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Apple: Don't close MacBooks with a webcam cover on, you might damage the display

There's a 0.1mm tolerance and OS has built-in tools for managing peep hole

If you've ever been to a tech trade show, chances are you willingly exchanged personal details for a webcam cover. The plastic strips are loved by cheapskate vendors everywhere, but a new advisory from Apple warns against leaving them attached while closing your MacBook lest it utterly bugger your display.

"If you close your Mac notebook with a camera cover installed, you might damage your display because the clearance between the display and keyboard is designed to very tight tolerances," a post on the official Apple Support page has stated.

Leaving it on, Apple warned, could interfere with the display's automatic brightness and True Tone features. The issue appears on the 12-inch MacBook discontinued last year, as well as all recent versions of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.

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Instead, Cupertino advises users to rely on the built-in features of macOS, such as limiting what applications have access to the webcam through System Preferences. It also suggests users keep an eye out for the green camera indicator light.

Apple didn't mention cracked screens in its advisory. However, some Reddit users have complained about webcam covers breaking the display on their pricey machines, prompting a visit to the Genius Bar.

If you need a cover, Apple has warned that it shouldn't be thicker than 0.1mm – or an average piece of printer paper. And while this in theory doesn't preclude using a piece of tape, Apple warns against using anything that leaves an adhesive residue.

Say what you will about branded stress balls, but at least they're unlikely to break your Apple computer. ®

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