How does an online mirror work?
We request access to your front-facing camera via the browser's getUserMedia API, then render the live video stream horizontally flipped (scaleX(-1)) so it behaves like a real silvered mirror — moving your right hand moves the image's right hand. Without the flip, the camera shows you as others see you, which feels wrong for a mirror. The video stream lives only inside this page; nothing is uploaded, recorded, or sent to a server.
The browser is blocking my camera. What do I do?
Tap the camera icon in your address bar and choose Allow. On iPhone Safari, the prompt only appears after you tap the Start mirror button — Apple requires a user gesture before granting camera access. On Android Chrome, you can also visit Settings → Site settings → Camera and unblock this domain. macOS users may need to grant their browser camera access in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Camera as well. After changing the setting, reload this page.
Will this work on iPhone and iPad?
Yes — Safari on iOS 14.3 and newer supports getUserMedia in full. You must open this page in Safari (or a Safari-based browser); third-party browsers on iOS share the same WebKit engine but some, like older Chrome iOS versions, blocked camera access until 2021. For best results add this page to your Home Screen — it then opens full-screen with no Safari chrome and feels like a native mirror app.
How is the brightness boost different from screen brightness?
The slider applies a CSS filter (brightness + contrast) to the video element, which makes the image of your face appear brighter without changing the LCD backlight. Combine it with maxing out your OS-level screen brightness for a true 'makeup mirror' effect — useful in dim hotel bathrooms or under bad office lighting. Boosting too far amplifies sensor noise; somewhere between 1.2× and 1.5× is the sweet spot.
Why use a web mirror instead of just the camera app?
Camera apps show you un-mirrored (the way others see you), which is disorienting for makeup, grooming, or checking your teeth. They also overlay record buttons, exposure pickers and AI 'beauty filters' that distract from a clean mirror experience. This page is just the flipped feed, full-screen, with a brightness control — nothing else. It also works on laptops, where there's typically no built-in mirror app at all.
The image looks low-resolution or grainy.
Front-facing cameras are often capped at 720p (Apple FaceTime camera, older Android selfie sensors). The grain is sensor noise that's normally hidden by software smoothing in the camera app — we show you the raw stream. Improve it by turning on more light, holding the device steady (autofocus hunts in low light), and not boosting brightness past 1.5×. For higher quality on a desktop, plug in a 1080p+ webcam and select it from the device picker.