Troubleshooting: camera, upload, audio

1. Camera blocked

The filming screen shows Camera blocked. and, underneath, Open the https:// address and allow camera + mic. with a code in brackets. That code tells you which problem it is:

Code	What it is	Fix
NotAllowedError	Permission was denied.	Tap the padlock or the "aA" in the address bar, allow Camera and Microphone, then reload. On iPhone also check Settings → Safari → Camera.
NotFoundError	No camera was found.	You are probably on a machine without one. Film on your phone.
NotReadableError	Another app has the camera.	Close Zoom, FaceTime, the camera app, other browser tabs — then reload.
SecurityError	The page is not on a secure address.	Open the https:// address. Browsers will not give a camera to an insecure page.

There is no retry button on that screen — fix the permission, then reload the page and tap Film again.

Private/incognito windows and some in-app browsers (opening the link from inside Instagram, Facebook or a mail app) block the camera. Open the app in Safari or Chrome directly.

2. Microphone blocked

• On the Talk tab: Mic blocked — open the https:// address and allow the microphone.
• On a typed-answer recording: Mic blocked. On a phone this page must be opened over https.
• On a script reword: Mic blocked — type your changes below instead. — typing works just as well there.

Same fix as the camera: allow the microphone in the address-bar permissions and reload. If the browser never asks, the permission was denied before and has to be reset in browser settings for this site.

3. Sound problems on a take

The app will not warn you about bad audio, so check it yourself: after you stop recording, the take plays back before you tap Keep. Listen to that playback. If you cannot hear yourself clearly, tap Retake.

• Nothing recorded at all — something else grabbed the microphone (a call, a headset switching, a meeting app). Close it and film again.
• Wired or Bluetooth headphones — Bluetooth mics drop out mid-take more than anything else. Film on the phone's own microphone unless you have a wired lav.
• Echo and room noise — get closer to the phone and out of a hard, empty room. Distance is what makes audio sound cheap.
• Wind — outdoors, put your back to the wind or film indoors. Wind noise cannot be cut out afterwards.

4. Teleprompter not following

The prompter follows your voice on desktop browsers only. On phones and tablets it always scrolls on a timer — that is expected, not a fault.

• If it is running away from you, tap Slower.
• If you got ahead of it, tap the prompter text to step forward a line.
• On desktop, voice following can drop back to the timer mid-take if the microphone hiccups. It picks up from the line you are on; keep reading.

5. Uploads failing

The message is Upload failed: … — tap Keep to retry.

1. Tap Keep again. This starts a new upload of the same take from the beginning — the partial upload is abandoned, so on a weak connection a repeated failure re-sends the whole file each time.
2. Get on better signal — Wi-Fi if you have it, or move outside.
3. Do not lock the phone or switch apps mid-upload. Leave the screen on until it finishes.
4. If it fails repeatedly on the same take, film a shorter one. A very long take on a weak connection is the usual cause.

6. The cut will not finish

• This ad did not finish cutting — tap Try cutting it again. Most failures are transient.
• Rough cut failed: on a single take — the take is still fine; you can approve it as-is and assemble without trimming.
• Cutting seems stuck — the elapsed counter is real and there is no percentage by design. Leave the page; it finishes in the background and the card updates itself.
• Failing twice with the same message means it is not transient. Send us the message.

7. Publish errors

Anything the publish screen refuses to do tells you exactly what is missing and gives you a button to go fix it. The full list is in Publishing to Meta. The ones worth knowing here:

• Facebook needs one more permission — tap Reconnect Facebook. One tap; nothing else changes.
• Meta could not process the video. — Meta's side. Wait a few minutes and try again.
• Meta stopped accepting the video upload partway through. — connection. Retry on better Wi-Fi.
• The assembled video is no longer on disk. Re-assemble the ad and try again. — Ads tab → Re-cut.
• Any failure at all: Nothing is running, and nothing was charged. Retrying is safe.

An ad that publishes but never spends is usually a missing payment method on your Meta ad account, or the ad is still In review. Both are visible in Ads Manager.

8. App-wide messages

Message	What it means
That didn't work	Something failed to load. Reload the page. If it repeats, send us the line underneath it.
Taking you to sign in.	Your session expired. Sign in again.
Opening Billing.	The subscription needs attention. See Billing.
Already on a call.	A producer call is open elsewhere on your account. Close that tab or device.

9. Reporting something

Use the support box on the Billing tab, or email info@memachine.me. Include:

• What you tapped, and what you expected.
• The message on screen, word for word.
• Phone or computer, and which browser.
• Roughly when it happened.