Apple: Don’t close your MacBook if you have a camera cover – it will damage your display

Apple has recently issued a warning for all MacBook users not to close their laptops while the camera cover is on. The problem it might cause isn’t naïve at all: your MacBook screen might crack.

I personally know many people who use camera covers for a variety of reasons. However, it appears that this has created a problem for a number of MacBook users, so Apple had to issue an official warning. Closing your MacBook with a camera cover on might damage your display “because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances.” Apple further notes that “covering the built-in camera might also interfere with the ambient light sensor and prevent features like automatic brightness and True Tone from working.”

Apple adds that the Mac camera is designed with users’ privacy in mind. In other words, there is no need for the cover in the first place. There’s a camera indicator light that glows green when the camera is active, so you always know when it’s on. “The camera is engineered so that it can’t activate without the camera indicator light also turning on,” Apple explains. If you’d like some extra security, you can also manually select the apps that have access to the built-in camera.

Now, if you still want to use a camera cover, or your workplace demands it, Apple suggests some alternatives that won’t cause your display to crack:

• Make sure the camera cover is not thicker than an average piece of printer paper (0.1mm).
• Avoid using a camera cover that leaves adhesive residue.
• If you install a camera cover that is thicker than 0.1mm, remove the camera cover before closing your computer.

I cover the camera on my laptop because I’m a tad paranoid, and I use a post-it note which always doubles as one of my 456 reminders for the stuff I need to do that day. A friend of mine uses a band-aid, but I wouldn’t recommend that because of the sticky residue. I guess you can use gaff tape, it would be just one of its many uses. But whatever you choose to cover your camera with, make sure that it’s thin so you don’t break the MacBook when closing it.

[via World Top Trend]