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The April 2014 update of Apple's 13" MacBook Air features refreshed dual-core i5 and i7 processors, plus slightly increased battery performance.

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iSight Camera Flashing Green Light - No Picture

I have a MB Air 13" A1466 Early 2014 and it has an issue with the iSight camera, when I open any app such as Photo Booth all I get is a flashing green light but no picture. This is the same after a total clean install of OSX Catalina.

I have done all the basics, SMC, PRAM, Disconnected, cleaned connectors, etc etc and still I get the same, flashing green light and no picture. Wondering if anyone can shine some light and some good news that it is an easy fix? @danj Give me the bad news please! :)

Block Image

Updated it to OSX 11.7.10 Big Sur but it is still flashing & no picture.

This is with NO additional software installed only from clean installations.

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Did you pick up this system used? And was it this way when you got it?

Why I ask is there was a time people were fearful being spied on without their knowledge. To add to that some companies were also paranoid of the risk of spying. There where quite a few hacks people did to blind their systems some more obvious than others.

Putting all of that aside, I do find it curious the cameras LED is lit! So part of the connection to the camera is working.

If you look closely along the edge of the screen does it look like someone had removed the display?

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The previous owner has told me that they bought it from an Apple store around 2015 and used it for a few years, all was working fine for their studies, they told me that the web cam was blinking a green light and there was no picture anymore and this had suddenly happened. There are no signs that the screen has been touched as all is intact and shows no visible markings or bends in the frame as such, the outer thin rubber is still intact and not damaged at all, it actually looks like it has been quite well looked after apart from the top case does start to fall back slowly by itself after 100 degrees tilt but that happens often to these weak builds, so I think that this is not causing the issue. Nothing has been put over the camera lens. Clean.

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Problem is it is a 2014 model and I only have 2017's in 13" so a top case swap isn't going to connect up to test if it is something to do with the cable or the cam itself. I guess if the camera don't work with the photo booth app then it won't work with any other software like facetime or messenger or the like. A whole bunch of videos on YT all say reset this reset that but this is a clean install and before I installed I did reset everything, I will probably reset all again once the battery has drained as that has a SR notification that I will clear up once it has died overnight.... maybe it cured the camera also, lets see.... but until then, scratching my bald head over it. Apple diagnostics gives no issues found.

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I guess I will have to try to install a new web camera, should be easy enough to remove the screen frame, pop out the old camera, in with the new camera, cable & hinge part....

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@danj Is the cable for the webcam part of the display connector?

Last time I changed one of those the screen blew and shorted a logic board yay.....

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@livfe - If you look at the display unit you can see the cables MacBook Air 13" (Mid 2013-2017) Display Assembly on the left you have the antenna & iSight and on the right you have the displays LVDS video connection.

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