Unexpected camera permission prompt in Copilot PWA breaks user intent model, and PWA version lacks feedback UI

[MWilhelm46]

When Copilot is installed as a PWA, Windows occasionally displays a camera permission prompt even when the user has not attempted to use any camera‑related feature. This typically occurs after the app refreshes itself following a period of inactivity.

From a user perspective, this feels disconnected from intent. A permission dialog appearing without any camera‑relevant action reduces trust, even though the behavior is technically correct (the PWA manifest declares camera capability).

Issue 1 — Permission model mismatch:
The camera permission request is triggered by app lifecycle events (refresh, idle wake) rather than by a user‑initiated action. This violates the expected model of “ask only when the user does something that implies camera use.”

Issue 2 — Missing UI in the PWA version:
The Copilot PWA lacks the standard “…” menu and provides no visible way to submit feedback. This makes it difficult for users to report issues like this one and contributes to the impression that the PWA version is restricted or incomplete.

Suggestion:
Defer the camera permission request until the user explicitly performs an action where camera input is relevant. For example, when the user selects an option like “take a photo,” prompt with contextual language such as:
“If you’d like to show me something, I can use the camera — is that okay?”

Also ensure that the PWA version exposes the same feedback entry points as the sidebar and browser versions, so users can report issues consistently.

Aligning permission prompts with user intent and restoring the feedback UI would improve trust and reduce confusion without compromising security.

[MWilhelm46]

Additional perspective:
From a user‑experience standpoint, Copilot feels like a well‑designed tool that has been locked inside a container it doesn’t need. The current architecture makes Copilot dependent on the Edge framework even when the user has not chosen Edge as their browser. This creates a mismatch between the usefulness of the tool and the constraints of its delivery mechanism.

A simple analogy:

Copilot is a hammer, but it only works if you open the entire toolbox first.
And both the hammer and the screwdriver must obey the rules of the toolbox, even when the user just wants to pick up the hammer and use it.

For users, this breaks the “keep it simple” principle. A tool should be accessible, predictable, and independent. When Copilot behaves differently depending on which container it’s launched from — sidebar, Edge tab, PWA, taskbar — it feels less like a unified experience and more like a set of inconsistent modes tied to a browser the user may not want.

This contributes to confusion, reduces trust, and makes Copilot feel more like a feature of Edge than a Windows‑wide assistant.