How To Use Phone Camera As Webcam

If you lot're working from home and need to communicate with your team, a niggling video chatting goes a long way. While most laptops come up with born webcams, desktops practice non, and laptop cameras can break at whatever time.

You could go and purchase a new webcam, only if you don't want to spend the money or won't demand it long-term, a bit of free software can help you out. If you're willing to give it a try, yous tin plow your phone—or whatever spare smartphone—into a webcam for your PC.

For Android Phones: DroidCam

Android users can endeavor a free app chosen DroidCam to turn it into a webcam. The free version has everything you need to get started, though a $v.49 upgrade to DroidCamX adds 720p/1080p video with Hd Mode, plus it gets rid of the small-scale banner ads. If you plan on using information technology a lot, it's a worthy upgrade, but I felt the experience with the gratis version was pretty solid.

To get started, you'll need 2 pieces of software: the DroidCam Android app from the Play Shop and the Windows client from Dev47Apps. Once both are installed, make sure your computer and phone are on the same Wi-Fi network. The DroidCam Android app should accept an IP address listed—something like 192.168.1.91—which y'all can enter in the desktop app to connect the two.

Be sure to check the Audio box if you don't have a microphone on your PC. Click the Start button, and you lot should exist connected. Most video conversation apps should recognize DroidCam equally a valid webcam, though you may need to restart them if they were running when DroidCam was installed. (Skype is an exception, which can be a bit finicky—you may need to use the old, non-Microsoft Store version.)

In my feel, DroidCam worked well enough. Friends on the other end said the SD video quality looked fine, but there may be a bit of a delay. Some had trouble with the sound coming from my phone, so my estimator's microphone was still ideal.

You can adjust a few things in the settings, like which camera to employ (front end or rear), which microphone to use (photographic camera or speakerphone), and a few battery-saving features, but simply know that it probably won't be as good as a traditional webcam.

If you prefer to connect over USB rather than Wi-Fi, DroidCam can do that too, though information technology requires a petty advanced finagling with some phone-specific drivers—y'all tin refer to DroidCam's instructions hither. Even if you lot stick with Wi-Fi, though, y'all may desire to charge your phone while video chatting, since it volition drain the battery adequately quickly.

For iPhone Users: EpocCam

If you accept an iPhone, EpocCam is the app I'd recommend for turning it into a webcam. Still, the gratuitous version includes intrusive ads and very few features, almost necessitating the $7.99 paid upgrade. With the upgrade, you get microphone support, HD video, USB connections, and zoom/focus adjustments.

To use EpocCam, download the EpocCam app to your iPhone and download the drivers for Windows or macOS. You may demand to restart your computer afterwards installing the desktop software. In one case you restart, you tin launch the EpocCam Viewer app on your computer alongside the EpocCam app on your phone to see if information technology'southward working.

As long as the two devices are on the same Wi-Fi network, or continued by USB, they should link without whatsoever actress steps. EpocCam should show upward every bit a webcam for Zoom, Hangouts, or any other video chat application you might use.

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In my testing, it worked every bit well as can exist expected, despite the annoying full-screen ads and a watermark on your video, but if y'all're non willing to upgrade, DroidCam may be the better option overall. Your mileage may vary, though.

Alternate Workarounds

If the above apps don't quite meet your standards, or you'd rather not employ third-party software, you could just use your telephone without your PC. Most video conferencing apps, including Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, and others have mobile apps that you tin can exist used to chat right from your phone. Yous won't be able to see your friends or coworkers equally easily on the pocket-size screen, but it'll practice the trick when you don't need a PC. (If y'all have an iPad or Android tablet with a front end-facing camera, all the better.)

If you like seeing people on a bigger screen, or you lot need to use screen sharing from your computer, hither'due south a peachy workaround: connect to the video briefing using both your PC and your phone (over again, using the mobile app for Zoom, Skype, or whatever app your compatriots require). You tin use your phone to transmit your video, but use the PC to see and hear anybody else. Equally long as you lot accept enough bandwidth to handle both chats at once, information technology'll piece of work in a pinch.

Whichever of these options you utilise, make certain you lot have a skillful fashion to stand up your phone up, so you don't have to hold your arm out for an hour. I used a flexible Gorillapod I already had, only just virtually any phone or tablet stand up should work. You may just need to prop it upwards on some books to get it to eye level to avoid giving anyone an up-the-nose view.

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