Camera or mic not working
Fix blocked permissions, wrong devices, and apps holding your camera.
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Why is my camera or mic not working in flat.social?
When your camera or mic is not working, it almost always comes down to permission. Your browser asked once, you missed it or clicked block, and now flat.social can't reach the device. The other common causes are a wrong device selected, another app holding the camera, or your operating system blocking access. Work through the fixes below in order and you'll usually be live in under a minute.
Look at the left side of your browser address bar for a small camera or mic icon. If it shows a block or a red dot, that is your problem. Set it to Allow and reload the page.
Fix the browser permission
Flat.social needs your explicit OK to use the camera and mic. If you blocked it by accident, the prompt won't pop up again on its own. You have to change it from the address bar and then reload so flat.social can ask the device fresh.
Allow camera and mic in your browser
Reset the site permission and select the correct device.
- 1Open the site permission panel
Click the camera or mic icon (or the lock/tune icon) at the left of your browser address bar to open the site settings popover.
- 2Set Camera and Microphone to Allow
Change both Camera and Microphone from Block or Ask to Allow for this site.
- 3Reload the page
Refresh flat.social so it re-requests the devices. The browser may show a fresh permission prompt. Accept it.
- 4Pick the correct device
Open your audio and video settings in flat.social and confirm the selected camera and mic are the ones you actually use, not a disconnected webcam or a virtual device.
Another app is holding the camera or mic
Most computers let only one app use the camera at a time. If you left a Zoom, Teams, or FaceTime call running in the background, flat.social can't grab the camera and you'll see a black video tile or a device error. Close every other app that uses the camera or mic, then reload flat.social.
Browser tabs count too. A second tab running a video call, a recording tool, or another flat room can lock the device. Close those tabs and try again.
Check your operating system privacy settings
Even with browser permission granted, your OS can still block the camera at a system level. This is common on a managed work laptop or after a system update.
- On macOS: open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, then Camera and Microphone, and turn on your browser.
- On Windows: open Settings, go to Privacy (or Privacy & security), then Camera and Microphone, and allow apps and your browser to use them.
After changing an OS setting, fully quit and reopen your browser so the change takes effect.
If one browser keeps failing, test in a different supported one to rule out a profile or extension problem. See supported browsers for the list and minimum versions.