The latest updates to Chrome OS appear to have broken the camera on some Chromebooks, as reported by About Chromebooks. However, Google announced on Thursday that it has released a fix to address the issue.
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Some bug reports spotted by About Chromebooks before the fix was available mention different issues. One user said his device's camera "just doesn't work," while another said the camera "can't focus properly." Users have also reported issues with a few different updates, with at least one dating back to Chrome 97. Chrome OS is currently on version 100.
So far, one pattern to this issue has been the type of Chromebook, with the problem affecting ARM-based Chromebooks like the Lenovo Duet series, the HP Chromebook X2, and others. The issue has also appeared on Google's older Pixelbook Go, which runs an Intel chip. One user who tested 15 Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 units at his business claims that none of the 15 are working.
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The following devices appear to be affected, according to About Chromebooks:
- Acer Chromebook 14
- HP Chromebook x2 11
- Lenovo Duet 5 Chromebook 5
- Lenovo 10e Chromebook
- Google Pixelbook Go
- Acer Chromebook Spin 13
In a Reddit thread about the recent camera issues on the Duet 5, a person labeled “Verified Googler” said Tuesday that the company is working on a fix. “Our team expects the fix to be available later this week with a software update and is not related to your device,” said the person, who identified herself as “Alisha.” “We will share an update in this thread once the fix is released.”
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Shortly after this article was first published, Google said on its support forums that it had finally released a fix for the issues that arose from the update. Here's a guide from Google on how to update your Chromebook.
