How to Turn Your Phone Into a Webcam (2024): Mac, Windows, iPhone, Android

Bored with trying like a pixelated blob in your Zoom calls? Why use that pesky, tiny, low-quality webcam embedded in your laptop computer when you could have a critically nice smartphone camera in your pocket? It has grow to be very easy to make use of your smartphone as a webcam lately, and a few choices don’t even require you to plug something in. We’ve detailed how to do that whether or not you could have an iPhone or Android, on Home windows or Mac.

We even have directions for using a professional camera or GoPro to deal with the identical process. In case you don’t need to fuss with apps, take a look at our Best Webcams information.

Up to date June 2024: We have vetted each choose once more, eliminated older strategies, and added steps for Pixel and Motorola telephones.

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Make a Video Name With Simply Your Telephone

Earlier than changing your smartphone right into a webcam in your laptop, the plain factor could be to attempt utilizing your smartphone to run a video assembly. Providers like Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams typically have Android and iPhone apps out there. All it’s worthwhile to do is set up the app, log in, and use your telephone’s selfie digicam and microphone to take part within the assembly.

Whether or not you do that or comply with our strategies beneath, put money into a small tripod to prop your telephone up so that you don’t need to stability it towards a pile of books. The Joby GripTight is a well-liked and inexpensive tripod with legs that may contort to remain steady on nearly any floor, although a height-adjustable tripod like this could be a greater possibility. Lume Cube’s Panel Mini can also be a pleasant strategy to illuminate your face.

Methods to Use Your Telephone as a Webcam

You should use a videoconferencing app in your telephone in the event you rapidly want to sit down in on a gathering and chime in every now and then, however you’ll want a greater system in the event you’re presenting and need to share your display. That’s the place it might assist to transform your smartphone right into a webcam.

Basic tip: Be sure that your most well-liked videoconferencing app is closed when putting in a webcam shopper in your desktop PC or laptop computer. You might have to relaunch the app or restart your laptop to get all of it working.

The answer that works—whether or not you could have an iPhone, Android, Mac, or Home windows, in any mixture—is a service referred to as Reincubate Camo. It’s suitable with greater than 40 video-calling apps, from Google Meet and Zoom to FaceTime and Discord. The steps beneath will work in the event you’re making an attempt to attach an Android to a Mac, an iPhone to a Home windows PC, or vice versa.

Steps to Set Up Camo:

1. Obtain the Camo app in your Mac or Home windows machine. Then obtain the app on iOS or Android. Android telephones have to be operating model 7.0 and up, and iPhones have to be on iOS 12 or later. It’ll work with Home windows 7 (64-bit) or newer, and macOS 10.13 or later. (Camo additionally works with iPads.)
2. Launch the app in your PC and smartphone. Camo helps wi-fi video switch, so all it’s worthwhile to do is press the Wi-Fi icon within the Camo app in your telephone (after allowing it to make use of your microphone and digicam), and a QR code scanner ought to pop up. Within the desktop shopper, click on the drop-down menu underneath Gadget and select Pair a Gadget. It is best to see a QR code. Scan it and your telephone ought to join instantly. Skip to step 4 if that is working.
3. In case you do not need to go the wi-fi route, plug in a cable out of your telephone to your laptop—be sure it’s a data-supported cable (not all USB-C cables support data transfer). (If in case you have points, attempt one other cable.) For Android telephones connecting to a Home windows PC, you’ll have to allow USB debugging mode. To do that, head to Settings > About Telephone after which faucet Construct Quantity seven occasions to allow Developer mode. As soon as turned on, you could find it in Settings > System > Developer Mode, although a number of the navigation menus might differ based mostly in your Android telephone. Scroll down to search out USB Debugging and toggle it on. You would possibly see a pop-up asking whether or not you need to enable USB debugging. If it isn’t working, unplug the cable and plug it again in. Connecting an Android to a Mac? Flip USB debugging off. In case you by no means turned it on, you need to be good to go, or head to Developer mode once more and switch it off. iPhones connecting to Home windows PCs or Macs shouldn’t require further steps (press Belief if the pop-up seems in your telephone).
4. It is best to now begin seeing your rear digicam’s feed on the Camo desktop app. In case you don’t, and also you’re related through a wire, unplug the cable out of your telephone, then restart the Camo app in your laptop and telephone. Plug it again in and you need to see the feed.
5. Go to your video conferencing app’s gadget settings and select Camo because the video digicam, and your telephone digicam’s feed ought to pop up. You can too change the default microphone to Camo if you wish to use your telephone as a mic.

You get fairly a number of choices to select from within the Camo desktop app to customise the video feed. That features 720p video high quality and zoom choices, and you’ll remove the watermark. A lot of that is free, however sadly, you will have to pay for Camo Pro for a number of nifty features, like 4K recording, the power to change lenses, and Portrait mode (iPhone house owners are doubtless higher off utilizing Apple’s Continuity Digital camera, which we element additional beneath). Camo gives a number of cost choices: a lifetime license ($100), an annual subscription ($50), or a month-to-month subscription ($9).

Apple’s Continuity Digital camera enables you to use your iPhone as a webcam in your Mac—no third-party software program required. Your iPhone must be on iOS 16 or later, and your Mac must be on macOS 13 Ventura or later. (iOS 16 isn’t out there for the iPhone 7 or older, so that you’ll have to improve your gadget.)

Once you open a video-calling app together with your iPhone close by, you’ll see a pop-up explaining that you should use your iPhone as a webcam. The primary time I attempted to change the digicam it didn’t work, however a restart of my telephone and MacBook did the trick.