Anyone who has bought a new iPhone in recent years probably does not need to get a separate webcam at home. You can use your phone for that. In this tip, we explain how to use an iPhone as a webcam for your Mac.
Use iPhone as a webcam for your Mac
Do your work meetings or school lectures mainly take place online? Then it doesn’t hurt to invest in a good webcam. After all, this ensures that you look much more professional during online meetings. The good news is that you most likely already carry that webcam with you.
The average iPhone camera gives the built-in webcam of a Mac the check. The recently renewed MacBook Pro (with a 13-inch screen) and MacBook Air, for example, only have an HD camera (720p), while an iPhone 11 (from 2019) or iPhone 12 allows you to film in 4K resolution.
That is how it works
Even if you use a slightly older iPhone, such as the iPhone XR from 2019 or iPhone XS from a year earlier, you will probably get better results than with your Mac’s standard camera.
Before that happens, you have to put an app on your phone and computer to make this possible, such as Camo. It is also useful to place your iPhone on a tripod during video calling. Also make sure you have a stable internet connection and finally it is important that your iPhone runs on iOS 13 at least. You must have at least macOS 10.14 (Mojave) on your Mac.
Check? Then follow the directions below to use your iPhone as a webcam.
- Download and install Camo on your Mac;
- And do the same for the iPhone version of Camo;
- Open the Camo app on your Mac (Book) and connect your iPhone via a cable;
- Launch the Camo app on your iPhone and place your phone in a tactical position for video calling.
For example, place the device on an iPad stand, tripod or other platform so that you are clearly visible during video calling. You have now fully installed Camo and can use the app in your favorite video calling app.
How you do that exactly depends on the program you use for video calling. For example, the instructions for Zoom are slightly different than in Google Meet, Microsoft Teams or Slack. Overall, however, it boils down to the following indications:
- Start your video calling app of your choice and go to the settings menu;
- Look for the way to change the used webcam of the program. You usually do this under the ‘Video’ heading;
- Press “Camera” (or something similar) and select “Reincubate Camo” instead of “FaceTime (HD)”.
Does not it work? Then try opening the video calling app you use in the browser. For example, services such as Slack and Microsoft Teams are known to sometimes handle the browser versions better with Camo than the Mac versions.
iPhone webcam alternatives
Camo isn’t the only app to turn your iPhone into a webcam. A well-known alternative is EpocCam. This service is basically the same as Camo, but it is not identical. A big difference is the earnings model.
EpocCam has a paid version in addition to a free version, while Camo makes money with subscriptions. For a one-time fee (€ 8.99), the resolution in EpocCam is increased from 640 by 480 pixels to full HD (1920 by 1080 pixels). This gives you a much clearer and sharper eye on the screen of your colleagues, classmates or family members.
Speaking of money: to get the most out of Camo you have to sign up for a subscription. This costs about 40 euros per year. After that, you can use Camo on more than two computers, get more features, and get rid of the watermark logo during video meetings.
So both have advantages and disadvantages. So try the free trials of EpocCam and Camo to find out your favorite iPhone webcam app.
Work better from home
On iPhone we are happy to help you to make working from home a little easier. We do this by creating starter guides, tips and useful videos. For example, read our overview of home working apps, beginner’s guide to Microsoft Teams or Zoom or the best apps for video calling.