How to Use Your Phone as a Webcam

Well, you know you have a great portable camera in your pocket, so can you use your smartphone's camera as a webcam for your PC or Mac? Yes, of course! If interested in learning how, you've come to the right place.

Select what you wish to do:

How to use your Android phone as a webcam for PC

You can turn your Android phone into a hassle-free wireless webcam for your Windows PC. And for that, we'll use an Android app that has been around for over a decade – DroidCam.It's a free ad-supported app, although it also has a $4.99 paid version that removes the ads and unlocks extra features, such as higher quality video support. So, let's begin.

Step 1: Download DroidCam on your Android phone

On your smartphone, simply download the app from the Google Play store or via the links below.

Step 2: Launch DroidCam and give it permissions

After you download the app, launch it. It will show a help screen, just tap "Next", then "Got it". Don't worry, even if the help screen makes things seem a bit complicated, it's nothing too difficult and we'll walk you through the entire process.
After you tap "Got it", the app might ask you for the permissions it needs in order to function, tap "Allow".

Step 3: Download the DroidCam PC client on your PC

Now it's time to prepare your PC to use your phone as a webcam. On your PC, download the DroidCam Windows Client program here:
Then open the downloaded DroidCam Client setup file and follow the on-screen instructions. Once the DroidCam Client is installed on your PC, you'll find it as an icon on your desktop.

Step 4: Connect the PC client and the Android app

Open the "DroidCamApp" program that's now on your PC's desktop. A "Connect" window will show up, as pictured below (right).

In it, make sure the WiFi icon is selected and both "Video" and "Audio" are enabled, as shown in the screenshot below, so both your phone's camera and microphone can be used.

Now take a look at your smartphone that still has the DroidCam app open. You'll see text that goes "WiFi IP:", followed by some numbers and periods. Write those numbers and periods in the desktop app, where it says "Device IP".
Then on your PC, click "Start", and there we go! Your phone's main camera will now serve as your PC's webcam. This should automatically work with Skype, Zoom and any other desktop programs you may need to use for video conferencing.

Click "Stop" on the Desktop Client when you're done using your smartphone as a webcam.

How to use your Android phone as a webcam for Mac

Even if you're rocking an Android smartphone but your computer is an Apple Mac / MacBook, you can still use your phone as the webcam. For this, we'll use an app called "Iriun 4K Webcam for PC and Mac"

Step 1: Download the Iriun Webcam app on your Android phone

Simply download and run the app we'll use to turn your phone into a Mac webcam from the Google Play store, or via the link below.
Once you run the app on your phone, it will ask for the permissions it requires in order to work, allow them. Now it's time to do something on your Mac.

Step 2: Download and install Iriun Webcam for Mac

On your Mac or MacBook, open the link below and download "Webcam for Mac".
Run the downloaded setup file and follow its instructions. When the program is installed on your Mac, launch it.

That's pretty much it! As long as the Iriun Webcam app is running on your phone and its client program we just downloaded on your Mac is also running, they'll connect automatically. Now simply position your phone however you want and enjoy using it as your Mac's wireless webcam.

When you're done, simply turn off either the Android app or the desktop client to disconnect them from each other and your Mac will revert to its built-in webcam (if it has one).