14 DAY TRIAL // Let’s admit it, putting some tape over the camera on our laptops is one of the first thing we do when getting a new computer because, after all, a physical kill switch is pretty much the best way to make sure nobody invades our privacy no matter what.
And while a small piece of tape might actually work just fine, others turn to physical camera covers, an accessory that looks much better and which can be found online for just a couple of dollars.
But according to Apple itself, doing this isn’t by any means recommended, as such a camera cover could end up damaging the display.
So instead, you should just rely on the indicator light that shows when the camera is active, which means that you’re supposed to always determine when someone who managed to broke into your device actually enabled the camera.
Use something as thin as possible
“If you close your Mac notebook with a camera cover installed, you might damage your display because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances.
Covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working. As an alternative to a camera cover, use the camera indicator light to determine if your camera is active, and decide which apps can use your camera in System Preferences,” Apple says.
If using a camera cover is a must, Apple recommends sticking with a super-thin piece of tape or anything else that’s not thicker than 0.1 mm. Of course, this is pretty difficult to find, so the tape remains the only way to go, albeit Apple also recommends using something that doesn’t leave adhesive residue.
Of course, there’s also the backup option that involves using pretty much any kind of camera cover, as long as you remove it before closing the MacBook and thus eliminated the risk of damaging the screen.