How to Use Samsung Android Phone as Webcam

How to Use Samsung Android Phone as Webcam

This article shows you how to use your Samsung Android phone as a webcam, especially if you need to make a video conference call but don’t have a webcam or have a webcam but need another camera as a useful addition to the setup.

It will interest you to know that you can set up a video call on Skype or some other video call platform with an Android phone and a suitable app.

Video conference call is one way to hold a live meeting with someone else or a group where a physical meeting is not feasible.

Some PCs indeed have a webcam, and there are also external webcams, but sometimes working with these might prove tricky than we expect.

We will cover two applications that can help you use a Samsung android phone as a webcam.

1. DroidCam – comes in two parts, an Android app that is free from Google Play (premium $4.00 version also available), and the desktop client component, which is available from http://dev47apps.com/droidcam for Windows and Linux.

Step 1: Begin by installing the Android app.

Step 2: After installation, unzip and run, and do well to follow the on-screen instructions

Step 3: Once the application launch, you will be prompted to input your IP address on your DroidCam app.

You can find this by running the app on your android device, and it will be displayed and then add the DroidCam port number.

The desktop client helps you stream audio from your phone, and you can select your preferred video quality, which ranges from low, standard, and high.

If you so choose, you can connect via USB and use the USB cable that accompanied your phone when you got it.

Step 1: To proceed, click start to initialize streaming.

The mobile app sends the image on the phone to the screen of your computer.

Step 2: If your device has two cameras, tap the settings button and switch to your preferred camera. The app has two versions – free and paid.

The free version has some useful features, but it is limited. For example, you can use a webcam on landscape mode only; there is little zooming; the paid version offers a lot more.

Go for the paid version if you feel you’ll use these features, otherwise remain with the free DroidCam release.

2. IP Webcam – a healthy alternative to DroidCam, IP Webcam is also available as a free app from Google Play, with a premium upgrade available ($3.99). Download from http://ip-webcam.appspot.com.

IP Webcam is an alternative app you can use like DroidCam, you will need to fill out a configuration tool, and IP Webcam allows you to view output using your web browser.

Chrome and Firefox are the preferred browsing application since internet explorer does not stream properly.

The application supports several image resolutions and stills, and rear smartphone cameras work well, but the front-facing camera is not fully supported.

Now, you are ready, tap the actions button on your android device to see if your app is running correctly. You could stop and start the camera and also check a few other things.

Sharing Your Webcam with Skype or Hangouts

You have the first step completed, and you just confirmed that you could stream images from your phone’s camera to your computer.

Now, the new challenge is, how do you make that happen with an application like Skype?

Here is how it works, the client, once installed, is identified by your operating system as a new webcam.

To make it work, use the suitable menu option in your selected video chat app to choose a camera. This approach will work with DroidCam but not IP Webcam.

For Skype, here are the steps to follow, Tools > Options > Video settings.

From here, you will find the webcam dropdown menu.

Choose the webcam from the menu displayed.

Click Save, and that’s all.

This method does not only work for Skype.

It also works for an application like Hangouts.

Why Some Prefer Hangouts to Skype

The product ‘Hangouts’ is Google’s creation for chat rooms.

Google has demonstrated time and time again how they can turn a good idea into something superbly useful while maintaining simplicity and ease of use, adding to a seamless user experience.

DroidCam vs IP Webcam

Who wins between these two?

Comparing the free version of these apps, and there is a good reason for this.

If the free version can perform at a good enough level, then there’s a strong chance that the full version will be higher in terms of overall value.

Assessing these Android webcam apps, we’ve noticed two key things: the variation in the number of features available in each, and how easy they are to setup.

DroidCam will make the winner easy to set up and provide adequate support for messenger apps.

While the features on offer are limited, it gets the job done.

Conclusion

The article explains how to use your Samsung Android phone as a webcam with apps like DroidCam and IP Webcam.

With a few clicks, you can have a Skype or Hangout Video conference call.