Skype 5 for Mac blocks all webcam access by Flash. Skype says it is "by design"

Skype 5 for Mac blocks all webcam access by Flash. Skype says it is "by design"(jira.skype.com)

193 points by lukeinth 15 years ago | 87 comments

Thought I would pass on a word of warning about the recently released Skype 5 for Mac. Once installed, if Skype 5 is running (even in background), it will block Flash from being able to access your webcam. This breaks quite a few popular web applications. Unfortunately users will think the problem is caused by Flash, when it is actually caused by Skype.

Examples of sites and applications broken by Skype 5.

http://www.dailybooth.com - core feature of the site http://www.facebook.com - webcam record and "take a photo" feature http://www.picnik.com - image editors that have import from webcam http://www.webcamsnapper.com - webcam photo widget used by brizzly, dailybooth, many other sites. (disclosure: my company built this app) adobe connect, dimdim, etc - online meeting apps

Skype has been aware of this issue since the release of the beta in November and yet they have not fixed it before the general release. According to their issue tracker they say this new behavior is "by design".

https://jira.skype.com/browse/SCM-721

In the old Skype (2.8) this was not a problem, so something has changed. If indeed this is not a bug and is "by design" then it is a very worrying move. Imagine for a moment things were reversed. Say for instance a new release of Flash stopped all video calls working in iChat or Skype. People would be outraged, Gruber would have a heart attack.

Just to be 100% clear, Skype doesn't need to be in a video call for it to block webcam access by Flash. It simply needs to be running. The only fix is to shut down Skype then reload your browser. After this the webcam will start working again in Flash. The only long term fix is to uninstall Skype 5 and install an older version.

More discussion of the issue in Skype forum: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=782411

lukeinth 15 years ago |

Examples of sites and applications broken by Skype 5.

* http://www.dailybooth.com - core feature of the site

* http://www.facebook.com - webcam record and "take a photo" feature

* http://www.picnik.com - image editors that have import from webcam

* http://www.webcamsnapper.com - webcam photo widget used by brizzly, dailybooth, many other sites. (disclosure: my company built this app)

* adobe connect, dimdim, etc - online meeting apps

https://jira.skype.com/browse/SCM-721

More discussion of the issue in Skype forum: http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showtopic=782411

MediaBehavior 15 years ago | |

>> about the recently released Skype 5 for Mac.

Note that one commenter observes:

"This also affects windows users, its not just Mac."

ZoFreX 15 years ago | | |

I've been trying to track down intermittent issues with webcam+flash on my Windows PC, looks like I need to investigate Skype. Thank you!

tomsaffell 15 years ago | |

Here's a suggested "work-around" (if you can call it that) - it's far from ideal...

In actionscript you can:

  detect whether there are webcams present on the system
  examine the pixels output by the webcam

So you could add some logic along the lines of:

  if (hasWebcam && imageFromWebCamIsAllBlack){
     showMessage([pick your own verbiage] + ' Skype v5')
  }

Not ideal, but maybe better than nothing? Beware - the list of cameras reported to Flash often includes junk (e.g. 'Google Camera Adapter 1', and more on Mac), so you need to filter those from your list. Happy to give HN contributors some pointers on how to do that, for free. My Skype handle is my HN user name with a dot inserted in the obvious place.

timerickson 15 years ago | |

To be fair, Beom Soo Park just posted a follow-up comment correcting his mistake in not calling it a bug.

"I have to rectify the term I used before, this issue found to be a "bug", not "by design", We are working on the issue and will be fixed in future updates. Sorry for making confusions.

Thank you"

taylorbuley 15 years ago | | |

If true, it would seem that this simple misdescription has been blown out of proportion.

cookiecaper 15 years ago | | |

Is Skype offshoring major development duties? That would be a serious red flag in my book.

jacquesm 15 years ago | |

http://ww.com/ is also affected and we've already seen some support requests about this.

kaffeinecoma 15 years ago | | |

Um, slight bit of NSFW failure here: http://i.imgur.com/dN2rw.png

dhimes 15 years ago | | |

Are you taking a serious hit from this, or is it too new still?

drivebyacct2 15 years ago | | |

OT: That stock photo that I was just greeted with was creepy and a major turn off for me looking at the site any further at all.

drivebyacct2 15 years ago | | |

While we're at it, images displayed while in "Child friendly mode" ought not show ball sack. http://i.min.us/ibQ0Ci.png

God, and ALL of the top links take me to a "PAY ME MONIES" page? And I have to browse 6 at a time with nothing but a thumbnail? I'd sad I wasted the time to sign up to be frank...

Dbug 15 years ago | |

Perhaps they could offer a small separate sort of "Flash Guard" utility for the blocking function. We consider the possibility of rogue Flash code opening the camera and/or microphone to be a security vulnerability. Being able to block those globally is a "feature" some need.

Of control of hardware access should be by user choice only, not a side effect of an app. Counting on stored Flash settings isn't an option since many use Better Privacy (Firefox extension) or other utilities to delete Flash storage, including the settings, due to the stalking features.

chrisbolt 15 years ago | | |

How can rogue Flash code open the camera or microphone without prompting? On http://www.macromedia.com/support/documentation/en/flashplay... the only two options are Always Deny and Always Ask.

pclark 15 years ago |

I have no idea what Skype was thinking with version 5 of their client. It is atrocious.

There is so much white space, if your Instant Messenger client takes up more screen space than a web browser, you're probably doing something wrong.

Download version 2.8 - http://mac.oldapps.com/skype.php

relix 15 years ago |

As the developer of a web app that uses the webcam through flash, I am already mentally preparing myself for the flood of support requests that inevitably will come.

Maybe Skype should become classified as malware. This is only the latest in a series of huge bugs because Skype tries to integrate with every application.

ringm 15 years ago | |

Their Firefox plugin has already been blocked: https://www.mozilla.com/en-US/blocklist/

meric 15 years ago |

"Beom Soo Park added a comment - 31/Jan/11 2:21 PM I have to rectify the term I used before, this issue found to be a "bug", not "by design", We are working on the issue and will be fixed in future updates. Sorry for making confusions.

Thank you"

alanh 15 years ago |

1. Three months ago, a Skype customer reports a terrible, hostile, unreasonable problem with the new client via official Skype bug tracker

2. Company rep asks, “Can you provide us your feedback? You can send feedback through Skype Menu -> Provide Skype Feedback … Thanks” and provides not a glimpse of insight into why the customer is being asked to submit this complaint elsewhere instead of the rep just, you know, doing his job and getting the message wherever it needs to be, himself.

3. Customer: WTF, didn’t I just do that here?

4. Support person: “Currently, this [issue] is by design.”

5. Other users express outrage, and this is posted to HN today

6. Today, rep “rectifies” previous statement and says it is a “bug, not by design.”

(Can we get something to the HN front page about Skype for iPhone’s terrible behavior of loading all chat messages in chronological order, taking literally half an hour before the app is usable?)

ZoFreX 15 years ago | |

> (Can we get something to the HN front page about Skype for iPhone’s terrible behavior of loading all chat messages in chronological order, taking literally half an hour before the app is usable?)

The iPhone app does that too? The Android app doesn't do it until you open a conversation... but it does it every time you switch to that conversation, making it utterly unusable and potentially embarassing!

redthrowaway 15 years ago |

"To ſay it is ‘by deſign’ is not an acceptable anſwer. Your proprietary, inflexible, ſecret piece of ſoftware takes control of ðe uſer’s hardware wiþout his conſent, and ¿you do not even offer a reaſon for ðat?"

I'm trying really hard to figure out what localization this guy's keyboard is set to.

zephjc 15 years ago | |

I think it is some sort of pseudo-attempt at a spelling reform movement, very silimiar to this http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2357504854 but even that doesn't have the s/ſ and ¿? changes.

iron_ball 15 years ago | | |

Particularly ridiculous when you notice that he uses "ſ" for the S in both "software" and "design." Wouldn't a reformed spelling use different symbols for the two sounds?

mzl 15 years ago | |

English -700 years with a touch of spanish?

moeffju 15 years ago | |

"en@olde+obnoxious"

nickolai 15 years ago |

For once, i am rather happy with skype devs not putting too much effort in the linux version. Hope it stays that way...

danpker 15 years ago | |

Never had a big problem with the Linux version. It does video, with good quality, and that's all you really need Skype for, a flashy UI or other pointless features just detracts from Skype's main purpose.

nickolai 15 years ago | | |

Totally agreed. I used to be annoyed by the absence of SMS support in one of the previous versions. I havent bothered checking whether it is present now, since I no longer need that feature anyway.

cookiecaper 15 years ago | |

They've promised to open-source the UI and put out most of the functionality in a blob that the UI talks to, maybe over D-Bus or something I guess. That was quite a while ago, though.

pyre 15 years ago | |

Well, I hope they add support to video conferencing.

notintokyo 15 years ago |

Previous Skype extension for Firefox was also causing trouble for many websites. The plugin is common enough to cause a lot of grief.

adaml_623 15 years ago |

Does this mean that Skype can take snapshots through your web cam whenever it's running? There was a US high school that installed software that did that and got raked over the coals for it.

DougBTX 15 years ago | |

Almost any running application on your computer can use your web cam and your microphones. The only question is whether they do.

adaml_623 15 years ago | | |

My point was that they can do it and you wouldn't be able to tell as they always have access to the webcam anyway.

pmjordan 15 years ago |

Interestingly, FaceTime and iChat don't seem to have any trouble using the webcam while Skype is running. Since they're Apple apps, they may get priority, however.

danpker 15 years ago | |

Well, I think Skype only interferes with Flash apps, non flash apps that use the camera are unaffected.

pmjordan 15 years ago | | |

This to me implies that both Skype and Flash are doing something wrong.

jackolas 15 years ago | |

Tinychat was having some issues with the google talk video plugin recently. I think something must have changed about video and flash recently...

e40 15 years ago |

As a side note: the new Android Skype release is getting panned on the market because of horrible UI features (puts an icon in the notification area that cannot be removed) and other bugs. I finally removed skype from my droid, even though I do occasionally get calls from it.

lukeinth 15 years ago |

Just an update to say Skype have responded saying they will fix the bug in an upcoming release. Hopefully we won't have to wait long.

ElliotH 15 years ago |

Skype are now calling it a "bug".

iPadDeveloper 15 years ago | |

Confirmed. Retracted.

maxart 15 years ago |

According to Skype's reply ( see Beom Soo Park's new post on https://jira.skype.com/browse/SCM-721 ) they are "working on the issue and will be fixed in future updates."

smikolay 15 years ago |

I have been fighting with this since installing the Beta. Has caused me to stop using skype, and only turning it on as a last resort. Would be curious if anyone has a link for 2.8, as it (unsurprisingly) isn't on their site anymore.

maxart 15 years ago | |

You can get it from: http://mac.oldapps.com/skype.php

xentronium 15 years ago | | |

It's still on their site anyways.

http://download.skype.com/macosx/Skype_2.8.0.866.dmg

jawee 15 years ago |

I recall having this problem on Windows as well. I have a Windows laptop (XP with Turion X2 processor) I keep on hand in case I ever need Windows that I hauled out of the closet the other day as a Skype friend wanted to play a game (I´m on Linux). I installed Skype and was greeted with a behemoth that this computer couldn´t handle. Incidently, I was surfing in the background while I ended up just chatting due to poor video quality and came across a website that took your Flash webcam and did effects with it and the video would not load. I rebooted (sans Skype being open now) and it worked.

janno 15 years ago |

We released a hotfix yesterday, fixing the Flash bug and a couple of other significant bugs. http://blogs.skype.com/garage/2011/02/skype_50_for_mac_hotfi...

Please upgrade to 5.0.0.7994: http://www.skype.com/go/getskype-macosx

gglanzani 15 years ago |

Skype does not care enough about UX in general. It's no wonder that, when faced with design questions like "Should we allow Flash to use the camera while Skype is running?", they take the wrong decision.

If you couple this with the UI of Skype for Mac 5, you have plenty of reasons to remain with version 2.8.

jpcx01 15 years ago |

Flash video camera is a disaster, especially on Mac. After spending months working around its flaws, I've vowed never again to use Flash video recorder in my web apps again.

Currently it's completely broken in Chrome on Mac (even broke non facebook.com).

And I bet Adobe wonders what has provoked the wrath of Steve Jobs.

davej 15 years ago | |

This may be so but how does it justify Skype blocking flash from using the camera?

bad_user 15 years ago | |

Have you reported these flaws? Have you documented them somewhere?

Flash video recording worked perfectly fine for me btw.

jacquesm 15 years ago | |

Actually, it works pretty good. But skype is interfering with it in a completely un-necessary way by blocking access to a resource even when it does not need that resource.

coffeejunk 15 years ago |

skype for mac has always been a pain but it seems they're trying really hard to make it even worse. <irony>besides of course coverflow for profile pictures, which is a huge improvement in usability.</irony>

riffic 15 years ago |

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1759181

siculars 15 years ago |

This version was obviously built for people who only use one application at a time.

JBiserkov 15 years ago | |

Yeah, but Skype launches by default on system boot up (on Windows, at least, assuming a next->...->next->Finish install)

asmosoinio 15 years ago |

I am getting a 503 error from the link. Any mirrors?

chitra 15 years ago |