For security reasons, Apple has updated the policy regarding external equipment regarding video output devices – i.e. connected cameras – which many people use in Teams, Google Meet or Zoom to get better image quality.
The support for using an external system camera as a webcam existed and worked in MacOS Sonoma version 14.0, but when Apple released its security update to MacOS Sonoma from version 14.0 to 14.1, the stricter requirements were introduced for the software that manages the cameras and the hardware via the UVC interface – something we wrote about recently when Fujifilm updated its X Webcam software to version 2.2.0 which fixed the problem.
One reason is, among other things, that a green dot should always appear in the operating system and that the light should light up when the computer’s webcam is either on or an external camera connected to the computer is used: “the software provides a more secure and privacy-conscious experience, including support for the camera’s privacy indicator – a green dot that appears in the menu bar when the camera is in use,” Apple says.
If your camera or video output device uses older software, it won’t appear as a selectable option in the apps and programs you use when you update to MacOS Sonoma 14.1. Apple announces that it has worked with video device manufacturers to update the software for the modern camera extension replacement, which became available in macOS Monterey 12.3. However, some video device manufacturers have not updated yet, so their cameras or video output devices are still dependent on software that is no longer supported.
This is how you solve the problem according to Apple
Update to the latest software for MacOS webcam support from the camera manufacturer. If that still doesn’t work, you can choose to restore support for older video devices on your Mac if you want to continue using your camera or video output device:
When you restore these older settings, the camera integrity indicator will not appear in the menu bar when using a camera with older software.
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Restart your Mac in Recovery Mode:
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Click the Options button, and then click Continue.
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Select Terminal from the Tools menu.
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Enter this command: system-override legacy-camera-plugins-without-sw-camera-indication=on
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Press the return key. You may be prompted to complete additional steps depending on your system configuration.
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Exit Terminal.
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Choose Restart from the Apple menu.
Read more at Apple here.
