Camera and microphone permission: what you allow and how to revoke it
When you allow camera and microphone access, you let that one website use your camera image and your microphone sound while you are on it. It doesn't give the site your files, photos or contacts, and you can take the permission back at any time from the browser or the device settings.
1. What the permission actually allows
Browsers treat the camera and microphone as protected devices. A website can't switch them on silently: it has to ask, and the browser shows you a prompt with the site's address. The answer you give applies to that site only, not to every page you visit.
Google describes the choices in Chrome as Allow while visiting the site, Allow this time, or Never allow, and notes that an allowed site can only start recording while you are on it, not from another tab or app (Google Chrome Help).
| The site can | The site can't |
|---|---|
| Show your camera image in the page, for example to your chat partner | Open your photo gallery or files |
| Send your microphone sound to the call | Read your contacts, messages or other apps |
| Ask again later if you chose a one-time option | Keep using the camera after you close the tab |
| Use the device you chose, if you have several | Change your system settings |
2. How to identify the site that is asking
Before you tap Allow, look at who is asking. The prompt names the website, and the address bar shows the same domain. On WomChat that should be the domain you typed or the link you trust. If the prompt names a site you don't recognise, choose not to allow it.
- Read the domain in the permission prompt, not just the page design
- Check that it matches the address bar
- Look for the padlock or site information icon next to the address; tapping it shows the site's permissions
- If the page sits inside another app (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Telegram), the address may be hidden; see video chat in in-app browsers
3. Browser permission and device permission are two layers
There are usually two switches. The browser decides which websites may use the camera, and the operating system decides which apps (including the browser itself) may use it. Both have to say yes. That is why allowing the site sometimes isn't enough: if Chrome or Safari itself is blocked at the system level, the site never gets the camera.
Apple notes that apps must ask before using the camera or microphone and that you can review or change that access in Settings › Privacy & Security (Apple Support). Windows has the same idea under Privacy & security, described in Windows camera, microphone, and privacy.
4. How to revoke or change it, browser by browser
Taking a permission back is quick. Use the row for your browser or device:
| Browser or device | Where to change it |
|---|---|
| Chrome on a computer | Menu › Settings › Privacy and security › Site settings › Camera or Microphone, then remove or change the site (Chrome site settings) |
| Chrome on Android | Menu › Settings › Site settings › Camera or Microphone, then pick the site |
| Safari on iPhone | Settings › Apps › Safari, then the camera and microphone options for websites; system access under Settings › Privacy & Security |
| Safari on Mac | Safari › Settings › Websites › Camera or Microphone: Ask, Deny or Allow per site (Apple Support) |
| Firefox | Click the permissions icon in the address bar, or Settings › Privacy & Security › Permissions (Mozilla Support) |
| Android system | Settings › Apps › your browser › Permissions (Android Help) |
| Windows | Settings › Privacy & security › Camera or Microphone |
| macOS | System Settings › Privacy & Security › Camera or Microphone |
5. Which option to choose
If you use video chat often on a device only you use, allowing the site saves you a prompt every visit. On a shared or borrowed device, a one-time option is the better choice because the permission ends with the visit. Choosing Never allow or Block is fine too; it simply means the camera can't start until you change it.
- Personal phone or laptop: allow while visiting, and revoke later if you stop using the site
- Shared computer: allow this time only, then close the browser
- Not sure about the site: don't allow, and check the domain first
6. If the camera still doesn't start after allowing
This page explains the permission itself. If you've allowed it and nothing happens, the fix is usually elsewhere: another app holding the camera, the wrong device selected, or a system-level block. Follow camera not working or microphone not working, and test both quickly with our webcam and mic test.
For what WomChat does with your data more generally, read the privacy policy.