People are staying indoors and most of us are working from home. Videoconferencing has become popular and prevalent. Whether you need to video call your team members and clients, or you want to virtually see your F&F, we will help you turn your smartphone into a webcam.

You can’t always use your smartphone to make a video call. It usually suits one person. If you have a large family, video calling via PC or laptop is more convenient to fit everyone in. Even in official calls, a webcam is more appropriate and gives a more professional feel. If you don’t have a webcam with your computer or laptop, we are going to offer you a convenient fix. All you need is a smartphone and a subscription to just spectrum internet!

Turning an Android Phone into a Webcam for PC/Laptop

Do you have a PC or a laptop running Windows and an Android phone? If yes, you can easily, conveniently, and wirelessly using an app, DroidCam to turn your phone into a webcam. Take advantage of the following steps:

  • For an Android phone, the minimum OS/version required is 5.0.
  • Download the DroidCam app on your phone from the Google Play Store.
  • On your PC, download the Windows client.
  • Follow the installation prompts of the setup wizard.
  • DroidCam icon should be visible on your desktop.
  • Double-click to open it.
  • Open the said app on your Android phone as well.
  • See the numbers on your phone after the DroidCam Port and Wi-Fi IP.
  • Enter these given values into the relevant fields on the laptop/PC client.
  • Make sure both Audio and Video are checked off.
  • Now hit start.
  • As soon as the phone app launches the camera, you will see the feed on your PC client.

How to Make It Work With Videoconferencing Software

You will always have to launch the DroidCam app PC client. Then, navigate to the app’s videoconferencing settings and change the microphone and camera input to DroidCam Virtual Audio and DroidCam.

It will start using your Android phone’s hardware immediately. If you face any issue, try using a cable.

Using Your iPad or iPhone as a Webcam for PC/Laptop

We haven’t abandoned the iPhone users in this guide. To use your iPad or iPhone’s camera as a webcam for your Windows PC, iVCam is a super-easy option. But unfortunately, you will have to pay an amount in order to enable its microphone.

To use it for free, you can use a USB mic or earphones with a mic plugged into your PC. This is a free hack to get you around the problem. Follow these steps to get your iPhone camera up and running for your PC:

  • Download the app iVCam on your iPhone from your App Store.
  • On your PC, download the Windows Client for iVCam.
  • When both apps launch, they will connect automatically.
  • You will be able to see your phone’s camera feed on your PC.
  • Go to your default video calling app and for your camera input, select e2eSoft iVCam.

And you are good to go!

Using an iPhone or Android Phone with macOS

For macOS users, unfortunately, there are not many user-friendly options. EpocCam is often recommended and it supports Windows and Android as well. You will be able to connect your iOS device’s microphone and camera without a glitch. But the latency issues are quite a big deal.

No matter which video-conferencing service you use, using this service is quite unbearable. The responses on the other end lag by minutes. Therefore, a smooth video calling experience is not possible. In addition to the aforementioned worries, an additional amount is to be paid to use the microphone.

All in all, the said app has crippled functionality. But if you are short on options, here are the steps to install it:

  • From the Mac App Store, download EpocCam Viewer.
  • It requires a minimum version of macOS 10.11.
  • Install the said app on your iPhone or iPad.
  • For the iPhone/iPad, you need the minimum version of 10.3.
  • Now download the macOS drivers.
  • Ensure that your Mac and iPhone/iPad are connected to the same wireless network.
  • Launch the apps.
  • Mac client will start showing the camera feed of your mobile device automatically.
  • In the video conferencing software, choose EpocCam as the camera option.
  • If you need to use the microphone, you will have to use the paid version of the said app.

Conclusion

For all the discussed procedures above, we would suggest investing in a tripod to prop up your phone camera for ideal placement. Balancing your phone over a pile of books can be risky and it can fall and break. Also, with a small tripod, the placement would be just like a webcam.

As a backup, you always have your smartphone available to make an urgent voice call or to attend an urgent official video conference. I have done it so many times and it works quite well – thanks to one of my Spectrum offers for blazing internet and of course, my iPhone!