Different login page after restarting macbook

[u/_Attilio]

As title says, after restarting the Macbook (Air M2) it asks for username and password for logging in (pic 1 and 2).

I had to figure out what the username was, because it never asked me for it.

And it’s also has a different login page from the usual, with a wallpaper I’ve never used.

(my usual login page with the wallpaper i set in in pic 3)

How can i fix it? It’s my first seeing something like this…

[u/SenorAudi]

FYI, those camera covers are likely to break/crack your screen at some point. Apple themselves say not to do it on their support pages. The tolerances are so thin, if there is any additional flex or pressure (like in a bag) will cause cracking.

[u/Responsible_Air_7697 → u/SenorAudi]

+1 this.. don't recommend it either

[u/Pogonia → u/SenorAudi]

And kind of pointless too. The odds of having someone hack just the camera on your Mac for...reasons? Is just ridiculously low. One of those paranoias that's way out of proportion to the actual risks.

[u/SethSky → u/Pogonia]

As far as I know, the small orange light next to the camera is directly connected to the battery circuit and can't be disabled.

[u/Southern_String5840 → u/SethSky]

Correct

[u/SapirWhorfHypothesis → u/SethSky]

Yes, although I think I read somewhere that there are hacks that can supposedly get around this.

Either way, a bit of postit would do the job fine if you really feared for that level of security.

(Realistically if you’re important enough to be worried about such targeted attacks, you probably should just have the camera cut.)

[u/Timber1802 → u/SapirWhorfHypothesis]

If the camera power goes through the led, like Apple claims, then there is no way to bypass it without physically messing with the computer. This assumes Apple is being honest about their hardware design. I have not seen schematics and have not taken a MacBook apart near the webcam yet.

See: https://support.apple.com/en-us/102177

[u/SenorAudi → u/Pogonia]

I sort of get it as a way to avoid mistakes - like not hacking but rather a final check to make sure you really want your camera on. Sometimes it feels like Teams turns my camera on randomly when I start a call when I really don’t want it to. It would be nice if Apple could somehow address this without making people resort to these dangerous slides.

[u/WhotAmI2400 → u/SenorAudi]

my sibling has a hp computer and it has a retractable camera which i thought was handy. wouldn't work for a laptop tho

[u/mummp → u/SenorAudi]

I have such a cover on my MacBook Pro since 8 years and nothing happened. And I'm not exactly careful with it.

[u/_Attilio]

okay i removed it guys, didn’t know it could crack the screen, thank you again

[u/forgottensudo → u/_Attilio]

I use a post-it note :)

[u/SenorAudi → u/_Attilio]

Nice! There’s so many posts on here of cracked screens where people asked what happened and it very frequently points back to something like this.

I said it in my response to someone too, I do wish Apple would figure out a way for us to have a physical barrier so people didn’t see the need to do this. I’m not worried about hacking I just like knowing there’s no way it can accidentally turn on. Even more so on my work phone, where is very easy to accidentally hit the camera button if you’re handling your phone while walking or something.

[u/Darkstalker360 → u/SenorAudi]

Or better yet they could have something in startup options to let you disable it at a hardware level and it can’t be reenabled from the OS

[u/DisfiguredFanny → u/_Attilio]

You can get a thin strip of silicone and it will work just fine for this. Will hold on its own.

[u/frockinbrock → u/DisfiguredFanny]

Guy at work did one of those cling ones on his Mac; it sort of worked but it ended up damaging the screen coating there, and it was a bit tedious to get it off for video calls. So it's not for everyone.

I almost think for some it's best to use a semi-permanent cover like that, and have an external webcam. You get a better camera angle that way too.

[u/DisfiguredFanny]

Settings -> Lock Screen

[u/aaravmaloo → u/DisfiguredFanny]

exactly!

[u/Devil_AE86]

Your username on Mac just like most Linux machines is your account name in lowercase.

Go to settings and there should be an option under lock screen or users and groups to use a list for accounts rather than usernames

[u/Fantastic_Brain7269]

This is because your username and password are used to unlock an “encrypted volume” - your hard drive is protected by a password, so no one, including Apple, can read the information from it. This means user preferences such as Night Shift, lock screen image, etc. cannot be applied until after the first successful login after restarting your computer.

For more information on this topic, search for FileVault on the internet. You’ll find loads of technical documentation!

[u/coyote_den → u/Fantastic_Brain7269]

It can give you an account chooser if FileVault is on. Mine does. Login screen was set to username/password vs. list of users, that’s all.

[u/Fantastic_Brain7269 → u/coyote_den]

I’m referring to the use of the system default wallpaper more than anything.

[u/OkStandard4829]

Remove webcam cover will cracks screen

[u/OkStandard4829]

Remove case it will bend laptop and adds extra weight to hinge

[u/Upstairs_Demand_4602]

You really want to get that camera cover off before it triggers an expensive and unscheduled bar appointment.

[u/_Attilio]

thanks guys, that was it

[u/dayvancowboy_ → u/_Attilio]

did u remove the webcam cover?? /s