Google Meet can’t find camera but I can see it

Last Updated on February 18, 2023

 Here’s a fun thing. I can see myself when using Google Meet but nobody else can see me. I can see myself in the top right hand corner during Google Meet sessions. But a Google meet error is telling me that I have no camera connected. 

I can test my camera settings in Google Meet, but after the recording test (during which I can see myself) I am shown the error message ‘Recording isn’t available. Turn on your microphone and camera.

Here are the things I have checked:

1. Does the camera work? Yes, all software can see and use the camera. Google Meet can see the camera but will not broadcast the image to other meeting participants.
2. Is another bit of software using the camera and blocking Google Meet from using it? No. I have even rebooted several times and checked running processes to ensure no other software is using the camera
3. Is the camera disconnected? I have two cameras, one is USB, the other is a part of the screen on my Macbook pro. The cameras are definitely there (see point 2 above)
4. Are the security settings in Google Chrome blocking the camera? No. I have checked in the Chrome settings and the fact I can see the camera image prove the camera is not blocked
5. Is the camera blocked in Mac OS (Big Sur) settings? No it is not.
6. Has anything changed since the Google Meet could last use the camera properly? Yes, I had to install Microsoft Teams. I have since uninstalled Microsoft teams.

For now I’m abandoning Google Meet and will use Zoom instead. This is far from ideal.

I’ll post again when I fix this.