WebView Requirements for Camera, Video & Likeness Checks

1. Introduction

As part of Lemonway’s Online Onboarding, merchants are asked to complete identity verification steps, which include:

• Taking a photo of their ID document
• Recording a selfie or short video for likeness verification
• Uploading supporting documents directly from their camera or photo library

These steps rely on camera and media playback. If you embed the onboarding form inside a mobile WebView (rather than a normal browser), you must configure that WebView correctly.

If not configured, end-users will experience:

• The camera not opening
• Video not starting
• Endless loading screens (“spinner”)
• Failed verification

This guide explains the minimum WebView configuration required on iOS and Android.

2. iOS (WKWebView) Requirements

Settings

• Enable inline media playback (video and camera run inside the WebView).
• Do not require user interaction (tap to play).

App Permissions (Info.plist)

Add clear descriptions for:

• NSCameraUsageDescription
• NSMicrophoneUsageDescription
• NSPhotoLibraryUsageDescription

Example (Swift)

let config = WKWebViewConfiguration()
config.allowsInlineMediaPlayback = true
config.mediaTypesRequiringUserActionForPlayback = []
let webView = WKWebView(frame: .zero, configuration: config)

3. Android (WebView) Requirements

Manifest Permissions

In AndroidManifest.xml, declare:

<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.CAMERA"/>
<uses-permission android:name="android.permission.INTERNET"/>
<uses-feature android:name="android.hardware.camera.autofocus" android:required="false"/>

WebView Settings

• Allow JavaScript.
• Allow media playback without requiring a tap.
• Handle camera/microphone permission requests.

Example (Kotlin/Java)

WebSettings settings = webView.getSettings();
settings.setJavaScriptEnabled(true);
settings.setMediaPlaybackRequiresUserGesture(false);

webView.setWebChromeClient(new WebChromeClient() {
    @Override
    public void onPermissionRequest(PermissionRequest request) {
        request.grant(request.getResources());
    }
});

4. Troubleshooting

If merchants report issues such as:

• Camera not opening
• Video not recording
• Onboarding stuck with a spinner

Check the following:

1. Inline media playback is enabled.
2. Camera/microphone permissions are granted.
3. You are running in a secure context (HTTPS).
4. Your WebView handles onPermissionRequest correctly (Android).
5. App settings include the required usage descriptions (iOS).

5. Summary

To ensure a smooth onboarding experience inside your app:

• On iOS:

  • Allow inline media playback.
  • Do not require tap to play.
  • Add camera/microphone usage descriptions in Info.plist.

• On Android:

  • Add camera + internet permissions in AndroidManifest.xml.
  • Allow media playback without user gestures.
  • Implement permission handling in WebView.

Recommendation: Always test the onboarding flow on real devices (both iOS and Android) before releasing to production.

6. Authentication with OAuth (Optional but Recommened)

When embedding Lemonway’s Online Onboarding inside a WebView, you may also want to handle user authentication securely.

• Lemonway supports OAuth2 flows, where a short-lived access token is exchanged for secure onboarding sessions. See: OAuth

• Using OAuth ensures:

  • The onboarding session is linked to the correct user/wallet.
  • Sensitive data (e.g. KYC documents, video likeness) is submitted securely.
  • Tokens can expire and be refreshed, reducing security risks.

Best Practices

• Use OAuth2 Authorization Code Flow (with PKCE if mobile).
• Handle token expiry gracefully — refresh before expiry to avoid onboarding being interrupted.
• Never hardcode tokens in the mobile app.
• If you embed onboarding in a WebView, pass the OAuth access token in the Authorization header or as part of the onboarding session request (per Lemonway API).