Camera doesn't work on Zoom (randomly)

Support
1

I have been having issues with camera using Zoom, starting this week. If I start a zoom meeting, sometimes the camera just doesn’t work and I get a black square on Zoom. If I open Cheese, the camera works there, and I found that if the camera fails to open on Zoom, I open Cheese, reboot, and then the camera works on Zoom too. The reboot alone didn’t do it. I can try to reproduce it when it stops working again, but for now (zoom opens my camera fine), here is my lsusb:

Bus 005 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 004 Device 012: ID 06cb:00bd Synaptics, Inc. Prometheus MIS Touch Fingerprint Reader
Bus 004 Device 004: ID 04f2:b604 Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd Integrated Camera (1280x720@30)
Bus 004 Device 003: ID 05e3:0610 Genesys Logic, Inc. Hub
Bus 004 Device 006: ID 8087:0025 Intel Corp. Wireless-AC 9260 Bluetooth Adapter
Bus 004 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 003 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0003 Linux Foundation 3.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub

and here is my v4l2-ctl --list-devices:

Integrated Camera: Integrated C (usb-0000:06:00.4-2.1):
/dev/video0
/dev/video1
/dev/media0

2

The problem here is that sometimes the index of the devices changes. Zoom don’t search automatically for the device, so you need to switch it manually.

I guess the following problem occur:

  1. Zoom has found /dev/video0 and set it as camera at the configs.
  2. Index changes to /dev/video2
  3. Zoom cannot find it, since /dev/video0 has been set → black video.

Cheese on the other hand, discover devices on every start.

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Zoom specifically had problems with the camera for the last few weeks/months.

How did you install it? AUR, Flatpak, Snap?

Try disabling blurred background and it might work (although for the current versions, this should have been fixed.)

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Thanks, megavolt. Ill check the index of the devices next times it happens.

mithrial–I do have blurred backround on, indeed, but it works when zoom finds the camera. Do you think it might stil interfere? I installed Zoom from AUR, but then I was constantly prompted to download the newer version, so I installed it from the TAR file from zoom’s website. Forgot about it. Do you think this could have caused it somehow?

5

OK, an update: I ran into the issue again, and both lsusb and v4l2-ctl --list-devices return the same lists. I did, however, notice, that it happens when I join a Zoom meeting (as opposed to starting one myself). If I restart and try to join again, it doesn’t change. But if I restart and first launch an empty zoom meeting, the camera works, and then if I click the zoom link for another meeting, it continues to work. Don’t know if this is still a Manjaro thing or a Zoom for linux thing, but it seems this gets triggered by launching Zoom to join another meeting first.