Continuity Camera not working in Google Meet

The short answer

When Continuity Camera fails in Google Meet, the problem is almost always at one of three stages. The Mac may not detect the iPhone as a camera. The browser running Meet may not have camera permission. Or Meet may simply be set to a different camera. Check them in that order. If the iPhone does not appear as a camera in any app on the Mac, the cause is on the Apple side and Meet settings will not fix it. If it works in other Mac apps but not in Meet, the cause is the browser's permissions or Meet's camera selection.

One condition changes everything: Continuity Camera is an Apple feature that turns an iPhone into a webcam for a Mac. It does not work with Google Meet on a Windows PC or a Chromebook, regardless of settings.

Step 1: Confirm the Mac can see the iPhone as a camera

Before changing anything in Meet, open another Mac app that uses the camera, such as FaceTime or Photo Booth, and look at its camera menu. If an option named after your iPhone appears there, detection is working and you can skip to Step 2. If it does not appear, work through these points:

• Use a supported iPhone with a supported version of iOS, and a Mac with a supported version of macOS. Continuity Camera arrived with iOS 16 and macOS Ventura. Apple publishes the list of compatible iPhone models, and older models are excluded.
• Sign in to the same Apple Account on both devices, with two-factor authentication turned on.
• Turn on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both devices, and keep the iPhone close to the Mac.
• On the iPhone, make sure Continuity Camera is turned on. It is in Settings > General, under AirPlay & Handoff. Newer iOS versions label this section AirPlay & Continuity.
• Lock the iPhone, keep it still, and position it with its rear cameras facing you and unobstructed. A mount is the most reliable way to do this. Wireless connections in particular expect the phone to be stationary and not in active use.
• Turn off connection sharing on both devices. Apple's requirements include that the iPhone is not sharing its internet connection through Personal Hotspot and the Mac is not using Internet Sharing.
• If the wireless connection keeps failing, connect the iPhone to the Mac with a USB cable. This is a supported alternative.

Step 2: Check the browser's camera permission

Google Meet on a Mac runs in a web browser. That means the browser needs two separate permissions before Meet can use any camera, including Continuity Camera.

• macOS permission: open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Camera and make sure the browser you use for Meet, such as Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox, is switched on. If you change this, macOS may ask you to quit and reopen the browser.
• Site permission: in the browser's settings, make sure the Meet site is allowed to use the camera. In Chrome, you can also click the icon to the left of the address while on a Meet page and set Camera to Allow. In Safari, look under Settings > Websites > Camera.

A blocked permission usually shows up in Meet as a camera icon with a warning, or as a message saying the camera is blocked. A device that has not been detected behaves differently: it simply does not appear in the list.

Step 3: Select the iPhone as the active camera in Meet

Meet does not switch cameras automatically just because an iPhone has connected. It may keep using the Mac's built-in camera. Open Meet's settings, either from the More options menu or from the small arrow next to the camera button, go to the Video section, and choose the camera named after your iPhone. You can do this before joining, on the preview screen, or during a call.

If the iPhone appears in FaceTime but not in Meet's list, the browser may have read the list of cameras before the iPhone connected. Reload the Meet tab. If that does not help, quit the browser completely and reopen it.

Video and microphone are separate

Selecting the iPhone as your camera does not change your microphone. Continuity Camera can also offer the iPhone's microphone as a separate audio input. If you want it, choose it in Meet's settings under Audio. If you want to keep using the Mac's microphone or a headset, leave the audio setting as it is. When the picture works but people cannot hear you, or the reverse, check the setting for the other device. Each one has its own permission (Microphone and Camera are separate entries in Privacy & Security) and its own selection in Meet.

Quick symptom guide

What you see | Most likely stage | Where to look

iPhone not listed in any Mac app | Detection | Step 1: devices, account, Wi-Fi/Bluetooth, iPhone setting

Listed in FaceTime, missing in Meet | Browser device list or permission | Reload or restart the browser; check Step 2

Meet says the camera is blocked | Permission | macOS Privacy & Security and the site's camera setting

Meet shows the built-in camera | Selection | Meet settings > Video

Video works, but audio comes from the wrong source | Microphone selection | Meet settings > Audio

If it still does not work

Restart both the iPhone and the Mac, then test in FaceTime again before going back to Meet. Try a different browser to see whether the problem is tied to one browser. Close other apps that might be using the camera at the same time. This is a possible cause, not a confirmed one.

No version-specific test results or compatibility data were available for this guide. Exact menu names, supported device models and browser behavior can differ between macOS, iOS and browser versions. If a setting is not where this guide says, check Apple's current Continuity Camera requirements and Google's Meet help for your browser.