[HOLD https://github.com/Expensify/App/pull/87681] [$250] iOS - Attachment - The camera viewfinder does't appear automatically.

[mitarachim]

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Version Number: v9.3.55-0
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: N/A - new feature, doesn't exist in prod
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: #86981
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): applausetester+ds@applause.expensifail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Pull Request QA execution
Device used: iPhone 11
App Component: User Settings

Action Performed:

1. Revoke camera permission in device Settings
   2.Go to any Chat > Tap + → "Add attachment" → "Take photo"
2. Tap "Continue"
3. Grant camera permission in OS Settings and return to the app

Expected Result:

The camera viewfinder appears automatically without needing to reopen

Actual Result:

The camera viewfinder doesn't appears automatically. Needs reopening.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7125429_1775701577301.2026-04-09_05.24.51.mp4

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Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @ShridharGoel

[melvin-bot]

You have been assigned to this deploy blocker because you recently merged this PR: #86981

[melvin-bot]

💬 A slack conversation has been started in #expensify-open-source

[github-actions]

👋 Friendly reminder that deploy blockers are time-sensitive ⏱ issues! Check out the open `StagingDeployCash` deploy checklist to see the list of PRs included in this release, then work quickly to do one of the following:

1. Identify the pull request that introduced this issue and revert it.
2. Find someone who can quickly fix the issue.
3. Fix the issue yourself.

[OSBotify]

Investigation Summary. Classification: Frontend bug. Causing PR: #86981 - fix: use in-app VisionCamera for chat attachments with proper permission handling - by @ShridharGoel (High confidence). Related Issues: #84018 (the original issue this PR was fixing). Recommendation: REVERT. PR #86981 introduced AttachmentCamera.tsx which added an AppState listener to refresh camera permission status when the app returns to the foreground after granting permission in OS Settings. However, the bug report confirms this is not working on iOS -- after returning from OS Settings with permission granted, the camera viewfinder does not appear automatically. This is a direct regression from the feature this PR was implementing, and reverting is the cleanest path forward. Assigned: @ShridharGoel (PR author), @srikarparsi (approving reviewer). Labels: DeployBlockerCash kept (App PR caused the issue), DeployBlocker removed (this is not a backend bug). Evidence: Issue filed against version v9.3.55-0, reproducible in staging, not in production (new feature). The melvin-bot comment on the issue directly links PR 86981 as the causing PR. PR 86981 is in the current StagingDeployCash checklist. The PR description explicitly claims it added an AppState listener so the camera view updates automatically after granting permission in OS Settings -- the exact behavior that is broken. Verification: Affected file: src/components/AttachmentPicker/AttachmentCamera.tsx (new file introduced by PR 86981). The useEffect sets up an AppState listener that calls refreshCameraPermissionStatus() when appState === active. The bug reproduces exactly the scenario this code was meant to handle, confirming the AppState-based refresh is not functioning correctly on iOS. Root Cause: The AppState listener fires refreshCameraPermissionStatus() on iOS when the app becomes active. However, on iOS, returning from OS Settings may not trigger the AppState change to active as expected, or check(PERMISSIONS.IOS.CAMERA) may return a stale cached value. The net result is cameraPermissionStatus is not updated to RESULTS.GRANTED, so the VisionCamera component (conditionally rendered only when cameraPermissionStatus === RESULTS.GRANTED) never mounts.