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If you know how to Use Your Phone as Webcam, you can save some money and look better on Zoom talks. We suggest getting one of the best webcams for video conferencing, but sometimes you might not have one handy or don’t want to spend money on a separate device.
One thing is that you can turn an old phone into a security camera or baby monitor so you don’t have to buy a new one. And if your phone doesn’t have a front-facing camera or your computer doesn’t have a webcam, you can use the camera on the back of the phone to make video calls.
Not only do many phones have good video quality, but they are also cheap and a cheap way to improve your online camera. You can use your smartphone instead of a webcam to lead a work Zoom call, record a video show, or host a live-streamed yoga class.
How to Use Your Android Phone as Webcam
Using DroidCam to set up wirelessly
Both your PC and your Android phone need to be set up for DroidCam to work. You can get the app on your phone and the PC driver from the developer’s website. Start the apps on both your PC and your phone, and then follow the steps below.
- Make sure both PC and phone are connected to the same network.
- On the phone app, you will see Device IP and DroidCam Port values. Keep these details in front.
- Now on the PC client, select Connect over WiFi and enter the Device IP and DroidCam Port values you see on the phone app.
Using a USB cable
If you don’t want any latency at all, it is much better to use a wired link. Since a USB cable link isn’t affected by things outside of it, like a wireless connection, it has the best quality and no latency.
This method has the opposite pros and cons of a wireless link. You get a better link with no latency, but you can’t move your phone around as much because the USB cable limits its length. There is another catch, though. For it to work, you have to turn on USB debugging on your phone.
The same DroidCam app can also connect using a USB cable, so we’ll use it for this way as well. The rules are a little bit different; just follow the steps below.
How to Use Your iPhone as Webcam
Using Continuity Camera
If you’re reading this, you almost certainly have an iPhone. Apple has made it easier for people who own both an iPhone and a Mac with macOS Ventura and iOS 16.
With the new Continuity Camera feature, you can now use your iPhone as a camera without the help of a third-party app.
Using EpocCam
EpocCam works with video players like Skype and YouTube and can record both video and sound. There are both free and paid versions of the app. The video quality on the free version is 640480, and there is a watermark on the video. It works with both Windows PC and Mac.
- To get started, download the EpocCam app on your iPhone.
- Then, install the drivers on your Mac or Windows computer from the Kinoni site.
- Now, connect both your phone and computer to the same Wi-Fi network.
- Open EpocCam on your phone and launch a compatible video app on your computer.
FAQs
You can use your Android phone’s screen-sharing tool instead of an app to turn it into a webcam. But it won’t work when chatting most of the time. You can use Droidcam’s browser feature, but you still have to install the app on your Android phone.
The fact that DroidCam is easy to set up is one of its best features. You only need an Android phone and a computer that can connect to the internet. After you put the app on your phone, all you have to do is connect it to your computer via USB or Wi-Fi and follow the on-screen directions.