Last year, Apple announced Continuity Camera, a feature that allows you to transform the iPhone’s rear-facing camera into a powerful Mac webcam. To increase your camera experience for Zoom conversations, FaceTime, and impromptu hands-on films, you must be running iOS 16 on your iPhone and macOS Ventura on the computer. You’ll have to wait till Android 14 to transform your phone into a camera. However, the functionality seems to be in the works.
At this time, the first Android 14 developer preview is not far away. That implies we’ll soon see a slew of leaks describing the improvements Google is working on for this year’s major software update. One of them is the ability to transform the Android phone into a webcam.
That’s a function lacking in the Android operating system, but it’s doable if you tinker with the phone and install the correct applications. However, as Android Central writes, doing so would need rooting the device. That’s an additional step for typical Android users who aren’t interested in such processes.
Rather than converting your Android phone into a camera, it might be simpler to get a more costly webcam. You may also wait until Android 14 if the latest discoveries are correct.
Using an Android phone as a webcam became really popular during the pandemic, but you've typically had to install a third-party app to do so. You may not have to do this in the future, though, as Google is adding support for turning Android devices into USB webcams!
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) February 2, 2023
According to Mishaal Rahman, Android 14 may have a “DeviceAsWebCam” service. He had already discovered the service in the most current AOSP repository. The service, as the name suggests, converts the Android phone’s back camera into a webcam.
However, it seems that the Android 14 gadget will need to be connected to the computer through USB. That’s not the same as Apple’s Continuity Camera. You can use your iPhone as a webcam without needing a cord. The service is also available through USB. The connected connection should charge the iPhone’s battery as well. The Mac will also notify users if the iPhone’s battery is running low.
While Apple’s gadgets are easily connected for such experiences, Google does not have the same privilege. We believe that using Android 14 as a camera should work with all PCs. From Windows to Chrome OS and finally to Mac.
In terms of Google imitating Apple’s Continuity Camera, utilising a smartphone’s main camera as a webcam may undoubtedly be useful.
Because of the epidemic, video chats have grown in prominence, whether for business, education, or just chatting with friends and family. Smartphone cameras outperform those of laptops and PCs. It makes a lot of sense to use them to enhance video conferencing experiences on regular PCs.
The true problem will be mounting the smartphone as a camera on your PC once Android 14 permits the capability.
