Learning how to use an old phone instead of a laptop or computer webcam

How to use your Android phone instead of a laptop or computer webcam? Stay with us to use this interesting trick.

These days, most laptops are equipped with built-in webcams, which may not be qualitatively suitable for your needs, such as making video calls. If your computer doesn’t have a webcam or it’s malfunctioning, or you’d rather replace your Android phone’s camera with a higher-resolution, better-quality one, there are other options.

Although the process of using a phone instead of a webcam can be more time-consuming compared to using a laptop camera directly, thanks to dedicated software, it has become much easier than before. To do this, you need to consider how you want to position your phone once it’s ready to be used as a webcam. Although the presence of a tripod seems not necessary, the presence of a suitable support is recommended to keep the device stable at the desired angle.

How to use an Android phone instead of a webcam?

Unlike the Continuity Camera feature in macOS Ventura, which requires an iPhone running iOS 16 or higher, using an Android phone instead of a webcam for a PC or Mac requires more effort.

1. First, download and install Reincubate Camo for your chosen operating system. Downloading this app is free, with some limitations. Also, install the Android version of this software on your phone.

2. Open the app on your computer and phone, then select the wireless icon on the Android version.

3. Select the “Connect a Device” button on the desktop app, then scan the QR code with your phone when it appears.

4. After viewing the camera feed in the desktop version, the connection will be established and you can use your phone instead of the webcam.

5. Open the app you need to use the webcam, then select Camo Software as the source camera. Also, if needed, you can set this program as a microphone.

The free version of this program offers the ability to record videos in standard 720p format at 30 frames per second. Meanwhile, the paid version is capable of producing 1080p video.

Using the phone as a webcam with a wired connection

If you can’t or don’t want to connect wirelessly, you can do it through the Camo software instead, but with a USB cable. Of course, if you are using a Windows computer, this requires an additional step.

1. Connect your phone to the computer via USB cable, then open the Camo desktop app and select Connect a Device.

2. Connecting USB to a Windows device may require enabling USB Debug mode. So after entering the settings, select the about phone option and then tap the Build Number a few times to activate this mode.

3. For the Developer Mode section, go into Settings and select System, then select Developer mode, then scroll down and turn on USB Debugging.

4. Once your phone’s camera feed appears on your computer, you’re all set.

5. Open the app you want to use for the webcam and select Camo as the camera.

6. You can also enable microphone access for Camo if needed.

When you’re done using your phone as a webcam, you can exit the Camo app on your computer and phone as well as disconnect the USB cable. To use your phone as a webcam again in the future, simply repeat the steps above to connect and share your phone’s camera feed.