Still trying to figure out how to use this to record videos.
I have a youtube channel and I am low on budget for camera. Want to use my phone cam instead. but controlling where it is an issue. Please I need help how to record videos with this using pc and phone
Hi, I have a desktop computer and tried connecting to to my phone using the wifi/lan method but they will not pair? Does this not work if your desktop is using wired internet?
Hey, very useful article. One question-
Can i use the camera settings and configuration on my android phone?
I’d like to use the wide angle setting for broadcasting. Is this possible?
I am using it to set up my scene for YouTube live feed from my phone. That way I can set up my phone where I want it then just use the app to adjust lights , props etc without having to walk back and forth to my phone to see what it sees. Very Nifty! Thanks for the great article!!
I travel quite a bit due to work and training. Can I use this with my old LG phone after I hook it up , then if I leave home can I still view my phones camera at home?? Or do they need to be on the same network all the time?
Thank you
I tried Droidcam, but It would disconnect and leave me with a black screen once in a while.
I found this kinda new app webcam4all, it’s free and is waaay more stable than other apps I tried before, also It has many features that this one lacks, like manual focus. Hope it works for you!
you said it could also be done using USB cable but failed to explain how to do it this way. maybe you could do so. I travel a lot and am in hotels a lot. I would much rather use this option on a USB connection rather than through the hotel wifi.
You should address the latency issue with the app and offer suggestions on how to correct them. I found the three second delay for the video to make using the phone with the app unusable.
For Church – religious service live broadcasting.
I Will check the image and – more important! – the sound quality.
With this option
“Connect via Internet Browser or another Device (IP Camera)”
is possible to do live streaming and send the link to people to watch?
Anyone know if this app will work with external microphone sources? IOW, I want to use my external Blue mic or my Sennheiser lav mic while streaming live video using my Android as a webcam. I am streaming through Vimeo’s Livestream software and I cannot seem to get an audio level from the external mics after disabling the default mic listed within the app.
“Why did you want to use your Android phone as a webcam for your PC?”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a quarantine imposed in my country, as in many other. Among other things, all educational establishments of all levels have turned to distance learning. Consequently, all students need some kind of electronic device with a microphone and a camera, that (hopefully) supports all the different distance learning platforms, to be able to participate in classes. As most students with desktop computers have discovered, much to their dismay, web camera prices have sky-rocketed in such hard times, due to profiteering. Unfortunately, the state has done little about it, and it has now become the norm for many goods.
So, in this case, being able to use your phone’s camera as a web camera on your PC is like a blessing, and an answer to pandemic profiteering.
I wish you and your readers all the best and, please, remember NOT to support all those profiteering on this pandemic when it’s all over.
This is great. My Galaxy camera is much higher quality than my HP webcam. Also, using Zoom, I use a big TV screen to see everyone but look at it rather than my little laptop. I’m therefore looking down as far as all the students are concerned. Now I can have my phone camera just above the big screen and look like I’m making eye contact. Thanks so much for your excellent instructions!
All fine so far except that I have to have the phone facing away from me!
Not tested the mike yet.
Next problem is getting the smart phone stuck to the top of my desktop!
Paul
I think this is a great piece of work. But I too would like to use it with a front facing camera on my Samsung Tab 6. Any chance of having that feature please?
—” Before you go further, make sure that your Android smartphone and your Windows computer are both connected to the same network.”—
I have Verizon FIOS. My Windows 10 computer has a wired internet connection and my Android phone uses Wi-Fi. Does this qualify as “the same network”? Thank you very much!
Hi, I had this issue as well but fixed by downloading the desktop version of Skype directly from the Skype website. Apparently the desktop version downloaded from the Microsoft store is slightly different and will not recognize the camera. I downloaded the version direct from Skype and it worked!
I have followed all the instructions and have a problem: Windows Camera does not recognize my Android as a camera that the app can use. This is disconcerting, as the phone image is visible on my PC and DroidCam is available as on option on Skype. What am I doing wrong?
61 Responses to “How to use your Android phone as a webcam for your PC”
Still trying to figure out how to use this to record videos.
I have a youtube channel and I am low on budget for camera. Want to use my phone cam instead. but controlling where it is an issue. Please I need help how to record videos with this using pc and phone
yes
that’s the way to write an article, thank you
A neat and clear step-by-step explanation. Thanks for the good work.
How do we use the front facing camera with the free or paid versions?
Hi, I have a desktop computer and tried connecting to to my phone using the wifi/lan method but they will not pair? Does this not work if your desktop is using wired internet?
Works well!
Hey, very useful article. One question-
Can i use the camera settings and configuration on my android phone?
I’d like to use the wide angle setting for broadcasting. Is this possible?
Please add details instructions on how to detect phone via USB in droidcam
Enable USB debugging in your phone settings under “Developer Settings”
Google will help you how to enable hidden “Developer Settings”
really helpful . thx 🙂
I had to get a webcam and I had to get one quickly for taking tests at home for school. This was an amazing solution!
teaching 4h graders virtually
I am using it to set up my scene for YouTube live feed from my phone. That way I can set up my phone where I want it then just use the app to adjust lights , props etc without having to walk back and forth to my phone to see what it sees. Very Nifty! Thanks for the great article!!
Glad to help. For more useful guides about Windows, and Android, subscribe to our e-mail newsletter.
I travel quite a bit due to work and training. Can I use this with my old LG phone after I hook it up , then if I leave home can I still view my phones camera at home?? Or do they need to be on the same network all the time?
Thank you
thank you for your great help
can I use my smartphone mobile data as a hotspot instead of wifi connection in case there is no available wifi ??
I tried Droidcam, but It would disconnect and leave me with a black screen once in a while.
I found this kinda new app webcam4all, it’s free and is waaay more stable than other apps I tried before, also It has many features that this one lacks, like manual focus. Hope it works for you!
very helpful! thx
thanks it worked
How to get Premium Version for PC ?
Real questions. Where did you get that background?
THANK YOUUUUUU!!!
My PC failed to install the App. Unsure why, apparently not the only person with this problem.
THANK YOU, WHAT A THOROUGH AND GREAT ARTICLE. AND ALL THE LINKS WORKED TOO!!
Nice and easy.
Exactly what I was looking for. The paid version is almost mandatory to use it properly. Thank you.
Brilliant app, ideal to use with an old phone… bit of a faff sorting out hte sound, otherwise very pleased
you said it could also be done using USB cable but failed to explain how to do it this way. maybe you could do so. I travel a lot and am in hotels a lot. I would much rather use this option on a USB connection rather than through the hotel wifi.
You should address the latency issue with the app and offer suggestions on how to correct them. I found the three second delay for the video to make using the phone with the app unusable.
For Church – religious service live broadcasting.
I Will check the image and – more important! – the sound quality.
With this option
“Connect via Internet Browser or another Device (IP Camera)”
is possible to do live streaming and send the link to people to watch?
can i use it for google meet?
It should work with Google Meet. Try it out. 🙂
Anyone know if this app will work with external microphone sources? IOW, I want to use my external Blue mic or my Sennheiser lav mic while streaming live video using my Android as a webcam. I am streaming through Vimeo’s Livestream software and I cannot seem to get an audio level from the external mics after disabling the default mic listed within the app.
“Why did you want to use your Android phone as a webcam for your PC?”
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a quarantine imposed in my country, as in many other. Among other things, all educational establishments of all levels have turned to distance learning. Consequently, all students need some kind of electronic device with a microphone and a camera, that (hopefully) supports all the different distance learning platforms, to be able to participate in classes. As most students with desktop computers have discovered, much to their dismay, web camera prices have sky-rocketed in such hard times, due to profiteering. Unfortunately, the state has done little about it, and it has now become the norm for many goods.
So, in this case, being able to use your phone’s camera as a web camera on your PC is like a blessing, and an answer to pandemic profiteering.
I wish you and your readers all the best and, please, remember NOT to support all those profiteering on this pandemic when it’s all over.
Glad to help. For more useful guides, subscribe to our e-mail newsletter.
This is great. My Galaxy camera is much higher quality than my HP webcam. Also, using Zoom, I use a big TV screen to see everyone but look at it rather than my little laptop. I’m therefore looking down as far as all the students are concerned. Now I can have my phone camera just above the big screen and look like I’m making eye contact. Thanks so much for your excellent instructions!
Works just great. Save me few bucks on new web cam and can keep my old Android phone utilised.
All fine so far except that I have to have the phone facing away from me!
Not tested the mike yet.
Next problem is getting the smart phone stuck to the top of my desktop!
Paul
Iriun is better, it allows 1920×1080
I was looking for an app, via a cable that allows 2k or 4k (since my phone is able to do it)
Any talk of updating so we can use a front facing phone?
Thanks for the help.
I think this is a great piece of work. But I too would like to use it with a front facing camera on my Samsung Tab 6. Any chance of having that feature please?
Ian
I have a Nokia 7.2 which has a wide angle camera. Can I use the wide angle camera? If so, how do I select it?
—” Before you go further, make sure that your Android smartphone and your Windows computer are both connected to the same network.”—
I have Verizon FIOS. My Windows 10 computer has a wired internet connection and my Android phone uses Wi-Fi. Does this qualify as “the same network”? Thank you very much!
The installation worked great but I could not get any audio. Checked my settings and they seemed in order. Any tips?
I had the same issue.
In the app settings I unchecked the Microphone box and fixed the issue.
Awesome. This is great
Hell no! You just saved me $30 for a piece of hardware I no longer need. Thanks!
unfortunately skype communicates only with the microphone on my android. not with camera
Hi, I had this issue as well but fixed by downloading the desktop version of Skype directly from the Skype website. Apparently the desktop version downloaded from the Microsoft store is slightly different and will not recognize the camera. I downloaded the version direct from Skype and it worked!
This tutorial is really helpful! I didn’t think that it was possible at first. This will save me money from purchasing a web cam. Thanks so much!
It is late for more than 2 seconds.
Perhaps using USB connection can reduce the lag.
how can i record the video ?
Use a video recording app in Windows, and the smartphone as the source of the video feed.
In my mobile IP showing is 0.0.0.0 please help
Thanks. This was really helpful.
CAN I RECORD AND SAVE THE DROID CAM VIDEO?
You can use the built in Camera app in Windows 10.
I have followed all the instructions and have a problem: Windows Camera does not recognize my Android as a camera that the app can use. This is disconcerting, as the phone image is visible on my PC and DroidCam is available as on option on Skype. What am I doing wrong?
Sorry, I don’t know why that happens. Did you try contacting the developers of the DroidCam app? Maybe they have a solution for that.