Ideas for covering forward-facing camera?

[adam_fox]

Right now, I use a piece of electrical tape. It works okay, but falls off once in a while. I don't want to permanently cover it on the rare occasion I need it. Ideas welcome.

Note: Please refrain from the "why would you want to do that?" responses. They aren't helpful. Thanks!

 

[lordofthereef]

Do you use a case? I'd try a full body case and keep the electrical tape. Should keep it from falling off.

 

[Phonefanman]

Right now, I use a piece of electrical tape. It works okay, but falls off once in a while. I don't want to permanently cover it on the rare occasion I need it. Ideas welcome.

Note: Please refrain from the "why would you want to do that?" responses. They aren't helpful. Thanks!

Why tape over camera? Afraid uncle Sam watching you?

 

[adam_fox]

Do you use a case? I'd try a full body case and keep the electrical tape. Should keep it from falling off.

Thanks for the advice! I'm trying to avoid a case, if i can. But, that might end up being the best route if I can't find another option.

 

[eyoungren]

Why tape over camera? Afraid uncle Sam watching you?

Did you miss the part about where OP says to refrain from posing questions like yours and that they aren't helpful (you even freaking quoted OP on it)?

This means you are not being helpful by asking the question OP asked you not to ask.

Obviously it's because of a privacy concern. Something that is only a concern to OP and has nothing to do with the rest of us.

 

[Phonefanman]

Take a drill and small drill bit and drill a hole in the center of camera lens. This will keep them stalkers at bay

 

[MRxROBOT]

Sharpie to cover it up, alcohol pad to take it off.

 

[adam_fox]

Why tape over camera? Afraid uncle Sam watching you?

I'm sorry, but you failed at following my guidelines. Let's hope you don't fail in all parts of your life. Evidence isn't promising at this point, but you can turn things around!
[doublepost=1469387189][/doublepost]

Sharpie to cover it up, alcohol pad to take it off.

Interesting .. have you tried this approach? I'm curious how long that might last without the sharpie ink rubbing off.

 

[Shazamadoo]

Now I'm curious what you look like, or what you are doing when you use your phone...

 

[eyoungren]

Right now, I use a piece of electrical tape. It works okay, but falls off once in a while. I don't want to permanently cover it on the rare occasion I need it. Ideas welcome.

Note: Please refrain from the "why would you want to do that?" responses. They aren't helpful. Thanks!

Some arts and craft stores and office supply stores (perhaps even Wallmart in their arts/crafts section) have little sticker pages of various stickers in different designs. Circles, squares, etc, etc of various sizes and colors.

What about trying that? Should be some sort of adhesive circle that's large enough to cover your camera but not overly large.

 

[Phonefanman]

My bad I didn't see where you said don't ask why at the bottom of your thread.

Here is the solution. Get a screen protector and cut it out around camera and take black maker

 

[adam_fox]

My bad I didn't see where you said don't ask why at the bottom of your thread

There's hope for you yet. Seriously, though, one of the most frustrating things about using online forums like this is when people don't respond with useful responses. It wastes everybody's time. I only hope you're a bit more thoughtful in the future. Cheers!

 

[Shazamadoo]

There's hope for you yet. Seriously, though, one of the most frustrating things about using online forums like this is when people don't respond with useful responses. It wastes everybody's time. I only hope you're a bit more thoughtful in the future. Cheers!

What's funny is people coming onto forums expecting complete strangers to give 2 poops about them... Especially when u don't even explain yourself thoroughly as to the reason ur looking to "disable" your front camera..

 

[JohnApples]

Not sure how much you're trying to spend on this solution or how you feel about cases, but a quick search turned up this little gem called the Eyepatch: https://www.amazon.com/EyePatch-iPhone-6s-Case-Privacy/dp/B00SUCHRSS

Basically a phone case that covers (and cleans, apparently) both the front and rear cameras with the flick of a switch. For $25, that doesn't sound "too" bad.

 

[dk001]

Depends on the device.
I have the sticky lint removing tape that comes with a screen protector - works great for laptops and similar devices.
I have Avery color dots (can be trimmed to size) if I want to cover other cameras like on mobile devices.
They work great for me when I want to use them.

 

[eyoungren]

I have Avery color dots (can be trimmed to size) if I want to cover other cameras like on mobile devices.

THAT is what I was trying to get at in an earlier post!

Those cut to size using a single hole punch would work great I think.

 

[itsray]

you could always get an iPhone 3g or 3gs. they don't have front cameras. or open up the phone and remove or damage the front camera if you're that paranoid. now what about them listening through your microphone all the time?

 

[Phil A.]

How about something like this: https://www.amazon.com/EyePatch-iPhone-6s-Case-Privacy/dp/B00SUCHRSS

 

[Ray Brady]

Obviously it's because of a privacy concern.

This is actually the part that puzzles me. If I were concerned about privacy, the forward-facing camera seems like less of a security problem than the rear camera. If someone were to hijack my front camera, they would alternate between seeing my face and the inside of my pocket. I can't think of any scenario in which my front camera is pointing at anything that would give away any information about me.

The rear camera, on the other hand - well, I don't really keep track of where that one is pointing when I'm using my phone. If someone were to hijack that camera, I couldn't honestly say what they would be able to see on any given day.

 

[itsray]

yea the back camera is more at risk to give away your location than looking at the face or the sky/ceiling.

 

[mtneer]

You can use a pin hammer to smash the lens?

 

[JoeyD74]

How often do you use the camera? It seems a sharpie would take some effort to remove just to use the camera.
I just did a search, look at Ipatch case.

 

[BeeGood]

How about something like this: https://www.amazon.com/EyePatch-iPhone-6s-Case-Privacy/dp/B00SUCHRSS

That's a pretty slick solution.

Or if the OP doesn't want a case, he could just get a cheap rubber one, cut the top half portion off just underneath the camera and tape/glue something over the camera hole. Easy to slip on and off.

 

[lordofthereef]

Sharpie isn't likely to play well on the oleo phobic costing do the glass. Further, it won't completely black out the view (though I don't know how specific the OP's needs are as it will surely heavily distort any images coming through). If the phone is kept in a pocket for almost any amount of time it will also run off. Longer story slightly shorter, I don't think it's a viable option.

I personally like that case linked about as well as the idea of just disconnecting (physically) the camera module. I don't think that camera module controls anything else, but I could be wrong in that.

 

[CE3]

I use these stickers:

https://www.amazon.com/Webcam-Removable-Reusable-camJAMR-Covers/dp/B00HCZ5NN0/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=411p9+9q+vL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR90,135_&psc=1&refRID=MSKBV5BYXQD760PVMMH9

You can find them in white, too. They come off easy and don't leave the messy residue electrical tape does. I don't know about their "stick hundreds of times" claims. They hold up well, though, and I've reused them before, but I usually just put on a new one.