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Errors & Troubleshooting

Beam App Error - Mac OS X - Camera failed to start

Occasionally, the Beam app may fail to read the built-in camera on Mac computers even though the camera was functioning properly previously. This error is caused by a background process called “VDCAssistant” that is automatically launched by Mac OS X for any application that requires the use of the camera. When this background process is not closed properly, it will utilize resources which may prevent other apps from accessing the camera. To correct this issue, you need to force this background process to close.

To Force Close VDCAssistant
 
  1. Close all applications that may be using the camera (Beam app, FaceTime, etc). 
  2. Click to open your Spotlight Search tool on your desktop.

    Spotlight

     
  3. Type Terminal. 
  4. Enter the following command:
    Note: You may be prompted to enter the password for your administrator account.
      
               sudo killall VDCAssistant
  5. Re-launch your Beam app. 
  6. The camera availability should be restored.
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