Logitech’s webcam software is a mess

Logitech makes some of the most popular webcams in the world, but using them on some of the most popular computers, like the M2 MacBook Air or the M1 Pro MacBook Pro, is not an amazing experience. Plugging one into any Mac M1 or M2 for video calling isn’t a problem, but if you want to tweak detailed settings or use some of the awesome features of these webcams, it’s now clumsy to impossible. That’s because its most capable webcam software, Logitech Capture, isn’t available on Apple’s silicon computers.

Logitech has changed its software plan for people using the latest Mac laptops and desktops without trying too hard to tell anyone. Rather than offering Logitech Capture, its software de facto focused directly on webcam settings and content creation features, it has two different, smaller Mac apps to choose from: Logi Tune and Logitech G Hub. Tune is a confusing app that lets you change settings for Logitech gadgets, with added calendar integration, for some reason. The G Hub is designed for gamers who want to customize RGB lighting and sensitivity settings for gaming-focused products and now webcams.

Each app’s interface looks different and allows you to change various settings, so you have a choice of which app to use – a lot of choice, if you ask me, given the limited functionality of each. But none of them offer as many options as Logitech Capture. You can access basic settings like the ability to zoom in for more precise cropping or make a number of adjustments to image settings (or set them to automatic), but you can’t adjust the frame rate or resolution. That means people who own a Mac M1 or M2 can’t use its face tracking feature or switch between landscape and portrait orientations on a nice, relatively tall webcam like the $160 Logi StreamCam.

And these things aren’t really visible unless you’re using an affected computer. I’ve been testing the webcams on a non-silicone Apple laptop, so it wasn’t until a reader contacted me that I realized some of Logitech’s picks in our Best Webcams Buying Guide have limited functionality on the M1 and M2 Macs. There are also a lot of posts on Reddit about it, and a lot of people working on solutions that Logitech didn’t come up with. Someone even managed a workaround to get the previous version of the Logitech Capture software to work on an M1-equipped machine. It crashed on launch for me though.

I asked Logitech if they plan to port Capture to PCs with M1 and M2 chips. Spokesman Christian Cooper said On the edge that “there are currently no plans for Logi Capture to support M1 or M2 chips. However, camera and video settings are supported in our Logitech G HUB and Logi Tune software for macOS.”

After some follow-up questions about whether these apps offer the same features as Logitech Capture (they don’t) and whether their new software strategy arose from a technical snag with the M1/M2 Macs (or was that sloppiness the plan all along), Logitech spokeswoman Ciara Dixon she gave this standard response that didn’t provide any useful answers.

“Logitech offers a variety of software options for different users on different operating systems, including Windows and Mac. For video conferencing (including webcam, headset and Logi Dock), we recommend using Logi Tune. For gaming and streaming, the G HUB offers the convenience and control of multiple Logitech G devices, Blue Microphones and Litra Glow. Streamlabs is an all-in-one software for live streaming and recording across multiple platforms including Twitch, YouTube and Facebook.”

This software issue is currently a problem for newer Macs, but will soon be a problem for many more users. Since the last update, Logitech has completely disabled the Capture app for Windows PCs and older Macs with Intel. In his latest software patch notes for Windows 10 and various versions of macOS, he says: “This is the final version of Logitech Capture and no new software updates will be available. Logitech recommends that you download and install the Logitech G HUB if you want to customize the supported webcam settings.” It has a support page that directs all users to download Logitech G Hub and directs users to uninstall Logi Capture.

Currently, this means that if you have a Mac M1 or M2, you won’t be able to get the most out of your Logitech webcam. This issue will spread – at Logitech’s option – to Windows and other Intel-based Macs in late 2022. Of course, we’ve reached out to Logitech again for more answers.

Until Logitech clarifies its software plans for its webcams, we’ll add a note to our webcam buying guide that your experience with their webcams will vary greatly depending on the computer you’re using.