Use your phone as a Webcam on Zoom

laptops usually don€™t have good cameras.  Most of them don€™t even deliver passable quality  for video calls. But, what if you could connect  your phone as a webcam and use its cameras for  video calling? Wouldn€™t it be great to attend calls with a high-quality video?  Well, it€™s very much possible for anyone.  Here€™s an easy step-by-step guide on how you  can use your phone as a webcam for Zoom video calls on Android and iOS. Please note that you  can use this tutorial also for any other software  like Google Meet, Hangouts, and Microsoft Teams. Even a mid-range or budget smartphone from a few  years ago likely has better camera hardware than a   decent USB webcam. Android and IOS lack native  support for acting as a webcam for your PC,  but that doesn't mean it's not possible. It  just means we need to resort to third-party  software to do the job. With the help of an app,  you can turn your phone into a webcam that you can  use with Zoom or any other app for that matter. But first, before you should use your phone  as a webcam please remember that you will  need something to stabilize your phone because  you can not keep it in your hand all the time.   You can use a tripod, a  stand, or a tabletop mount. This will give you the least shaky  and most professional-looking results.

 For starters, it€™s not at all difficult to  use your phone as a webcam for video calls  on Zoom. All it needs is a few simple steps.  In the Description of the video, I have added  timestamps for the setup of an Android Device and iPhone so you can skip to the part you want. Before we start the install process on every  device I will need to give you some tips. To   use this method you will need to install an  app on your phone and also on your computer.   Also please be sure to have your computer  connected to the same Wifi as your phone.  You can not use your phone as a webcam on your mobile data plan.   This can be quite expensive as video  streaming is using a lot of mobile traffic.   The great part is that you do not  need any wire and any special device. In this tutorial, we will  use an app called Droidcam.  Please note you can use any other  app, as long as you follow almost   the same steps. Another app that you can  use is also Iriun 4K Webcam for PC and Mac   but I am going to focus on Droidcam as  it has a free version that you can use. I have tested Droidcam and it works to use your phone as a webcam on apps like Zoom,  Cisco Webex Meetings, Google  Meet, Jitsi Meet, and Skype. If you will find this video useful please like  the video as that will help me a lot. Also,  If you enjoy learning more about technology  subscribe to the channel as well.  Thank you so much for your support. So let me show you how you can install and  configure your phone to work as a webcam. Configure your Android phone to work as a webcam If you have an iPhone you can skip this part   and go directly on the part for  the configuration of the iPhone. Please note that you need at least  Android 5.0 to install this app,   but I think most of you will have this. To install the Droidcam app open Google Play  Store. Tap on the search bar from the top. On the input type droidcam. You  will see a list and in that list,   there is an app called DroidCam  - Webcam for PC.

 Tap on that. Here tap on Install. You will have to wait until  the installation process is done. You can also   check reviews of the app, comments, and other  stuff until the install process is finished. After the install is finished tap on Open. Once the app is installed you will get  some messages. Read them and tap Next. In this window, you will get some information  about how you can connect your phone to your PC.   Tap on Got it. Tap "Allow" so DroidCam can take pictures and record videos. Tap "Allow" so DroidCam can record audio. This is the important screen that you need to  check. Here you find some important data to   connect to your phone. The most important info is  WIFI IP and DroidCam Port. I have on Wifi IP the   number 192.168.0.160 and on DroidCam Port 4747.  This data you will need to connect to the PC. Also on the top, we have the camera select button.  Tap it. Select the front or the back camera. If you tap on the 3 dots menu from the to right you will get a menu. Tap on Settings. Here you will be able to modif  the settings for the camera,   microphone, and some other stuff.  I suggest leaving it how it is. Now if you want to get to the part where you want  to configure your PC just click on the timestamp. I will show you now how you can  configure your iPhone to work as a webcam  If you have an Android phone you can skip this   part and go directly on the part  for the configuration of the PC Please note that you need at least iOS 9.0   to install this app, but I think  most of you will have this. To install droidcam on  iPhone tap on the App Store. Tap on the search button from the bottom right. Now on input from the top write "droidcam". Tap on "Get" for the app to install.  Please follow the instructions from  the screen as this can be different  depending on the device you have. In a few seconds, the install  process should be done. Tap on Open. Once the app is installed you will get  some messages. Read them and tap Next. In this window, you will get some information about how you can connect your phone to your PC.   Tap on Got it. Tap "Ok" so DroidCam can access the camera. Tap "Ok" so DroidCam can record audio. This is the important screen that  you need to check. Here you find   some important data to connect to your phone. The most important info is WIFI IP and DroidCam  Port. I have on Wifi IP the number 192.168.0.203  and on DroidCam Port 4747. This data  you will need to connect to the PC. Also on the top, we have  a settings button. Tap it.  Here you will be able to modify the settings for  the camera, microphone, and some other stuff.   One of the most important settings to change is  Video Quality and Camera Position. You can set up   the quality to be high and also set what camera  you want to use, the back or the front camera. Now after you have seen the settings tap on Done. We will start now to set up the   Windows PC so you can use the new devices you configured on your computer in Zoom meetings. Configure your Windows PC For you to install DroidCam on your PC you will need software that acts as a receiver for your   phone camera. Please note that you will need to  close the Zoom app before we start the install   process. If you do not close Zoom or any software that you want to use your phone as a camera  you will not be able to use the new device. Open Google Chrome or any other browser you  use. On the address bar write www.dev47apps.com. On the site, you will see a part  called Download Windows Client.   Click on that. Now tap on DoidCam Client. A download will start. After the download is finished click on the  file. Click Yes so you can install the software. Now click Next. Click "I agree". You can set  up here the Destination Folder. I just leave   it like it is and I click on Next. Click Install. Now, wait until the install process is finished.  Click Finish. Now let's close the browser. Before  we start the video conference app just click on the DroidCam icon from the  desktop. We will need to configure the app. Here you will need to write the Device IP. You  will find this info on your phone on the Droidcam   app. I will just write the IP that I have. You  can select what type of signal you want to use,   audio and video, or just one. I  will select both and click start. If you configured the device correctly then you  should see the camera of your phone on the screen.   If this does not work for you check to  see if you are on the same wifi network   and also if you have added the correct IP  for the device. Leave DroidCam Client open. Now let's open the Zoom app. You can create a meeting or just join one.  I will just log in with my Zoom account. I am in my Zoom account. For you to  test how your camera looks and how   you can set up it so it does look  nice you can do a test meeting. I will create now a meeting. To  use the phone as a camera Start   Video. Near the Start/Stop Video button  you will have an arrow. Click on that. On the Select a camera you will see something  like I see now. Click on DroidCam Source   and the number. If you do not see the  droidcam source and if you installed   the client then restart the  Zoom app or restart your PC.

 If you do not see any video  and you see only a black screen   check to see on the Droidcam Client that you have  clicked start and you see there the camera of your   phone. Also if the phone is on the table please be  sure is not pointed to the table as I have now. If   I just take my phone in my hand you will  see I have the video set up correctly. That€™s it. Now, fix your phone on a tripod, and  you€™re good to go for the meeting. You can switch   between the front and rear camera anytime  through the controls on your phone€™s screen. Also, usual Zoom features like background  blur and virtual backgrounds will still work,   so you don€™t need to worry  about anything. In fact,   they€™ll work even better, thanks to the  good quality footage from your phone. This was an easy four-step guide on how  you can use your Android device or iPhone  as a webcam with your PC for Zoom video calls. Do try it and let me know if you face  any difficulties in the comments below. If this was useful, please  like share, and subscribe.   You can watch more videos from the right.   Also, if you have any questions, please  ask them in the comments area below.