How to use your Android as a webcam

Want to use your Android as a webcam? The good news is it’s quick, easy, and free to do just that. In this article, we're outlining the two best ways to start using your Android phone as a webcam today.

• Use your Android as a webcam using Camo
• Use your Android as a webcam directly from your phone

Let’s look at how to use your Android with Camo first.

Use your Android as a webcam using Camo

Camo lets you connect your Android phone to a computer over USB to access your phone’s camera as a webcam or recording device from your computer.

Here’s how to set Camo up:

1. Install Camo for Android from the Play Store. You can find it by searching for "camo".

2. Open the app on your phone and grant camera access.

3. Download the Windows or macOS app. You can do so directly from your computer, or from your phone by tapping Send Link.

4. From there, click through the steps to download to your computer, then launch Camo Studio.

Pairing Android to Windows:

In our current beta, to pair Android to Windows you'll need to turn on USB debugging. The instructions to do this vary slightly depending on the Android phone you're using. We've outlined the process below using a Samsung Galaxy S20.

If you need help turning on USB debugging for your Android device please contact us and we'll walk you through the process for your specific phone.

1. Connect your phone to your computer and open Camo Studio. You should see the following screen:

2. Follow these steps on your Android to configure your device:

   • Go to Settings, search for Build Number and tap it 7 times.

   • Now search for Developer Options in Settings, scroll down to USB debugging and tick to turn on.

   • Selecting Always allow from this computer means you will only need to do this once.

Pairing Android to Mac:

Your Android should connect automatically to your Mac, unless you followed the steps above to connect to Windows. If this is the case, turn off USB debugging by searching for Developer Options → USB debugging and unticking to turn off.

Using Camo as a webcam

1. You should now see your Android’s camera feed in Camo Studio.

2. Now, just open your video client and select Camo as your webcam.

Camo is compatible with a bunch of different video platforms. You don’t need to do anything to use Camo with most apps, other than restarting your app and selecting Camo as the video source.

So, there you have it, that’s the quick and easy way to get going with Camo. If you want to go deeper, we have additional guides and articles that cover:

• Getting the perfect mount for your setup

• Helping you look great on calls

Use your Android as a webcam directly from your phone

If you don’t want to download a new app, you can use your Android as a webcam directly from your phone. Here’s how to do it with Google Meet:

1. Download the Google Meet app from the Google Play Store

2. Log in

3. Join the call, or start a new one

It’s a simple, quick way to join a video call from your phone, but there are some drawbacks:

• You’ll be using your phone screen for the call, rather than your computer screen, which makes it harder to see others on the call.

• It’s more difficult to see the image you’re presenting to others.

• You’re limited to the selfie camera, which isn’t as crisp as the back cameras on your phone.