may not "fix" the issue with PhotoBooth or FaceTime. [/quote] I ran tccutil reset Camera but nothing happened. In fact, I quit FaceTime before I did that and then turned it back on but no camera available. I'm beginning to think there is zero fix for this. In the past when I used Photo Booth it didn't ask for a library, it just showed my face because the camera was working.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60524 01/10/22 09:30 PM
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You are studiously avoiding resetting NVRAM.

It can't hurt to try...may even help, and if it costs you anything it likely won't be more than screen brightness, sound level, maaaybe date.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60525 01/10/22 09:37 PM
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Originally Posted by plantsower

Yes, I checked them before I got here. Camera didn't work there either.

The menu bar for any MacOS app is not in the application window, rather it is across the tripe of the screen and changes according to which app has the focus. However, since you are not getting past locating the Photos library, PhotoBooth probably isn't even getting to the point of launching the menu bar.

Originally Posted by plantsower
I ran tccutil reset Camera but nothing happened. In fact, I quit FaceTime before I did that and then turned it back on but no camera available. I'm beginning to think there is zero fix for this. In the past when I used Photo Booth it didn't ask for a library, it just showed my face because the camera was working.

It appears a lot of links in your system have become corrupted or lost altogether. I have some suspicions about The what, how, when but that would not fix anything. The question at this point is how to fix the problem without creating other problems. The most likely solution is to re-install your OS, but there are alternative ways of going about that…
  1. Booting from a clone, then erasing the HD on your computer and then clone back to the HD would likely be the quickest and easiest, but that would unquestionably have the highest risk of failure because it is very likely the clone is "broken" too.
  2. A reinstall following these instructions would more likely be successful, but depending on the underlying cause of the problems, might not "fix" anything.
  3. Assuming you have a good Time Machine backup a Nuke & Pave (the same instructions as in number 2 preceding, but using the Disk Utility in the Recovery drive to erase your Hard drive before installing the OS and recovering your data from the time Machine backup) has the highest probability of success at the expense of spending more time and effort in the process.
  4. a nuke & Pave recovering your data from a clone would be a little faster than using Time Machine, but the risk of replicating the problem is arguably somewhat greater.

Is it sufficiently obvious I am prejudiced in favor of option 3? grin But then you will be doing all the work.


If we knew what it was we were doing, it wouldn't be called research, would it?

— Albert Einstein
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60526 01/10/22 09:45 PM
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Sorry, Artie. I did run it, I just neglected to say so I guess. Nothing changed.


Originally Posted by artie505
You are studiously avoiding resetting NVRAM.

It can't hurt to try...may even help, and if it costs you anything it likely won't be more than screen brightness, sound level, maaaybe date.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60527 01/10/22 09:49 PM
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I clicked on your link, but it just took me to the page we've been looking at. I purposefully only reset the camera. I actually don't see a terminal command including both in one command. Point me to it if it exists please.




Originally Posted by plantsower
What about this terminal command? It's for Mojave but maybe it would work.

Terminal Command to reset Camera and Mic permissions


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60528 01/11/22 10:35 AM
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This is going around in circles.

Since your camera doesn't work in both your main and test accounts, it's got to be a system problem, so I suggest that since nothing else has worked, it's last resort, i.e. nuke & pave, time.

Boot from your clone, erase your internal drive, install Catalina from scratch, and import your settings from your clone with Migration Assistant, and if that doesn't get your camera working, it will establish that your problem is hardware, rather than software, based.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
artie505 #60530 01/11/22 07:32 PM
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Wow, Artie, now that is a nuclear action. I really don't want to do that. It's not that important. It's aggravating that I can't use my camera, so that's why I went on a hunt for a solution, but it's not so important that I want to do that. Thanks for all your help and research. I really do appreciate it.



Originally Posted by artie505
This is going around in circles.

Since your camera doesn't work in both your main and test accounts, it's got to be a system problem, so I suggest that since nothing else has worked, it's last resort, i.e. nuke & pave, time.

Boot from your clone, erase your internal drive, install Catalina from scratch, and import your settings from your clone with Migration Assistant, and if that doesn't get your camera working, it will establish that your problem is hardware, rather than software, based.


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Re: FaceTime and Photo Booth
plantsower #60531 01/11/22 07:37 PM
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Final thought: If your MBP is still covered by AppleCare, it may be worth experimenting to find out if your camera is kaput.


The new Great Equalizer is the SEND button.

In Memory of Harv: Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. ~Voltaire
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