Your phone’s main camera will produce a higher quality image than the selfie camera, and with more options for zooming and focusing as well.

The iPhone 13 , Samsung Galaxy S21 and many other premium smartphones have sharper resolution at p than some of the latest MacBook models , which have a p webcam built in. For best results for using your phone as a webcam, use that rear camera instead of the front-facing selfie camera.

The webcam apps and video chatting apps will often allow you to select options like video resolution, quality and orientation, as well as focus, white balance and color effects.

Read more: How to become a YouTuber: Online classes and equipment to get started. Avoid cramping your arm or hitting an unflattering angle by stabilizing your phone on a tripod, stand or tabletop mount. This will give you the least shaky and most professional-looking results.

Whether you’re working in a home office, at your kitchen table or on your bed , you’ll need some good lighting to make your face look bright, eliminate shadows and maybe hide a wrinkle or two. Consider buying a ring light. These tips should help you create a better home office and video conferencing setup, now that just about every meeting is a video meeting — and potentially help you find a new use for your old phone as well. And since video conferencing usually involves talking, you may also want to use a quality headset or earbuds to hear better.

Get at the Play Store. If you’re using a desk or table to place your phone and light on, you’ll want to have a lamp that uses LEDs arranged into either an array or a ring for even facial lighting.

There are also ring lights with phone mounts built right into them, giving you the best of both worlds. When it comes to how you want to hold your phone up, you have various choices, such as desk tripods, clamp mounts, or just a regular phone stand. You may already have everything you need right now but are looking for some upgrades for the best experience possible. With the few extra accessories you might want for taking your Zoom calls to the next level, we have some recommendations to guide you in the right direction.

The sections below will list various products that we find helpful for room lightning, phone mounts, external batteries, headphones, and earbuds. These days, most modern smartphones have moved on from the 3. You could choose to use a wired headset, but you’d have to pair them with an adapter to plug them into your phone.

Of course, we’ve been without headphone jacks for a while now, so wireless options have become more widely adopted. And starting with Bluetooth 5. If you’re having problems after following steps 1 through 3 above, try these ideas. I hope one of these apps work for you. If you’d rather try your luck finding a dedicated webcam, read our Best Webcams guide for recommendations.

To keep up with our reviews and guides Sign up for the Gadget Lab newsletter. Table of Contents. Ways to Use Your Phone as a Webcam. Steps to Set Up DroidCam:. Photograph: Reincubate. Open the app and give it permission to access your microphone and camera. From the app, send a link to yourself or use AirDrop to download the Mac or Windows client or just head here. The Windows app is in beta, so you’ll need to enter your email address to get an invite.

Click on the downloaded file on your machine and follow the setup instructions to install it. Launch the client after installation. Photograph: NeuralCAm. Open the app and allow access to the camera and microphone. You need to download a plug-in on your Mac. In the phone app, you’ll see an option to AirDrop the plug-in file to your Mac, or you can send it to yourself via email. You can also download it by clicking this link.

Open the file on your Mac and it should automatically install. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your Mac via a cable. Iriun Troubleshooting Tips: Initially, I couldn’t get the Iriun webcam to work in my videoconferencing app wirelessly, so I used a cable. Knowing how to use your phone as a webcam can help you look better on Zoom calls and save you some money in the process.

While we recommend picking up one of the best webcams for your video conferencing needs, there are times when you might not have a webcam handy, or maybe don’t want to spend any money on a separate device.

Fortunately, you’re probably carrying a webcam with you: Your smartphone. Using one of the apps below, you can use your phone as a webcam; we have options whether you’re using an iPhone or Android smartphone, and if you’re using a Mac or a Windows PC. All of these involve downloading an app to your phone, which broadcasts a signal via Wi-Fi or USB to an app on your computer.

This desktop app then tells the videoconferencing service of your choice Skype, Zoom, etc , that your phone is a webcam. If you really want to look and sound your best on video calls, you’ll also want one of the best ring lights as well as one of the best microphones. Our guides will help you pick the one that’s right for you. Ready to learn how to use your phone as a webcam?

Here are our favorite apps for converting your smartphone into a videoconferencing camera. After downloading and installing the EpocCam Webcam app on your smartphone, you will be directed to go to www. You can also connect your iPhone to your computer via USB. You can use iPads, too. Unfortunately, this app does not work with Android devices. After the drivers have installed, the app on your iPhone will change to show an icon of your phone with some circles beaming out of it.

You can only use either your rear or front camera on your iPhone. However, its desktop software only works on PCs, so it isn’t an option for Mac users.

It supports multiple resolutions up to 4K , and you can adjust camera settings such as exposure, frame rates, and ISO.

 
 

How to use a mobile phone as a Webcam inside of ZOOM | Dojo Muscle.How to easily use your iPhone or Android as a webcam – CNET

 
Photograph: NeuralCAm. Since you probably use your smartphone for most things anyway, you might be looking to move your Zoom environment over to mobile. For example, your phone will need a stand or mount, so you won’t have to hold it or prop it up somewhere awkward. I’ve now tested and like the Iriun app , though it’s not as feature-filled as the above options.

 

How to use mobile as webcam for zoom. How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Webcam

 

Knowing how to use your phone as a webcam can help you look better on Zoom calls and save you some money in the process. While we recommend picking up one of the best webcams for your video conferencing needs, there are times when you might not have a webcam handy, or maybe don’t want to spend any money on a separate device.

Fortunately, you’re probably carrying a webcam with you: Your smartphone. Using one of the apps below, you can use your phone as a webcam; we have options whether you’re using an iPhone or Android smartphone, and if you’re using a Mac or a Windows PC.

All of these involve downloading an app to your phone, which broadcasts a signal via Wi-Fi or USB to an app on your computer.

This desktop app then tells the videoconferencing service of your choice Skype, Zoom, etc , that your phone is a webcam. If you really want to look and sound your best on video calls, you’ll also want one of the best ring lights as well as one of the best microphones. Our guides will help you pick the one that’s right for you.

Ready to learn how to use your phone as a webcam? Here are our favorite apps for converting your smartphone into a videoconferencing camera. After downloading and installing the EpocCam Webcam app on your smartphone, you will be directed to go to www. You can also connect your iPhone to your computer via USB.

You can use iPads, too. Unfortunately, this app does not work with Android devices. After the drivers have installed, the app on your iPhone will change to show an icon of your phone with some circles beaming out of it. You can only use either your rear or front camera on your iPhone.

However, its desktop software only works on PCs, so it isn’t an option for Mac users. It supports multiple resolutions up to 4K , and you can adjust camera settings such as exposure, frame rates, and ISO. It also lets you use both cameras on your phone, supports both landscape and portrait modes, and allows you to swap out your background. NDI requires you to download an app to your iPhone, as well as an app and driver to your laptop. NDI’s mobile app has some nice on-screen tools, such as zoom, exposure adjustment, and the ability to use your phone’s flash as a light source.

As with competing products, DroidCam is offered in both free and paid versions. DroidCam, made by Dev47apps opens in new tab , has an app for both Android and iPhones, but its desktop client only works on Windows and Linux systems. If you have a Windows machine, you’ll need one running bit Windows 10, but if you’re on Windows 7 or 8, both and bit versions are supported. You can connect your smartphone via Wi-Fi or USB, the latter of which will help preserve the battery life of your phone.

Unlike other apps in this roundup, this app runs via USB connected to your Mac laptop or computer. Just open it up in your Google Meet meeting, Zoom, or other videochat app. So use Chrome and Firefox.

In addition to turning your iPhone into a Webcam, the free or trial version of this app also has a few unique features: Head Bubble puts your head in a circle and then masks most everything else.

Gesture Guard detects and blurs different types of gestures that you may not want others to see. Plus, it removes ads for other NeuralCam apps. However, the free app does let you choose between your front and back iPhone lens.

And the free trial also allows you to select one of several different color or black-and-white filters. Initially, Reincubate Camo worked only with Macs and iPhones, but has since been updated so that it’s compatible with Windows PCs as well as Android devices.

However, regardless of the platform, you’ll need to connect your phone to your computer via USB. While the camera on your smartphone is pretty capable — some of the best camera phones take some pretty incredible pictures — there are still a few things you can do to ensure that you look and sound your best when video chatting with friends, family, and colleagues.

Android owners fear not, as these tripods generally work with phones of all types. Because the audio quality from your phone isn’t always the best, check out the best microphones to make you sound better on calls. Using one of the best ring lights can also massively improve the quality of your video. Keep an eye out for updates, price changes or additional features for these apps. In some cases, a new update might result in better resolution settings or the inclusion of an important feature.

Or the app might be available at a lower price. You’ll also want to keep your phone plugged into a power source, as streaming video from your phone will use up its battery in no time. If you don’t want to use your phone, you have other options at your disposal. Here’s how to use your camera as a webcam , and how to use your GoPro as a webcam.

Michael A. He has worked at Tom’s Guide for many a year; before that, he was the Reviews Editor for Laptop Magazine, a reporter at Fast Company, and, many eons back, an intern at George magazine.

Tom’s Guide Tom’s Guide. Specifications Supported phones: iOS. Supported operating systems: MacOS, Windows. Reasons to avoid – Only works with iPhones.

Specifications Supported phones: Android, iPhone. Supported operating systems: Windows. Reasons to avoid – Only works on Windows PCs. Specifications Supported phones: iPhone, Android. Supported operating systems : Windows. Connection: Wi-Fi. Reasons to avoid – Only works with Windows. Supported operating systems : Windows, Linux. Reasons to avoid – Doesn’t work on Macs. NeuralCam Live. Specifications Supported phones: iPhone. Supported operating systems: MacOS. Connection: USB. Reasons to avoid – Only connects via USB cable.

Reincubate Camo. Reasons to avoid – Only works via USB. Mike Prospero opens in new tab opens in new tab. Topics Cameras. See all comments 3. BruceMcKinney said:. I followed the iCam suggestion into the same dead-end. Unless there is some way to configure the software that I can’t find, you can’t use the video from your phone in a Zoom meeting on a laptop – you can only use it to view the video from a laptop on your phone.