Google Could Soon Let Users Turn Their Android Phones into Webcams

There’s already the ability to turn your smartphone into a webcam with the help of third-party apps (and even attach a play-and-plug web cameras to an Android phone) but this could soon become an official feature for Android. Much like Apple’s Continuity Camera feature, Android could soon have the ability to turn a smartphone into a webcam, as suggested by recent code in the Android Open Source Project (AOSP).

‘Device as Webcam’ Feature to Coming to Android

As found by analyst Mishaal Rahman, there’s a mention of the‘DeviceAsWebcam‘ featurein the AOSP data. This feature will allow users to convert their Android smartphones into a web camera without the need for any third-party app.Android is adding a new “DeviceAsWebcam” service that “turns an android device into awebcam.” Specifically, Android devices that support the standard UVC (USB video class) gadget mode will be able to send video data that hosts can read from /dev/video* nodes.pic.twitter.com/oOgIqr1KkE— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman)February 2, 2023

Android is adding a new “DeviceAsWebcam” service that “turns an android device into awebcam.” Specifically, Android devices that support the standard UVC (USB video class) gadget mode will be able to send video data that hosts can read from /dev/video* nodes.pic.twitter.com/oOgIqr1KkE— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman)February 2, 2023

It is said that this would be possible for devices that support the standard UVC (USB video class) gadget mode, which is currently used by most USB webcams to send video data.

Rahman also talks about the system property ‘ro.usb.uvc.enabled,’ which will be used to enable the functionality on Android devices. This will be only readable by system apps like the Settings app and USB gadget HAL.

This will be similar to how Apple now allows users to use theiriPhones as a webcam on a Mac device using the Continuity Camera feature. This was introduced with themacOS Ventura update. The same funtionality reaching Android without any app will prove helpful for those important Zoom and Google Meet meetings.

One thing to note is that there’s no word if this will actually see the light of the day. And if it does, it could debut with Android 14, which will be introduced soon and reach users by the end of this year. We will keep you posted about this, so stay tuned.

And if you want to turn your Android phone into a webcam right now, check out ourarticleto see how this happens. We have a guide for converting aniPhone into a web cameratoo. Do share your thoughts on Android’s possible native support for using a phone as a webcam in the comments below.

Vanshika Malhotra

Started off as a stranger but tech is more like a good friend, thanks to over 5 years in the industry. While everything is attractive about tech, phones, social media, and quirky gadgets attract me the most. When not working, I find my solace in shopping and everything that concerns doggos!

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