Amid the ongoing pandemic, people are working from their homes and attending meetings, lectures, seminars and more. In all of this, video conferencing software like Zoom has become an inevitable medium for many of us, and the webcam an indispensable tool. However, due to the quarantine in many countries, e-commerce companies cannot provide webcams and other electronic products. Not to mention, webcam prices have skyrocketed due to supply shortages. What can be done in such a scenario? You can use your phone as a webcam for streaming or video conferencing. The process is very easy and understandable. You just need to install an app and configure a few things. This much. Let’s go ahead and learn the steps in detail to use your smartphone as a webcam.
Use Phone as Webcam in 2020
In this article, we talked about how you can use your Android and iOS devices as a webcam. We have mentioned the methods for each operating system separately so that you can skip what you want to learn. Having said that, let’s get started, shall we?
Use Android Phone as Webcam for Streaming or Video Conferencing
There are many Android apps that offer webcam functionality on the computer. However, I found DroidCam is the best, mostly because it’s free and works reliably.. It does not put any watermarks and in the free version it allows you to use both front and rear camera on your smartphone. However, if you want HD quality and better FPS support, choose the premium version, DroidCam X ($4.99). Other than that, the app is available on both Windows and Linux platforms, but not on macOS. Switch to the EpocCam app in case you want to use your Android smartphone as a webcam on a Mac (Free). Now having said all that, let’s move on to the steps.
Note: In this article, we are using the wireless method as it is quite hassle-free and easy to configure as opposed to the wired method which requires ADB setup. However, for the wireless method to work, Both your Android smartphone and computer must be connected to the same WiFi network.
1. First of all, install DroidCam (Free) on your Android smartphone. Later on, install the desktop client on Windows or Linux here.
2. Next, open the DroidCam app on your Android smartphone; WiFi IP address. Note this. You can also go to the app settings and choose your preferred camera option.
3. Now open the desktop client and set the IP address “Device IP” field. Following that, enable both “Video” and “Audio” feature.
4. Finally, click the “Start” button and there you are. Your Android smartphone acting as a webcam. You can minimize the application or lock the smartphonebut the video feed will still pass, that’s great.
5. Now that we have configured our Android device as a webcam, let’s use it in Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams or other video conferencing applications. To use the smartphone video feed on Zoom, open Settings and go to the “Video” tab. Here, select “Camera” from the drop-down menu.DroidCam Source 3/2“. Next, go to the “Audio” tab and change Microphone to “DroidCam Virtual Audio”. That’s it.
6. Similarly, via Skype, Click on the 3-dot menu and go to Settings -> Audio & Video. Here change Camera and Microphone to “DroidCam Source 3/2”. You can follow similar instructions in other video conferencing apps. Always look for the camera and microphone source at the bottom of the settings page.
7. If you are using Zoom, Skype Meet Now or another video conferencing application in a web browser then you need to change the webcam source from the address bar. Click on the webcam icon -> Manage -> Camera and change the dropdown to “DroidCam Source 3/2”. Apart from that, you can also change the camera source from its own control on Zoom Web at the bottom.
8. It was about using an Android phone as a webcam for web meetings. But if you want use the video feed from your smartphone while streaming the game then you can do it easily. Open OBS, XSplit or your favorite live broadcast program on your computer and click the “+” button. After that, select “Video Capture Device”. Remember, I’m using OBS here.
9. After that, select “DroidCam Source 3/2” as the Device. from the drop-down menu. Now, click “OK” and you will live stream on OBS from your Android smartphone.
Using iPhone as a Webcam for Streaming or Video Conferencing
If you want to use your iPhone as a webcam for streaming or video conferencing, you’ve come to the right place. In this section, we will use the EpocCam app from the App Store, which works pretty well and is available on both macOS and Windows. For starters, the app is free, but I I highly recommend getting the paid version. to access some really important features. In the free version, you can’t use your iPhone’s microphone and you don’t have the option to switch the camera between front and back. That said, let’s go over the steps and learn how to use iPhone as a webcam for web meetings.
Note: Both your iPhone and computer must be connected to the same WiFi network for this method to work.
1. Download and install EpocCam (Free, Pro version $7.99) from the App Store. After that, install the driver on macOS or Windows from: here. Keep in mind, EpocCam No desktop client on macOS however, it runs in the background and remains active.
2. Now open the EpocCam app on your iPhone. Be careful not to shrink or close the app, otherwise the video feed will stop.
3. To test the video stream on Windows, open EpocCam Viewer from the Start Menu and you can check the stream. Although it is not an application of macOS, you can test the feed via a web browser. Open this Web site and you will be able to test the video feed from your iPhone. Make sure to change “Camera” and “Microphone” to “EpocCam” in the address bar.
4. After the test is complete, open any video conferencing application on your computer and go to the Settings page. Here I am using Zoom for example. Now go to the “Video” section and Camera output to “EpocCam”.
5. Instantly, “EpocCam connected via Wi-Fi” This much. Now you can conveniently use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac or Windows computer.
6. If you want use video feed from your iPhone for streaming then you can do that too. Keep the EpocCam app open on your iPhone and launch OBS or any other streaming software. After that, click the “+” button and select “Video Capture Device”. Finally, select “EpocCam Camera” from the “Device” drop-down menu and you’re all set.
Use Your Android Device or iPhone as a Webcam
So you can use your phone as a webcam for video conferencing and streaming purposes. I have provided a step-by-step guide for both Android and iOS devices that support Windows, macOS and Linux platforms. On top of that, you can also learn how to use your phone as a webcam while streaming games on Twitch or YouTube. Anyway, that’s it for us. If you run into any problems setting up your phone as a webcam, comment below and let us know. We will definitely try to help you.