Continuity Camera doesn't work until...I try it on Apple TV???

[kirbyrun]

OK, this is a weird one...

Continuity Camera suddenly no longer works on my M2 Mac mini running 14.4.1. I've rebooted both the Mac and my iPhone 13 Pro (running iOS 17.4.1), tried turning Handoff on and off, nothing.

But then, troubleshooting to see if the problem was my phone or my Mac, I tried FaceTiming from my Apple TV. That worked just fine. And then, when I brought my phone back into the office, the Mac suddenly saw it again and Continuity Camera worked in Facetime.

Hours later, back to the status quo ante.

What the heck? Running out to the living room to get my phone connected to the Apple TV so that I can then go back into the office to use it with my Mac is obviously an unacceptable workaround. Any ideas as to what might be going on and how to fix it so that my phone just connects to my Mac again?

 

[iStorm]

Not sure if this is your issue, but are you tapping the Disconnect button on the iPhone or moving it out of Bluetooth range while it's in use? If so, that will make the Mac forget the iPhone so that it doesn't show up as a camera/microphone anymore. To add it back, you need to plug the iPhone into the Mac. (To prevent the Mac from forgetting it, disconnect or turn off the camera from the Mac instead.)

It seems odd to me that the Apple TV would make it work with the Mac again, so maybe you're having a different issue...unless you did plug it into your Mac during your troubleshooting and didn't mention it.

Tap the Disconnect button on your iPhone screen, or move it out of Bluetooth range of your Mac. The current video and audio session pauses or switches to another camera or microphone, if available, and your iPhone is removed from camera and microphone lists on your Mac. To add it back, plug your iPhone into your Mac and mount your iPhone.

Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac - Apple Support

Use the powerful camera system of your iPhone to do things never before possible with a webcam, including Center Stage, Portrait mode, Studio Light, and Desk View.

support.apple.com

 

[kirbyrun]

Not sure if this is your issue, but are you tapping the Disconnect button on the iPhone or moving it out of Bluetooth range while it's in use? If so, that will make the Mac forget the iPhone so that it doesn't show up as a camera/microphone anymore. To add it back, you need to plug the iPhone into the Mac. (To prevent the Mac from forgetting it, disconnect or turn off the camera from the Mac instead.)

It seems odd to me that the Apple TV would make it work with the Mac again, so maybe you're having a different issue...unless you did plug it into your Mac during your troubleshooting and didn't mention it.

Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac - Apple Support

Use the powerful camera system of your iPhone to do things never before possible with a webcam, including Center Stage, Portrait mode, Studio Light, and Desk View.

support.apple.com

Honestly, it's been a while since I used Continuity Camera, so I'm not sure if I disconnected via the Mac, the phone, or if i just got up and walked away. I do know I've rebooted a few times since then, though, if that means anything at all.

No, never tried connecting with a cable. Honestly, I was annoyed that the "just works" system didn't, and I was bound and determined to get it working without resorting to a cable!

This is definitely one of those cases where Apple really needs to give us some kind of UI or something. It's insane that my Mac can decide to "forget" my phone just because I disconnected the wrong way* (Horrors!!!) and give zero indication this has happened AND zero way to fix it.

* I didn't even know there was a "right way" to disconnect until reading your post!

 

[PsykX]

I had so many bugs with Continuity Camera that I ended up buying a Logitech MX Brio 4K, released two weeks ago.

The picture quality is nowhere as good as an iPhone, but at least it's reliable.

It seems like Continuity Camera is in beta or something. The worst is I have a Mac Mini M2 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro, nearly all the latest and greatest devices. But no.

 

[kirbyrun]

Just updating... Tried Continuity Camera again today and it's not working once more. So at some point after working fine (after the hack of connecting to the Apple TV), it just decides to stop working again.

Feedback filed with Apple. *sigh*