Making video calls is becoming more and more common. Although it is most normal to make video calls from your mobile to stay in touch with friends and family, in the workplace it is more common to use the computer. Unfortunately, The laptop webcam is not one of its strong points and the image quality leaves a lot to be desired.
If we want to improve the image quality of video calls, we have the option of buying an external webcam, although they are not particularly cheap. Luckily, if you have a mobile phone at home that you no longer use, you can give it a second life as a webcam for your computer. Below we tell you how you can do it, both natively and using third-party apps.
Use your iPhone as webcam natively
Since the release of iOS 16, Apple introduced the ability to use the iPhone as a webcam. Thanks to the function “Continuity chamber“We can use an iPhone XR or later as a webcam without having to install any application on the mobile. Of course, it is important to keep in mind that only compatible with macOSso we cannot use this feature if we use a computer with Windows or Linux.
The operation of “Continuity Camera” is very simple and intuitive: to use our iPhone as a webcam we only have to place it near the Mac (it is best to use a support) and keep it locked. If we have a compatible Mac, the system will automatically detect the iPhone and we can select it as a camera or microphone in the video calling app that we are using.
One of the strong points of “Continuity Camera” is the “Top View“, which allows us to take advantage of the possibilities of the iPhone camera to show our desktop from above (as well as our face) in compatible applications. Of course, this function is only available on the iPhone 11 or later (except the iPhone SE ).
Another advantage of “Continuity Chamber” is that works both wired and wirelessso if we do not have a cable on hand we can use the phone as a camera without any problem (although it is advisable to use it with a cable if we do not want to drain the battery).
Use the Google Pixel as a webcam natively
If you have a Pixel with Android 14 You can also use it as a webcam for your computer without having to install third-party applications, thanks to a feature that Google introduced into your operating system It is possible to use your mobile phone as a webcam in a simple way.
In order to use this function we will have to connect the mobile phone to the computer with a USB Cable. Next we will see a notification appear on the mobile that says “Charging device via USB”. If we click on this notification we will enter the “USB Preferences” menu, where we will have to select the “Webcam” option that appears within the “Use USB for” section.
Image | Álvaro García M. (Xataka Android)
As soon as we complete the previous steps we will see that the video calling application we are using allows us select the mobile phone as a camera. Without a doubt, the best thing about this function is that we can use the mobile phone as a camera on any device compatible with the USB Video Class (UVC) controller.
There are third-party apps that allow you to turn your mobile phone into a webcam
In case you don’t have a “Continuity Camera” compatible iPhone or a Pixel to take advantage of the operating system’s native feature, there is third party applications that allow us to use the mobile camera as a webcam.
One of the most recommended options is DroidCaman application for iOS and Android, which has support for Windows and Linux (it is not compatible with macOS). The application works over both WiFi and USB and allows us to send video in quality up to 1080p.
In general, Its operation is quite simple: We just have to install the app on the mobile, download the client on the computer and link both devices. Of course, although we can download the free app to try it, if we want to enjoy the maximum video quality we will have to choose to pay for a purchase in-app.
Another of the most interesting alternatives that we have at our disposal is EpopCaman app for iOS that allows us to use the iPhone as a camera on both macOS and Windows in a simple way.
EpopCam offers us a version free version and one paid version (8.99 euros), although if we want to enjoy additional features (such as manual focus or HDR) and quality image resolution (after all, that is the reason why we want to use the mobile phone as a webcam) we will have to opt for the paid version: the reason is that it allows you to use a resolution of up to 1920 x 1080 pixels.
At this point it is interesting to note that Microsoft is working on a function to be able to use the mobile phone as a webcam in Windows 11. This feature will be compatible with devices running Android 9.0 or higher.
Cover image | Ricardo Aguilar (Xataka)