Request camera and microphone separately; do not merge them as "media"

What it is

Camera and microphone are two capabilities: one takes image, one takes sound. Scan, ID photo, avatar need the camera; a voice note or a call needs the microphone. They must not be merged into one grant or one "Allow media" checklist just because both are "media," or because a video call will use both. Separate asks let people grant only what the current action needs. This entry does not cover in-use indicators, and does not cover whether a one-shot capture should go through the system camera UI.

Why it happens

The two sensors have different harm surfaces: image can expose a place and an identity; audio can expose a conversation and presence. A merged grant is priced by the more sensitive item, so someone who only wants to scan a code must also open the microphone, or loses the camera by refusing the mic. A video call does need both—that is two requests inside one task, joined by "sound is still needed so the other person can hear you," not one permission in semantics. Platform APIs are already split by sensor; product UI that binds them together cancels granularity the platform already offers.

Where it stops holding

Some OS versions treat "record video" as a task template that wants both; people should still see, before preview, whether camera, microphone, or both will open. A pure-audio or pure-image tool must not request the other "for later." If a browser stacks both in one sheet, the site should still split them in its own pre-prompt, and degrade when only one is refused, rather than failing the whole call without saying which grant was missing.

Applying it

• Write a triggering action and a pre-prompt for camera and for microphone separately. Do not let one button fire both dialogs unless the current task needs both immediately.
• For a video call, request them one after another in the seconds before joining. If the first is refused, do not auto-fire the second; say whether picture or sound is missing.
• Show two rows in Settings, not a combined "media permission."
• Verify: camera on, microphone off—scanning and still photos should work, voice should degrade. The reverse too. Check that the capture-only path does not request the microphone API.

Related

• Within the group: H4.08.2 Do not hide the in-use light or icon after the grant · H4.08.3 Prefer the system capture UI for one-shot photos over a standing camera grant · H4.08.4 Silently using camera or microphone in the background is a serious trust breach
• Adjacent: H4.01 Timing of Requests · H4.09 Contacts and Photos Permission · O1.10 Consent Granularity and Withdrawal
• Search terms: camera permission · microphone permission · separate grants