How to Turn Your IPhone Into a Free High Resolution Webcam
Apple makes a mid-range camera for the iPhone, but when it comes to their Mac, that’s a whole different story. Sure, they get better, as the M1 Mac has the best of all, but there are plenty of Macs with substandard webcams. If you’re using an external display for your MacBook, you may not even have a good webcam. However, as it turns out, you do it – on your iPhone.
Don’t worry about an external webcam for your Mac or even your PC; as long as you have an iPhone, you already have a webcam. Unfortunately, it’s not as easy as plugging your iPhone into your computer and shutting down, but setting it up is also easy. All you need is a compatible app.
Our choice is EpocCam ; there are many features in this application, but most importantly, it is free. There are features that are locked behind the paid version of the app, such as full 1080p video, but you may find that the standard video stream that comes with the free version is more than enough for your calls.
How to set up EpocCam as your computer’s webcam
When you first open the application, the welcome screen informs you that you need to install a driver on your Mac or PC. If you’re using a Mac, you can AirDrop, email, or copy the driver download link. If you are using a PC, you can only email the link to yourself.
On Mac, EpocCam works whether you’re connecting via USB or using Wi-Fi. This is a great solution if you don’t want extra wires to clutter up your desk. However, on Windows, you need to connect your iPhone to your computer for EpocCam to work.
Once the driver is on your computer, open it and follow the installation instructions. On your iPhone, give EpocCam permission to use your device’s camera and network, and you should see a video stream above the CONNECTED TO YOUR COMPUTER message. You will need your iPhone and computer connected to the same Wi-Fi network; if everything is set up correctly, all EpocCam controls will appear on your iPhone.
Now all you have to do is launch your video application on your Mac or PC and set the camera source to be EpocCam. For example, if you are using Messenger to make video calls, click the three dots and select the Device Settings option. Then click the menu below the camera and select EpocCam.
Additional features of EpocCam
Once you have done that, you should see your iPhone’s video stream in the video calling app. You will also find several options in the EpocCam app; tap the triangles to flip the video stream, the camera icon to switch to a different iPhone camera, or the big button in the center to choose between blurring the background or green screen effect.
That’s all there is to the free app. However, with the $ 7.99 paid app, you get access to the following:
- Remove watermark
- Full 1080p video
- Wide angle camera support
- Change your background
- Choose a connection: Wi-Fi, USB or NDI.
- Microphone only mode
- Use your flashlight
- HDR video streaming
- Manual focus
Among all the options in the free version that may affect you the most is the watermark. It’s not huge and sits at the bottom of your video stream, but you might find it overly annoying to use. However, for many people it is worth having a free webcam if you need one.