Re: "An application want to turn on your camera..."

Jonathan B. Horen <me@behere.now> wrote:

On 4/9/25 09:52, Daniel James wrote:

On 07/04/2025 23:46, bp@www.zefox.net wrote:

A few minutes after running a software update, per the little
prompt in the top menu bar, a pop-up appeared saying an application
wants to turn on my camers. There is no camera, at least not a
permanent one. I've been copying photos off an old Canon A460
to the Pi, but it can't take photos over its USB connection so
far as I know (would be handy if it could!).

 
Some Canon cameras can be controlled over USB -- I have a Powershot 620
that can -- but I think you're right that the A460 can't.

 
17 year-old Canon A550, here... still doing justice to my thrice-weekly
shaving setups on IG and FB. Direct copy from camera to Digikam, via
USB. (like OP, running up-to-date Bookworm)
 

You say that you have been copying photos off the A460 (directly onto
the Pi)? What software are you using for that? Is it possible that that
software is running (in the background?) and wants to talk to the camera
(which it has seen before)?
 

When I connect the camera I get a popup asking if I want to open the
File Manager. When I click "yes", a generic-looking window with the
title bar showing gphoto2://Canon_Inc_Canon_Ditital_Camera_[long hex number]
This has been happening since I started with Raspberry Pi some years ago.

The "application wants to use the camera..." popup was standalone and
unlike the file manager and gphoto windows. It really looked like a
system dialog box similar to the "system is up to date" box that appears
after an upgrade from the desktop title bar menu. Except that it
appeared some time (hours?) after an upgrade.

It's not /necessarily/ suspicious, but you should identify the software
that's issuing the prompt to be sure.

 
Before searching for a software (application) "culprit", I'd check to
see if the OP is using a DE; and, if he is, then check if there is a
default multimedia application, and if/how it's configured (pop-up
notifications, etc.) I don't have that issue, 'cuz I run "pure" X11 (XDM
and JWM), so no pesky pop-ups.
>

If by DE you mean desktop environment, I'm using whatever comes with
Bookworm, with no concious customizations. There's nothing like Skype
or Zoom in the Raspberry menu. The Chromium browser was running, and
a bunch of LXterminal windows.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska