How to turn your smartphone into a webcam

From webinars to video conferences and family catch ups, we’ve all been relying on various forms of video chat to stay connected during the lockdown.

However, not all laptops have cameras installed and let’s be honest: the camera quality isn’t super up to standard compared to other devices. Plus, they’re known to break and be temperamental at times and right now, calling an IT guy for assistance isn’t as easy as it would normally be. In order to avoid those inconvenient moments of being cut off from your virtual video world, it’s a good idea to have a backup camera on hand.

And no, we don’t mean buying a whole new laptop or investing in an expensive webcam for those just-in-case instances. We’re talking about transforming your smartphone into a webcam.

How to turn your Android into a webcam

The app DroidCam can turn your Android device into a wireless webcam. You can chat on Skype, Zoom, Teams, or use it with other programs for your live streams. You can also use DroidCam as an IP webcam virtually on all networks using an Internet Browser.

Install the app from the Google Play Store onto your cell phone.

Install the Windows client onto your PC by following the step-by-step instructions that appear on your screen.

Click on the DroidCamApp icon on your desktop and open it up on your phone as well, note that both devices have to be hooked up to the same WiFi network.

On the Android app, you will see some numbers after Wi-Fi IP and DroidCam Port. Enter them into the area of the PC client that says: “Device IP” and “DroidCam Port”.

Check that “Audio” and “Video” are both selected. Click “Start” to launch the camera.

How to turn your iPhone into a webcam

EpocCam is an app that turns the mobile device into a wireless webcam for desktop computers. The software works well with many popular video calling programs.