When your camera or mic isn't working in Camila, it's almost always one of: a permission, a wrong default device, an OS-level setting, or a hardware issue. Here's how to figure out which and fix it.
"Camila says it can't access my camera"
The browser is blocking access. Fix at the browser level first, then OS level.
Browser-level
- Chrome: padlock icon → Site settings → Camera: Allow; Microphone: Allow. Reload the page.
- Firefox: padlock icon → permissions → Camera and Microphone — remove any blocked entry, reload.
- Safari: Safari menu → Settings for camila.live → Camera: Allow; Microphone: Allow. Reload.
OS-level (Mac)
System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera → make sure your browser is enabled. Same for Microphone.
OS-level (Windows)
Settings → Privacy → Camera → Allow desktop apps to access your camera on. Same for Microphone.
OS-level (iOS)
Settings → Safari (or Chrome) → Camera/Microphone → Allow.
After fixing OS settings, restart the browser and reload Camila.
"Wrong camera is showing"
When you have multiple cameras (built-in + external, or front + back on a phone), Camila picks the OS default. To change:
- In your broadcast preview (Model Dashboard → Go Live), there's a Camera dropdown. Pick the one you want.
- The choice is remembered for next time on the same device.
If a camera is connected but not appearing in the dropdown, restart the browser. If it's still missing, the OS isn't seeing it — check the camera's USB cable, drivers, and OS-level camera permissions.
"Audio is out of sync with video"
Almost always a network blip rather than a hardware issue. Fix in order:
- In your broadcast preview, click Re-sync — this re-buffers and usually clears it.
- If recurring, switch from WiFi to wired ethernet.
- Check that nothing else on your network is hogging upload (uploads to cloud storage, video calls in the background, etc.).
- If you're on a Bluetooth audio device with high latency (some wireless earbuds add 100–300ms), switch to wired audio.
- As a last resort, lower the broadcast resolution from 1080p to 720p — less data, less drift.
"Mic is too quiet"
Three common causes:
- Wrong mic selected. The browser is using the wrong device. In broadcast settings, check the Microphone dropdown.
- OS gain set too low. Mac: System Settings → Sound → Input → adjust gain. Windows: right-click the speaker tray → Sound settings → Input → choose your device → adjust Microphone Boost.
- Mic too far from your mouth. USB mics need to be 6–12 inches from your mouth for a strong signal. A USB mic on a desk three feet away is going to sound thin no matter what gain you set.
The broadcast preview has a real-time audio meter — it should peak around -12 to -6 dBFS when you're speaking normally. Adjust until it does.
"Mic picks up echo or background noise"
- Echo — the mic is picking up the model's headphones bleeding back. Use closed-back headphones, lower your headphone volume, or move the mic away from the headphones.
- Background noise — fans, AC, traffic. Turn on Camila's Noise suppression in broadcast settings (uses RNNoise — works very well).
- Keyboard clicks — get a mic with better off-axis rejection (Shure MV7, Rode NT-USB+) or a shock mount.
"Camera is grainy or pixelated"
- Your room is too dark; the camera is gain-cranking. Add light.
- Bandwidth is constrained; lower the resolution, the broadcast pipeline will use that bandwidth more wisely at 720p than starve at 1080p.
- The webcam is genuinely old. If your camera is pre-2018 or below 1080p native, an upgrade has the biggest impact of any equipment swap.
Test before going live
Use the Test broadcast mode (Model Dashboard → Go Live → toggle Test broadcast) to preview privately. Adjust until everything looks right, end the test, then go live for real.