If your camera isn’t turning on, showing a black screen, or freezing during a session, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you fix it.
Step one: quick fixes
Start here:
Refresh the browser tab
If that doesn’t work, leave the session completely and rejoin
Still stuck? Close the browser fully and reopen it
Sometimes the browser just fails to initialise the camera properly on first load.
Step two: check browser permissions
If FLOWN doesn’t have permission to access your camera, video won’t load.
In Chrome:
Go to:
chrome://settings/content/siteDetails?site=https%3A%2F%2Fflown.comMake sure Camera and Microphone are set to Allow
If you’re unsure, click Reset permissions, then re-enter the session and allow access when prompted
You can also click the small camera icon in the browser address bar to review permissions.
This is one of the most common causes of black screen issues.
Step three: check your selected devices
If you can enter the session but your camera isn’t showing:
Join without camera
Open the video controls at the bottom of the screen
Manually select the correct camera and microphone from the dropdown
If you’ve used Bluetooth headphones, an external webcam, or switched devices recently, the wrong input may be selected.
Step four: “device not found” error
If you see an error like “requested device not found,” this usually means your computer isn’t recognising the hardware.
Try:
Fully restarting your computer (not just sleep mode)
Disconnecting and reconnecting external webcams
Disconnecting and reconnecting Bluetooth devices
A full restart often fixes this immediately.
Step five: check system load (RAM usage)
If you have lots of tabs or apps open, your system can struggle to run video smoothly.
Try:
Closing unused browser tabs
Closing background apps like Zoom, Teams, or Loom
Running FLOWN as your only active video tab
High RAM usage can cause freezing, black screens, or video failing to start.
Step six: work or university device?
Some managed devices block camera access because video platforms trigger security filters.
If you’re on a work or university computer:
Try a different network (for example, a hotspot)
Or try a personal device if possible
In these cases, it may be a network or firewall restriction.
Run a diagnostic test
If the issue continues, run this tool:
This is a diagnostic tool from Daily, the video provider FLOWN uses.
It checks:
Browser compatibility
Network configuration
Firewall blocking
Camera and microphone access
If you contact support, sharing the results from this test helps us identify the issue much faster.