Top 7 Ways to Fix Google Meet Camera Failed Error

It’s safe to say that video calling apps have taken over physical business meetings and conferences. Google has made the Google Meet video calling service free for everyone, and the company has big plans for Meet’s future. However, the transition from normal conferencing to online meeting is not perfect. Before or during a meeting, nothing frustrates you more than your webcam not working during the Meet video call. We’ll talk about troubleshooting most video issues while using Google Meet in this article.

Google Meet is a web-based solution. If you correctly ignore Google Meet pop-ups, you will see a black screen at the start of meetings. One of the many issues that users face is the microphone not working in Google Meet. However, the strangest thing is when others can’t see them on a video call.

Google Meet offers several options to improve the video calling experience. You can also use apps like EpocCam to turn your phone into a webcam on Meet. In this article, we are going to fix the Google Meet camera failure issue in seven steps. Let’s go through some basic solutions first that often lead to video visibility issues in Google Meet.

1. Give camera permission to Google Meet

As I mentioned earlier, Google Meet is a web-based video calling service. The first time you visit Google Meet on the web, it will ask you for permission for a microphone and camera to work as expected.

We have a habit of blocking all permissions requested by a website. However, here you need to allow the service to access the device’s microphone and camera. But what if you block the authorization by mistake? In such cases, you need to enable permission from the browser’s Settings menu.

Here we will be using Google Chrome as a reference. But the trick should also work the same on other Chromium browsers.

Step 1: Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner and go to Settings.

2nd step: Go to Privacy and security> Site settings.

Step 3: Here you should see meet.google.com and click on it.

Step 4: Go to Permissions and allow the camera and microphone to access Google Meet.

2. Activate the camera before joining the meeting

This one is pretty straightforward. When you compose the Google Meet meeting, the service activates the microphone and camera for a smooth meeting. If you turn off the option, you will see a blank screen. Make sure to click on the camera icon before creating a meeting.

3. Make sure that no other app is using the webcam in the background

If other apps like FaceTime, Teamviewer, or Skype are already using the camera in the background, you won’t be able to use video in Google Meet.

On most laptops, it’s easy to see if another app is using the camera or not. You can take a look at the laptop’s camera, and if the light is on (white or green), it indicates that an app is using a camera in the background. Close those apps and go back to Google Meet to see if the video is working or not.

4. Change the default camera on Google Meet

If you are using apps like Droidcam, EpocCam, and iVCam to turn your phone into a webcam, you need to choose the appropriate camera option for the video feed in Google Meet.

Go to Google Meet and go to the app settings. Go to the video menu and select the camera you are currently using.

5. If you are using the phone as a webcam

In such cases, you need to make sure that you have installed the correct third party application drivers on your PC / Mac. These drivers allow you to use Google Meet with services such as EpocCam and Droidcam.

If you are using EpocCam to use your phone’s camera as a webcam, make sure that the phone and laptop are connected to the same Wi-Fi network and don’t forget to change the default video settings in Google Meet.

If you plan to use your phone as a webcam for long meetings, I would recommend using a tripod / stand. Also remember to keep the device connected to a power source.

6. Restart the web browser

Try to quit and relaunch your browser. This is a great way to troubleshoot persistent camera issues, for example in cases where your device’s camera fails to pass after a few minutes in a Google Meet session. Once you do that, join the meeting.

On Mac, be sure to quit the browser through the menu bar before relaunching it.

7. Update video drivers

If the video is not working, you should consider updating the webcam drivers to the latest version. Follow the steps below to update the webcam drivers on your Windows laptop.

Step 1: Press the Windows button and type device manager.

2nd step: Hit enter, and it will open the device manager.

Step 3: Scroll down and go to Sound, video and game controllers and update the video drivers.

Fixed Google Meet Camera not working

Google Meet camera or audio not working on your first digital conference doesn’t make you look professional. If you have trouble managing Google Meet video every time, check out our solutions and customize the service to suit your needs and usage. Which solution worked for you? Sound off in the comments section below.