Chances are, your Windows laptop comes with its own webcam, but let’s be real, many of them are stuck in low-res mode. And if you’re on a desktop, you might not even have a webcam to work with. So, what’s the move for those craving a better camera experience? Well, you’d either have to splurge on a separate camera orgo for some third-party software to turn your smartphone into a makeshift webcam. But Microsoft’s now got your back with a fresh Windows 11 update that lets you use yourAndroid phoneas a webcam.
Microsoft is rolling out a new feature for Windows Insiders that allows them to jazz up their Windows 11 experience by turning their Android phone’s camera into a webcam. Setting it up is a breeze in the Windows 11 Settings app, and all you need is theLink to Windowsapp on your Android—no tangled cables needed here. Once your phone is connected to your PC, just toggle the switch in a pop-up interface to use your smartphone as a video feed. Your computer will need to install aCross Device Experience Hostupdate, but it should handle that on its own after you’ve completed the setup.
When you opt for the smartphone webcam upgrade on Windows 11, you’ll see a toolbar with extra tricks, including switching cameras, hitting pause, and cranking up HDR. Plus, you may flaunt your webcam stream in any app on your PC.
Your Samsung Galaxy phone works as a webcam with One UI 6.1
The feature turns your Galaxy phone into a webcam for your tablet
This feature first popped up at CES 2024, whenMicrosoft and Samsung dropped the news about this capability. Back then, the big question was whether it was a Samsung-exclusive integration. Fast forward to today, and Microsoft’sblog postdoesn’t mention any hints about it being a Samsung-only feature. All you need is an Android phone running Android 9.0 or newer, the Link to Windows app at 1.24012 or newer, and an Insider build of Windows 11 for the time being.
The integration is rolling out to all Windows 11 Insider Channels, and the rest of us can expect it to become widely available in the next few months. The new Phone Link feature is looking like a potential showdown against Apple’s slickContinuity Cameratool andGoogle’s similar feature in Android 14.
