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Webcams have become an essential part of our lives nowadays, especially since the time we all got stuck at home due to the pandemic. Most of our work & studies have been shifted online and as a result, the need for webcams has increased a lot. But, most webcams you find in the market or the ones you get on your laptops are not very good in quality. So, what if there was a way to use your existing smartphone as a webcam, Interesting right?
Nowadays, the best camera is in your pockets, i.e., your smartphone. There are ways to use your smartphone as a webcam on your Windows PC, whether you are on Android or iOS. In this article, we will focus on a particular application called DroidCam which will help us in using the cameras on our smartphones as a webcam on our Windows PC.
Let’s dive in!
What is DroidCam?
DroidCam is an application that turns your phone or tablet into a webcam for your PC. You can use it with programs like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, OBS, Google Meet, etc. You can connect your phone through wifi or by using a USB cable with your PC. It’s completely free to use but you can also get a premium subscription for DroidCamX Pro to unlock a bunch of other features like adjustment controls for your video like exposure, contrast, etc. & FullHD video streaming.
The application is available in the Google Play Store for Android and Apple App Store for iOS. The Windows application can be downloaded from their official website. You can visit the direct links below for easy access.
Windows: Dev47Apps
Now, let us tell you how to use DroidCam.
How to Turn Your Smartphone Into a Webcam
If you are using a Windows PC and you want to use your smartphone as a webcam, one of the easiest ways to achieve this is by using DroidCam. You can use it both in the wired and wireless options.
Steps to Set Up DroidCam on Your PC & Smartphone
First, you need to download and install the app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store on your phone. (Your Android phone needs to be running Android 5.0 or higher. iPhones need to be on iOS 9 or later.)
Next, you need to download the Windows client on your computer. Follow the on-screen instructions after opening the setup file in order to install it.
After the installation is completed successfully, you should see the DroidCamApp icon on your desktop. Double-click on the icon to open it.
Next, open the app on your phone and give it permission to access your camera and microphone.
Now, make sure your desktop and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network. (It also works if your desktop is connected via Ethernet.)
On the phone app, you will see some numbers after Wi-Fi IP and DroidCam Port. Enter these values into the fields on the PC software that says Device IP and DroidCam Port. It might be a little confusing at first, but the Wi-Fi IP on the mobile app needs to be the numbers you type into the Device IP on the desktop app. Now, make sure both Video and Audio are checked off. Next, hit Start and the phone app will launch the camera, and you’ll be able to see the feed on the PC client.
In order to use it with your video conferencing or streaming software, you will need to launch the DroidCam application on both your phone along with your PC. Then follow steps 3 and 4 from above.
Go to the settings of your video conferencing or streaming app and change the camera & microphone input to DroidCam and DroidCam Virtual Audio. Now the software should use your phone’s hardware as the primary input for audio and video.
Use Your Smartphone as a Webcam on Your Windows PC
Now that you know how to use your smartphone as a webcam on your Windows PC, makes it so much easier to connect with everyone and attend meetings while staying at home. Now you can do it while not looking like a pixellated image.
One thing to note is that while you get the convenience of using your smartphone as a webcam, it also makes your smartphone quite warm which is not very good in the long run. So, if you plan on using your webcam a lot, then it’s better to invest in a dedicated webcam.
The next thing is that DroidCam doesn’t work with apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Make sure to download the desktop client of your video conferencing or streaming software instead of installing it from the Microsoft Store.
We hope this article was helpful. If you know about more such apps then kindly share with us in the comments below!