Mobile apps and Chrome extension

Camera permissions and scan testing

Scanning needs camera permission from the operating system. If the camera view stays black or never opens, the permission was denied once and has to be granted in system settings rather than in the app.

Reviewed August 20, 2026

Steps

1. Open the operating system settings for the app and confirm camera access is allowed.
2. On iOS, also check that Screen Time content restrictions are not blocking the camera.
3. Close and reopen the app after changing a permission.
4. Test in good light — a scanner that works in daylight can fail on a dim shelf.

How to check it worked

The camera preview appears and a known-good code resolves within a second or two.

What usually goes wrong

• Permission denied on first launch and never revisited.
• A lens smeared enough to blur the matrix.
• Testing in light too low for the camera to focus.