Image: Reincubate
Camo’s new version 1.9 update can turn your smartphone into an untethered webcam. The camera utility software, one of the earliest around to convert iOS or Android devices into a computer webcam, can now connect via Wi-Fi in addition to the previous USB plug-in requirement.
It’s a great time for Camo to release this update as Apple’s macOS Ventura prepares to launch with its own Continuity Camera feature that can turn iPhones into a webcam. It’s still in demand as a solution for work-from-home setups, as the return to the office has turned into more of a hybrid schedule for many of us. Apple’s implementation involves little setup and can mount to the top of a MacBook with a specialty mount like this Belkin one, enabling special features like swapping to the ultrawide camera for a top-down view.
Image: Reincubate
The phone and computer shake hands wirelessly after scanning a QR code.
But Camo’s software is quite capable in its own right, with support for Android devices, as well as the ability to work on both PCs and Macs. It also won’t force you to use Ventura-supported Macs or devices that have iOS 16, like with Apple’s implementation. And last May, Camo’s developer Reincubate added FaceTime, Safari, and QuickTime support, which many similar products like EpocCam do not support.
To get the new feature, you’ll need to update both the Camo Studio on your computer and the Camo app on your smartphone. Once updated, you can bring up a QR code in the Camo Studio software and scan it with the Camo smartphone app. Now your smartphone is connected to your computer as a webcam.
Just this summer, Camo released a new version that added the ability to overlay graphics and text to your live webcam footage, much like OBS (Open Broadcaster Software) and other live capture software. It’s certainly more feature-packed than Apple’s solution, but it does require some more setup. And if you want to use all the features with iPhone, including 1080p streaming, it’ll cost you $39.99 a year — or $79.99 for a “lifetime license,” while the features remain free for Android users.