What is the best camera slide cover for MacBooks and Mac Airs?

[MacLover2011]

Do all camera slide covers work the same? I have a MacBook Pro and a Mac Air. Can anyone suggest the bet camera slides for these two devices?

Thanks.

 

[IWT]

A Google search brings up a lot of choices:

best camera slide cover for MacBooks - Google Search

Or here, maybe:

Apple Macbook News, Reviews and Buying Guides | iMore

Looking for an Apple Macbook? Discover expert reviews and buying advice, or read up on the latest news and product releases.

www.imore.com

However, may I intrude with a word of caution? The potential for damaging your Mac if you close the lid with the cover still on is considerable.

Read this Apple article which covers this and suggests inbuilt alternatives:

Don't close your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro with a cover over the camera - Apple Support

Closing your Mac laptop with a camera cover on it might damage your display. Designed to protect your privacy, Mac laptops have a camera indicator light to let you know when the camera is on.

support.apple.com

Ian

 

[MacInWin]

Get some of the 3M Post-it flags, the plastic ones for marking places in books and documents. Put it over the camera. The low residue glue won't leave anything behind and the flag is thin enough not to harm the screen.

 

[ferrarr]

What is the need for this? Does somebody else have access to your Mac?

 

[pm-r]

What is the need for this? Does somebody else have access to your Mac?

With a bit of a chuckle here, I had to laugh a bit when I read this and the previous replies as I thought the OP was just wanting to protect their camera lens which I thought was a bit of overkill.

Either way, the Post-it notes suggestion sounds like a pretty sensible and economical way and avoids the problems Ian mentioned.




- Patrick
=======

 

[Rod]

It is my impression that when the MacBook camera is active a little green light comes on next to it. It is quite a complicated process to hack a MacBook camera usually requiring physical access to the device to install software which would also require the users admin password. Some apps have access to your camera (if you granted it), to read more about this check this article.

Control access to the camera on Mac

On your Mac, control which apps can access the camera.

support.apple.com

 

[MacLover2011]

A Google search brings up a lot of choices:

best camera slide cover for MacBooks - Google Search

Or here, maybe:

Apple Macbook News, Reviews and Buying Guides | iMore

Looking for an Apple Macbook? Discover expert reviews and buying advice, or read up on the latest news and product releases.

www.imore.com

However, may I intrude with a word of caution? The potential for damaging your Mac if you close the lid with the cover still on is considerable.

Read this Apple article which covers this and suggests inbuilt alternatives:

Don't close your MacBook, MacBook Air, or MacBook Pro with a cover over the camera - Apple Support

Closing your Mac laptop with a camera cover on it might damage your display. Designed to protect your privacy, Mac laptops have a camera indicator light to let you know when the camera is on.

support.apple.com

Ian

You're right. It's not worth the risk of damaging the computer.

 

[MacLover2011]

What is the need for this? Does somebody else have access to your Mac?

No, I was just considering it as a caution.
The reason I started thinking about this was I did not realize my camera came on during a Webex meeting at my last job. It's fine, but I would rather just talk without the camera, like everyone else. Someone there suggested a camera slider... I never heard of them before.

 

[ferrarr]

You should be able to go into System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy tab, and disable the Camera for any app that has permission.

 

[Rod]

Not sure about WebEx, Zoom requires you to choose if you want to Join with Video at login and you can turn it off at any time from your "pane" just click an hold and select "turn video off." Skype has a video on/off button, off by default. Google is the same.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

No, I was just considering it as a caution.
The reason I started thinking about this was I did not realize my camera came on during a Webex meeting at my last job. It's fine, but I would rather just talk without the camera, like everyone else. Someone there suggested a camera slider... I never heard of them before.

Yeah, I'm with you on this even though I rarely use my iMac and as has been said, actually hacking the camera is pretty hard. There HAVE been reports of this sort of thing happening to spy without the light coming on, but I don't recall if any Macs were affected. I haven't gotten around to getting a slider myself since I am on it rarely, but my 2 cents is that I'd rather do that versus a sticky note. The sticky is a rather ghetto solution to be honest and eventually will fall off. I personally wouldn't be overly concerned about damaging the screen... there is no screen right there... just the glass. Just be sure to pick one from a "reputable" brand if you can, and maybe see if there's one that touts using 3M adhesive designed for glass. One thought I just had was to see if there is one designed for iMacs that adheres to the back and has a "flip up" mechanism so it doesn't adhere to the glass.

 

[MacInWin]

The sticky is a rather ghetto solution to be honest and eventually will fall off

Actually, it doesn't fall off. The adhesive holds quite well. The beauty is that unlike any cover, it is very thin, so the threat to break the glass when closing the lid is very, very small. Also, I put the translucent part over the lens, so that it can still detect ambient light to adjust the screen brightness for the room brightness, but the image through the camera is totally blurred. A cover may well block the ability of the system to determine room brightness.

Yes, it's a cheap solution. Not ashamed.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Actually, it doesn't fall off.

Seen 'em fall off, so yes, they do or can. It much depends on the environment, of course.

 

[Lifeisabeach]

Here's something along the lines of what I had in mind. ZERO adhesive, designed for iMacs.

Imac Silicone Webcam Camera Cover Cover Me Camera Owl Gift for a Techie, Work From Home. - Etsy Canada

This Gadgets item by CoverMeCamera has 161 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Canada. Listed on 12 Feb, 2024

www.etsy.com

 

[MacInWin]

Here's something along the lines of what I had in mind. ZERO adhesive, designed for iMacs.

Imac Silicone Webcam Camera Cover Cover Me Camera Owl Gift for a Techie, Work From Home. - Etsy Canada

This Gadgets item by CoverMeCamera has 161 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Canada. Listed on 12 Feb, 2024

www.etsy.com

I would not put it on a portable. It's designed for iMac, so that's OK, the iMac doesn't have a lid. Anything that big on a Mac with a lid is just asking for the screen to get shattered eventually. And, it's pretty pricey. Here is my solution, US$7.29 for 140 of them, so about $0.05 for a solution. And if it does fall off, it's another $0.05 to replace. But, I've never had one come off, and the price seems right. I put the pack of them beside the camera, held on with a bent paper clip, in actual use just the stick bit over the camera is there. Usually, when I want the camera and take it off, I just throw it away and put on a new one. I suppose if I keep re-using the same one the glue would eventually lose the stickiness, but at the price, it just seems easier to put on a new one.

I do have to admit the owl is sexier, though!

 

[Lifeisabeach]

I would not put it on a portable. It's designed for iMac, so that's OK, the iMac doesn't have a lid.

Bah, I thought the OP had an iMac. My bad. Yes, absolutely something like this is inappropriate for a MacBook. I wouldn't do a slider either... too much bulk for the lid to close properly. I would suggest something like a black vinyl sticker that is easily peeled off. Link below for some Amazon listings.

Amazon.com : laptop camera cover sticker

 

[ferrarr]

I used to us a piece of paper folded over.

 

[techiesteve]

Bah, I thought the OP had an iMac. My bad. Yes, absolutely something like this is inappropriate for a MacBook. I wouldn't do a slider either... too much bulk for the lid to close properly. I would suggest something like a black vinyl sticker that is easily peeled off. Link below for some Amazon listings.

Amazon.com : laptop camera cover sticker

Beware, I have seen a few metal sliding camera covers that caused the glass around the edge of the display to crack when likely closed with too much force. They are not needed.

 

[Randy B. Singer]

Can anyone suggest the bet camera slides for these two devices?

If one is paranoid about the camera in your Mac watching you when you don't want to be watched, you can use this free utility to detect unwanted activation of your camera:

Oversight (free)

Objective-See: KextViewr

View loaded kernel modules

objective-see.org

 

[nickyr]

Beware, I have seen a few metal sliding camera covers that caused the glass around the edge of the display to crack when likely closed with too much force. They are not needed.

yep this happened to me - though with a plastic one. I don't even know why I installed it in the first place - I've nothing to hide or fear, just a bit of mild paranoia!!. If you really want to, I'd just put some tape or a post-it note over the camera.