Step away.
Stay on screen.
Freeze your camera on a clean frame. The light stays on. No one knows you looked away.
Pick a mode. Only your video changes.
Pick how you disappear
-
Freeze
Hold one clean frame the instant you tap. It's the calm default, and the lightest on your Mac.
Still hold · lightest -
Bad Connection
Stutter the last few seconds on a loop, so stepping away just reads as a glitchy line.
Stutter loop · reads as lag -
Full Loop
Replay your last three seconds, smoothly ping-ponged. A little natural movement instead of a frozen stare.
3s ping-pong · most lifelike
Switch from the menu, or trigger your default mode from any app with ⌥⌘F.
Questions, answered
Is Faux Pause free?
Yes. Freeze for up to 30 minutes a day, free, with every feature included. A one-time Pro unlock removes the daily limit, no subscription, and supports an indie developer.
Does Faux Pause turn my camera off?
To everyone on the call, your video never drops: instead of cutting to a black “camera off” screen, Faux Pause keeps sending a steady picture, your last frame held or gently looping. Your real camera can stay on, ready to go live again the instant you return, or you can turn it off completely to save battery when you're running low. Either way the held frame keeps streaming, so your mic, your screen share, and the rest of the call carry on untouched.
Which video apps does it work with?
Any Mac app that lets you choose a camera: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, Slack, Webex and more. Faux Pause installs a virtual camera, so you pick “Faux Pause” as your camera once and freeze whenever you like.
What's the difference between Freeze, Bad Connection and Full Loop?
Freeze holds a single clean frame. Bad Connection stutters the last few seconds on a loop, so stepping away reads as a glitchy line. Full Loop replays your last three seconds as a smooth ping-pong, for subtle, lifelike motion.
Can people tell my camera is frozen?
A held frame looks like a still moment, while Bad Connection and Full Loop add motion so it reads as a network hiccup. Either way it draws far less attention than switching your camera off mid-call.
Does Faux Pause record or upload my video?
Never. Every frame stays on your Mac and feeds only the virtual camera. Nothing is recorded, stored, or sent anywhere.
What do I need to run it?
macOS 13 or later. On first launch you install a small camera extension (a system extension macOS asks you to approve), and you're ready to freeze.