Mobile as webcam

Video calls

You can also use your phone as a webcam to make video calls from a computer. You can use your phone as a camera to chat using Skype. There are two stages to this - setting up the camera on your phone, and setting up Skype to use the phone as a camera. We'll walk you through each stage of the process.

First, you need to set up the camera using an app on either your Android phone or iPhone. This is how:

Android

Here's how to set up your Android smartphone as a webcam. IP Webcam does not work with Skype, so you'll need to install DroidCam and its PC client for this to work:

1. Install DroidCam Wireless Webcam on your phone.

2. Download and install the DroidCam client on your computer. Both the phone and the computer should be on the same Wi-Fi network.

3. Open the Android app and note down the Wifi IP listed on the main screen.

4. Open the Windows client and paste the IP on the computer.

5. If you have a slow Internet connection, pick Low from the Video Quality drop-down menu.

6. Click Start.

7. Now you'll see video from the phone on the DroidCam Windows app. This works even if your phone is locked, but the video stutters. For optimal performance, we recommend that you keep the Android app open and turn off auto-lock on the phone.

8. Restart Skype (if it is open) and select DroidCam Source 1 as the webcam (explained after the iPhone section).

9. Now you can use your Android phone as the webcam.

iPhone

If you're using an iPhone then you can use EpocCam. Download it and then install and run the app on your computer and phone, as described above. Once again, both devices need to be on the same Wi-Fi network - if they are, then they will connect to each other automatically. Note that the app stops working if you hit the home button or lock your phone. EpocCam has an Android app too, but it crashed repeatedly in our tests, so we suggest you stay away from it.

1. Install and run EpocCam on your computer and iPhone, as mentioned earlier.

2. Open Skype and select EpocCam as the webcam (explained below).

3. Now make a video call to any of your contacts. You'll be using the iPhone as a webcam for the call.

Changing the default camera on Skype

After you've gotten your phone to work as a webcam (using DroidCam or EpocCam), you need to change the settings in Skype before you can use your phone as a webcam. This is what you need to do:

1. Download and install Skype if you haven't already. Third-party cameras don't always work well with the Windows 8 style Skype app, so you will need the desktop version.

2. Once Skype is running and you have signed in, you'll need to go to Tools > Options.

3. Click Video settings under the General tab.

4. Select the correct camera from the drop-down menu next to Select webcam:. The name of the camera varies depending on the app you are using to connect. Android users will have to select DroidCam Source 1, while iPhone users will select EpocCam.

6. Click Save.

You can now use Skype on your computer to make a video call, and it will use the feed from your phone's camera for the video.

If you use any other app to turn your phone into a webcam, let us know via the comments. For more tutorials, visit the How To section.