How to use your mobile phone as a webcam in Windows - ZDNet

2 years ago 48

Woman doing a video telephone with headphones

Your Windows laptop apt has its ain webcam that you usage for virtual meetings. But galore laptop webcams are stuck astatine a debased resolution. And if you're utilizing a desktop, you whitethorn not adjacent person a webcam accessible.

In that case, your mobile telephone tin measurement successful to service arsenic your video camera during a meeting.

There's nary built-in functionality successful Windows 10 oregon Windows 11 to execute this instrumentality arsenic determination is with MacOS Ventura.

Instead, a fewer third-party utilities are disposable to crook your telephone into a webcam.

Programs specified arsenic DroidCam, EpocCam, and iVCam Webcam volition assistance you enlist your iPhone oregon Android telephone for this assignment. Plus, these apps enactment each the large virtual gathering platforms, including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Skype.

Using a peculiar mount, you tin connect your telephone to the apical of your machine oregon monitor. Alternatively, you tin clasp your telephone arsenic you locomotion astir the country truthful that you enactment connected camera.

Also: Zoom alternatives: The champion video conferencing bundle and apps

DroidCam

Designed for iPhones, iPads, and Android devices, DroidCam volition enactment with your instrumentality implicit Wi-Fi oregon USB. The programme comes successful a escaped variation that offers you unlimited webcam usage astatine modular explanation and a $5 oregon $10 Pro spirit that allows for a precocious explanation video provender astatine 720p oregon 1080p.

How to usage your mobile telephone arsenic a webcam successful Windows

First, download and instal the mobile app for iOS and iPadOS or Android. Then, drawback the Windows client.

Open some programs. If you program to usage a wired connection, plug your telephone oregon tablet into your PC via USB, click the dropdown menu, and prime your device.

If you privation to usage Wi-Fi instead, marque definite some your PC and mobile instrumentality are connected the aforesaid network. The mobile app volition show an IP code and larboard number.

Enter some of those into the due surface successful the Windows client.

Click Start and the Windows programme displays the provender from your phone.

Move your telephone to presumption yourself successful the frame. With the escaped mentation of the mobile app, you tin power betwixt the beforehand and rear camera, set the lighting and achromatic balancing, and dim the screen. With the paid edition, you tin bump up the resolution, crook connected a continuous car absorption mode, zoom successful oregon out, and rotate oregon flip the video.

Also: Take your unrecorded streams and videos to the adjacent level with these greenish screens

Man utilizing DroidCam power wrong the framework of the video.

After you've tweaked the video the mode you want, unfastened your virtual gathering software.

Change the video root to DroidCam Source 2 oregon DroidCam Source 3. You tin past usage your telephone arsenic your webcam for the virtual meeting.

To halt utilizing your telephone this way, alteration the video root successful your virtual gathering bundle oregon property the Stop fastener successful the DroidCam mobile app.

Clicking DroidCam Source 2 successful DroidCam successful a virtual meeting

EpocCam

Compatible conscionable with iOS and iPadOS, EpocCam works implicit USB oregon Wi-Fi. The app offers some representation and scenery mode and volition adjacent play with Snapchat lenses. The escaped mentation limits the resolution. For $7.99, a paid variation allows for higher solution feeds, wide-angle camera views, and entree to your phone's microphone.

First, snag the mobile app from the App Store. Then download and instal the required Camera Hub Windows client. Open the mobile app and travel the screens. Grant the app support to entree your camera and section network. Your telephone should past beryllium transformed into a webcam.

3 Steps for mounting up and connecting with EpocCam

From the mobile app, you tin power betwixt the beforehand and rear camera, and flip the video horizontally. From the Windows software, you tin tweak the brightness, contrast, and saturation, arsenic good arsenic use antithetic AR lenses, specified arsenic a inheritance blur, greenish screen, and sepia.

Man utilizing EpocCam controls for antithetic filters

After you've adjusted the antithetic settings, occurrence up your virtual meeting. Change the video root to Elgato Virtual Camera to usage your telephone arsenic your webcam.

Man utilizing EpocCam successful a virtual meeting

Also: The 10 champion webcams

iVCam Webcam

Another app designed for iOS, iPadOS, and Android, iVCam Webcam works implicit Wi-Fi oregon USB, offers a high-resolution feed, and lets you instrumentality a snapshot oregon signaling of your feed. The large downside is that the escaped mentation saddles you with intrusive ads. At $9.99 for a one-year subscription and $24.95 for a imperishable subscription, the paid mentation dispenses with the ads and provides different precocious features.

Download the mobile app from the App Store oregon Google Play, and past drawback the Windows client for your PC. Then occurrence up some programs. A USB transportation is automatically detected, portion a Wi-Fi transportation whitethorn necessitate you to participate the IP code of your phone, which is listed successful the Settings surface of the app. Just click the Connect fastener successful the Windows lawsuit to benignant the address, and the transportation is made.

Man successful framework of iVCam Webcam during setup and connection

Using the mobile app, you're capable to power betwixt the beforehand and rear camera, flip the representation horizontally, and set the lighting and different factors. With the Windows client, you tin tweak the representation arsenic good arsenic instrumentality a snapshot oregon signaling of the video feed. Plus, you tin acceptable the orientation, power the size and resolution, and alteration the framework rate.

iVCam Webcam camera settings with antithetic power features.

After you've established the transportation and tweaked the antithetic settings, motorboat your virtual meeting. Change the video root to e2eSoft iVCam, and your telephone takes the signifier arsenic your webcam.