Fix Continuity Camera webcam not working on Mac

Start by checking whether your iPhone appears in the Mac app’s camera selector. If it appears, select it and check camera permissions if video still fails. If it is missing, check Continuity Camera setup and the connection first. Device detection, permission to use a camera, and selection of the active camera are separate checks.

Compatibility remains an open question: no iPhone model, Mac model, software versions, or official compatibility documentation were supplied. The steps below can narrow down the problem, but they cannot establish whether your particular devices support Continuity Camera. If the feature has never worked, verify Apple’s current requirements for your devices and software before treating this as a connection fault.

Check whether the iPhone is missing or simply not selected

Open the affected app’s video settings or camera menu and look for your iPhone. In a browser meeting, use the meeting’s own camera selector as well. Selecting the Mac’s built-in camera will not test Continuity Camera.

• If the iPhone is listed, select it and turn on video in the app. A working preview confirms video capture in that app at that moment.
• If the iPhone is listed but the preview is black or fails, continue with permissions and the app comparison below.
• If the iPhone is absent, continue with setup and connection checks. Changing the selected camera cannot resolve a device that the app does not list.

If the iPhone is missing, check setup and the connection

Confirm that both devices use the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication enabled. On the iPhone, open Settings, then General, and look under AirPlay & Continuity for the Continuity Camera switch. Earlier iOS versions may label this section AirPlay & Handoff. Enable Continuity Camera if it is off.

For a wireless connection, keep the devices nearby with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enabled on both. Position the iPhone securely with its rear cameras facing you, and lock it. If either device is sharing its internet connection, stop sharing temporarily before retrying.

Reopen the affected app and check its camera selector again. If the iPhone now appears, select it and retest the original call or recording. Change one setting at a time where practical so you can identify which change helped.

If wireless use still fails, connect the iPhone directly to the Mac with a cable that supports data. Unlock the iPhone to respond to any trust prompt, then lock it again for camera use. If video works over the cable, that establishes that this app can capture from the iPhone through that connection. It narrows the remaining investigation toward wireless setup or availability; it does not identify a specific Wi-Fi or Bluetooth fault.

If the iPhone appears but video fails, check access

On recent macOS versions, open System Settings, then Privacy & Security, then Camera. Allow access for the affected app or browser if it is blocked. Quit and reopen it if prompted. On older macOS versions, the settings application and navigation may have different names.

For a browser meeting, also check the website’s camera permission through the browser’s site controls. macOS permission allows the browser to access cameras; website permission controls whether that particular site can request access. After changing permission, reload or rejoin the meeting and select the iPhone again.

Close other camera apps and browser tabs, then retry. This checks whether another capture session is contributing to the failure; it does not establish that competing apps were the cause unless closing them changes the result.

Compare another app to narrow the problem

Try the iPhone camera in another Mac app with a camera selector, such as FaceTime. Explicitly select the iPhone and check its preview.

• If the iPhone works there, return to the original app and recheck its selected camera, permissions, and video controls. Successful capture elsewhere supports an app-specific problem, but does not prove the original app’s settings or website permissions are correct.
• If the iPhone fails in both apps, investigate shared setup, connection, and compatibility requirements. This result alone does not prove a hardware fault.
• If the Mac’s built-in camera works, that confirms capture from that camera only. It does not verify the iPhone connection.

Retest and know when to escalate

If the checks have not helped, save your work, restart the iPhone and Mac, and retry the original app with the iPhone selected. Stop troubleshooting once the original call or recording captures the expected video reliably.

If the failure continues, record the device models, iOS and macOS versions, affected app or browser version, any error message, and whether the iPhone appears or works in each app over wireless and cable connections. Take those findings to Apple Support if the failure affects multiple apps, or to the app’s support team if it is confined to one. No supplied evidence supports a driver installation, firmware change, or reset, so those actions are not recommended here.

If video works but sound does not, check the app’s microphone selector and microphone permissions separately. Selecting the iPhone as the camera does not establish which microphone is active, and a successful video preview does not test audio capture.