Amid the ongoing pandemic, people are working from their homes and attending meetings, lectures, seminars, and what not. In all of this, video conferencing software like Zoom has become an inevitable medium for many of us, and webcam an indispensable tool. However, with the lockdown in place in many countries, e-commerce companies are unable to deliver webcams and other electronic products. Not to mention, the price of webcams has gone through the roof due to a shortage of supply. In such a scenario, what can one do? Well, you can use your phone as a webcam for streaming or video conferencing purposes. The process is pretty easy and straightforward. You just need to install an app and configure a few things. That’s all. So to use your smartphone as a webcam, let’s go ahead and learn about the steps in detail.

Use Phone as a Webcam in 2020

In this article we have mentioned how you can use your Android and iOS devices as a webcam. We have mentioned methods for each OS separately so you can skip the one you want to learn. With that said, let’s get started, shall we?

Use Android Phone as a Webcam for Streaming or Video Conferencing

There are many Android apps out there that offer webcam functionality on the computer. However, I found DroidCam to be the best as it’s free for the most part and works reliably well. It doesn’t put any watermark and allows you to use both the front and back camera on your smartphone under the free version. However, if you want HD quality and better FPS support then opt for its premium version, DroidCam X ($4.99). Apart from that, the app is available on both Windows and Linux platforms, but not on macOS. In case, you want to use your Android smartphone as a webcam on a Mac then go with the EpocCam app (Free). Now having said all of that, let’s move to the steps.

Note: In this article, we are using the wireless method as it’s pretty seamless and easy to configure, unlike the wired method that requires ADB setup. However, for the wireless method to work, both your Android smartphone and PC should be connected to the same WiFi network.

1. First of all, install DroidCam (Free) on your Android smartphone. After that, install the desktop client on Windows or Linux from here.

2. Next, open the DroidCam app on your Android smartphone and you will be offered the WiFi IP address. Make a note of it. Also, you can go to the app settings and choose your preferred camera option.

3. Now open the desktop client and enter the IP address into the “Device IP” field. Following that, enable both “Video” and “Audio”.

4. Finally, click on the “Start” button and there you have it. Your Android smartphone acting as a webcam. You can minimize the app or lock the smartphone, but the video feed will still pass through so that is awesome.

5. Now that we have configured our Android device as a webcam, let’s use it on Zoom, Skype, Microsoft Teams, or other video conferencing apps. To use the smartphone video feed on Zoom, open Settings and move to the “Video” tab. Here, change the “Camera” from the drop-down menu to “DroidCam Source 3/2“. Next, move to the “Audio” tab and change the Microphone to “DroidCam Virtual Audio”. That’s it.

6. Similarly, on Skype, click on the 3-dot menu and move to Settings -> Audio and Video. Here, change the Camera and Microphone to “DroidCam Source 3/2”. You can follow similar instructions on other video conferencing apps as well. Always look for the camera and microphone source under the Settings page.

7. In case, you are using Zoom, Skype Meet Now or any other video conferencing app on 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 drop-down menu to “DroidCam Source 3/2”. Apart from this, on Zoom Web, you can also change the camera source from its own control at the bottom.

8. That was all about using an Android phone as a webcam for web meetings. But if you want to use video feed from your smartphone while streaming games then you can easily do so. Just open OBS, XSplit, or your favorite live streaming program on your computer and click on on the “+” button. After that, choose “Video Capture Device”. Keep in mind, here I am using OBS.

9. After that, select “DroidCam Source 3/2” as Device from the drop-down menu. Now, click on “Ok” and you will be streaming live on OBS from your Android smartphone.

Use iPhone as a Webcam for Streaming or Video Conferencing

If you want to use your iPhone as a webcam for streaming or video conferencing then you have come to the right place. In this section, we will be using the EpocCam app from the App Store which works pretty well and it’s available on both macOS and Windows. For starters, the app is free, but I would highly recommend you to get the paid version to access some really important features. Under the free version, you can’t use your iPhone’s microphone and don’t have the option to switch the camera between front and back. With that said, let’s go through the steps and learn how to use the iPhone as a webcam for web meetings.

Note: For this method to work, both your iPhone and computer should be connected to the same WiFi network.

1. Download and install EpocCam (Free, Pro version at $7.99) from the App Store. After that, install the driver on macOS or Windows from here. Keep in mind, EpocCam does not have a desktop client on macOS but runs and stays active in the background.

2. Now open the EpocCam app on your iPhone. Make sure to not minimize or dismiss the app otherwise the video feed will stop.

3. To test the video feed on Windows, open EpocCam Viewer from the Start Menu and you can check the stream. While macOS does not have an app, you can test the feed through a web browser. Open this website and you will be able to test the video feed from your iPhone. Make sure to change the “Camera” and “Microphone” to “EpocCam” from the address bar.

4. Once testing is done, open any video conferencing app on your computer and navigate to the Settings page. Here, I am using Zoom for example. Now, move to the “Video” section and change the camera output to “EpocCam”.

5. Instantly, a notification will appear saying that “EpocCam connected via Wi-Fi.” That’s it. Now, you can comfortably use your iPhone as a webcam on Mac or Windows computer.

6. If you want to use video feed from your iPhone for streaming purpose then you can do that too. Keep the EpocCam app open on your iPhone and start OBS or any other streaming software. After that, click on the “+” button and select “Video Capture Device”. Finally, choose “EpocCam Camera” from the “Device” drop-down menu and you are all set.

Use Your Android Device or iPhone as a Webcam

So that is how you can use your phone as a webcam for video conferencing and streaming purposes. I have offered a step-by-step guide for both Android and iOS devices with support for 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 is all from us. If you are facing any problem while setting up your phone as a webcam then do comment down below and let us know. We will definitely try to help you out.