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It's incredibly annoying that you can't use your APPLE iPhone camera as a webcam for your APPLE Macbook, but instead are forced to use the atrociously terrible

by fab1an 7y ago

It's incredibly annoying that you can't use your APPLE iPhone camera as a webcam for your APPLE Macbook, but instead are forced to use the atrociously terrible cam that comes with the Macbook. I've tried workarounds using the excellent OSB, but there's currently no software that let's you reroute video on a Mac (like Loopback does for audio) EDIT: I stand corrected, as user wolfhumble points out below, EpocCam seems to do this - thanks! https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epoccam-webcamera-for-computer/id435355256 https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epoccam-webcamera-for-computer...

wolfhumble 7y ago
There is this, but I haven't tried it: https://apps.apple.com/app/epoccam-webcam-for-mac-pc/id449133483 https://apps.apple.com/app/epoccam-webcam-for-mac-pc/id44913...
- whatever1 7y ago
  I have tried it and it works flawlessly when paired with an iphone 11. You can even use the main iphone camera, not just the front facing one. It is by far my best webcam (compared to my laptops and a stand-alone logitech I own). PS. To make it work you need to install a driver on your PC, so it can be a no-go for many company owned computers.
  - brodo 7y ago
    I tried it and it did not work for me. (Macbook Pro and iPhone 8)
- vhold 7y ago
  Looking at the reviews, I see multiple people saying that the developer required paid users to write a review in order to unlock the ability to use the front camera. I think it goes without saying that is an incredibly scummy practice.
  - whatever1 7y ago
    They have two app versions, a free with fewer features and a paid with full features. I personally tried first the free to make sure it works, and then I paid for the full version.
  - beowulfey 7y ago
    No need to write -- just click on a star rating. I clicked 3 stars for that reason. But it functionally is phenomenal. Will honestly probably change it and write an actual review...
  - _jal 7y ago
    Oh, an app doing that to me would certainly get a review.
  - schwartzworld 7y ago
    rating an app to unlock features is scummy? compared to all the other practices and anti-patterns apps use today?
    - BossingAround 7y ago
      Yes, it's still scummy. Bad practice doesn't make another bad practice good...
    - slipheen 7y ago
      Yes, it's incredibly dishonest and encourages reviews which are likely to lead other people to make the same mistake. Any application which does so is against apples guidelines and ought to be banned
- neves 7y ago
  any equivalent for android?
  - neves 7y ago
    I've found these apps: - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dreamdroid.livedroid https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dreamdroid... - http://www.dev47apps.com/ http://www.dev47apps.com/ - http://ip-webcam.appspot.com/ http://ip-webcam.appspot.com/ Any opinion on which one is best?
    - kroltan 7y ago
      I've had huge success with IP Webcam, especially since it appears to be a standard MJPEG stream, so very hackable (in the good sense). The web interface also crucially adds UI for focusing, in addition to the customizable in-phone UI.
      - ChainOfFools 7y ago
        I've not been able to get it to work smoothly without specifying at least a 1000ms buffer, which kinda ruins the ability to use as a real time communication tool. Gigabit local lan, strong wifi N MIMO signal, Galaxy S10 and a fairly recent Macbook pro (dual booting to Win 10). Have you encountered a similar hurdle?
        kroltan 7y ago
        It seems to have massive delays if I capture on full resolution (3060x2295 on my phone), but that is a ridiculous number that can't even be transmitted over my internet, so I run it at 1280x720, which has basically ideal latency.
      - l3db3tt3r 7y ago
        I was just playing around with IP Webcam. So far it has been a breeze to set up. I do wish it had some additional options on limiting what you broadcast over, ie limit to just https.
valuearb 7y ago
If you are ok with a MacBook screen nearly as thick and heavy as an iPhone, you can have a better camera. The increasing thinness of modern laptops has come at the expense of improving their cameras.
- fab1an 7y ago
  I'd be good money to get a thicker Macbook Pro with a workable keyboard, that's for sure!
  - valuearb 7y ago
    You are in luck, 16 inch MBP has a good keyboard. Butterfly switches are gone.
ThePadawan 7y ago
I have many bad things to say about MS Teams, but it does allow you to join a meeting multiple times on multiple devices using the same user account - so you can watch a screenshare on your desktop. machine but use the microphone or camera on your phone.
- hateful 7y ago
  I've noticed that it does this in meetings, but not in a direct chat with another person (I don't think group chats either). What I usually do in that case is create a meeting so that I can do that.
  - ThePadawan 7y ago
    Yep, I should have clarified that. There is a weird disconnect between 1-to-1 calls and meetings with 2 people in them. So far I haven't been able to see any advantage at all to 1-to-1 calls except it takes fewer clicks to start them.
- larrywright 7y ago
  Like you, I could speak for days about the problems with MS Teams, but this is definitely one of the things they get right. Handy for presenting your whole screen and being able to monitor chat conversations in that meeting on your iPad.
  - ThePadawan 7y ago
    Funny that mentioned an iPad! I had the exact opposite use case: I used my iPad to draw a diagram, but used my desktop webcam instead of the one in the iPad sitting in my lap (which would have a terrible angle of pretty much only my chin).
- marcusjt 7y ago
  Google Meet lets you do that too, in fact I was doing it earlier today, but until now I hadn't thought that was in any way remarkable... is it really?
gtm1260 7y ago
EpocCam is awesome, tested and working on iOS 13 and Mojave. 7.99 for the pro version and my video quality is 10x better than iSight. + I can position the camera anywhere I like so people are stuck looking up at me from a laptop, and I can go back to using clamshell mode on my macbook when at a desk.
rayhendricks 7y ago
Zoom/slack/skype do have iOS clients. I've just been using a plugged in iPhone instead of a webcam.
tetek 7y ago
you can install AirServer that will basically make appletv from your Mac, and then stream from phone over airplay.
rubatuga 7y ago
I've tried three different video streaming apps for iOS, and they all had issues with drifting. Not sure if it's been fixed.
babygoat 7y ago
What’s so atrociously terrible about your macbook camera?

by fab1an 7y ago

wolfhumble 7y ago

There is this, but I haven't tried it: https://apps.apple.com/app/epoccam-webcam-for-mac-pc/id449133483 https://apps.apple.com/app/epoccam-webcam-for-mac-pc/id44913...

whatever1 7y ago
I have tried it and it works flawlessly when paired with an iphone 11. You can even use the main iphone camera, not just the front facing one. It is by far my best webcam (compared to my laptops and a stand-alone logitech I own). PS. To make it work you need to install a driver on your PC, so it can be a no-go for many company owned computers.
- brodo 7y ago
  I tried it and it did not work for me. (Macbook Pro and iPhone 8)
vhold 7y ago
Looking at the reviews, I see multiple people saying that the developer required paid users to write a review in order to unlock the ability to use the front camera. I think it goes without saying that is an incredibly scummy practice.
- whatever1 7y ago
  They have two app versions, a free with fewer features and a paid with full features. I personally tried first the free to make sure it works, and then I paid for the full version.
- beowulfey 7y ago
  No need to write -- just click on a star rating. I clicked 3 stars for that reason. But it functionally is phenomenal. Will honestly probably change it and write an actual review...
- _jal 7y ago
  Oh, an app doing that to me would certainly get a review.
- schwartzworld 7y ago
  rating an app to unlock features is scummy? compared to all the other practices and anti-patterns apps use today?
  - BossingAround 7y ago
    Yes, it's still scummy. Bad practice doesn't make another bad practice good...
  - slipheen 7y ago
    Yes, it's incredibly dishonest and encourages reviews which are likely to lead other people to make the same mistake. Any application which does so is against apples guidelines and ought to be banned
neves 7y ago
any equivalent for android?
- neves 7y ago
  I've found these apps: - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dreamdroid.livedroid https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dreamdroid... - http://www.dev47apps.com/ http://www.dev47apps.com/ - http://ip-webcam.appspot.com/ http://ip-webcam.appspot.com/ Any opinion on which one is best?
  - kroltan 7y ago
    I've had huge success with IP Webcam, especially since it appears to be a standard MJPEG stream, so very hackable (in the good sense). The web interface also crucially adds UI for focusing, in addition to the customizable in-phone UI.
    - ChainOfFools 7y ago
      I've not been able to get it to work smoothly without specifying at least a 1000ms buffer, which kinda ruins the ability to use as a real time communication tool. Gigabit local lan, strong wifi N MIMO signal, Galaxy S10 and a fairly recent Macbook pro (dual booting to Win 10). Have you encountered a similar hurdle?
      - kroltan 7y ago
        It seems to have massive delays if I capture on full resolution (3060x2295 on my phone), but that is a ridiculous number that can't even be transmitted over my internet, so I run it at 1280x720, which has basically ideal latency.
    - l3db3tt3r 7y ago
      I was just playing around with IP Webcam. So far it has been a breeze to set up. I do wish it had some additional options on limiting what you broadcast over, ie limit to just https.

valuearb 7y ago

If you are ok with a MacBook screen nearly as thick and heavy as an iPhone, you can have a better camera. The increasing thinness of modern laptops has come at the expense of improving their cameras.

fab1an 7y ago
I'd be good money to get a thicker Macbook Pro with a workable keyboard, that's for sure!
- valuearb 7y ago
  You are in luck, 16 inch MBP has a good keyboard. Butterfly switches are gone.

ThePadawan 7y ago

I have many bad things to say about MS Teams, but it does allow you to join a meeting multiple times on multiple devices using the same user account - so you can watch a screenshare on your desktop. machine but use the microphone or camera on your phone.

hateful 7y ago
I've noticed that it does this in meetings, but not in a direct chat with another person (I don't think group chats either). What I usually do in that case is create a meeting so that I can do that.
- ThePadawan 7y ago
  Yep, I should have clarified that. There is a weird disconnect between 1-to-1 calls and meetings with 2 people in them. So far I haven't been able to see any advantage at all to 1-to-1 calls except it takes fewer clicks to start them.
larrywright 7y ago
Like you, I could speak for days about the problems with MS Teams, but this is definitely one of the things they get right. Handy for presenting your whole screen and being able to monitor chat conversations in that meeting on your iPad.
- ThePadawan 7y ago
  Funny that mentioned an iPad! I had the exact opposite use case: I used my iPad to draw a diagram, but used my desktop webcam instead of the one in the iPad sitting in my lap (which would have a terrible angle of pretty much only my chin).
marcusjt 7y ago
Google Meet lets you do that too, in fact I was doing it earlier today, but until now I hadn't thought that was in any way remarkable... is it really?

gtm1260 7y ago

EpocCam is awesome, tested and working on iOS 13 and Mojave. 7.99 for the pro version and my video quality is 10x better than iSight. + I can position the camera anywhere I like so people are stuck looking up at me from a laptop, and I can go back to using clamshell mode on my macbook when at a desk.

rayhendricks 7y ago

Zoom/slack/skype do have iOS clients. I've just been using a plugged in iPhone instead of a webcam.

tetek 7y ago

you can install AirServer that will basically make appletv from your Mac, and then stream from phone over airplay.

rubatuga 7y ago

I've tried three different video streaming apps for iOS, and they all had issues with drifting. Not sure if it's been fixed.

babygoat 7y ago

What’s so atrociously terrible about your macbook camera?