GOOGLE is introducing the ability to use Android phones in place of a webcam in its upcoming software update – which customers are crazy about.
The feature – which is still in development – is currently only available on a handful of Google Pixel models.
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However, Google has plans to roll out the feature to all Android phone owners, according to 9to5Google.
So if you’re an Android user who was previously thinking about buying a new webcam – be patient, and you’ll gain a ‘free’ one as part of your phone.
“This will be very useful for me because my gaming laptop doesn’t have a webcam,” one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Another tweeted: “Tried it on my Pixel 6 this morning, worked a treat!”
The device will appear as ‘Android Camera’ in apps like Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
The feature works on any device that can handle a standard webcam.
This includes Windows PCs, Apple Macs and Chromebooks.
Once it’s officially rolled out in the Android 14 operating system, all Android users will need is a USB cable that plugs their phone into a computer.
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When the phone is plugged in to the computer, Android users should see a new option appear.
In the notification menu, tap the usual notification for Charging this device via USB.
Below will be a new option for Webcam, which if pressed, will trigger a new notification labelled Device as Webcam.
Android users will then be taken to a new app where they will be able to preview and tweak their video feed, such as adjusting the zoom.
Once the picture is set up as needed, users can stream via their phone as it was a webcam.
They can even lock the phone to preserve the battery, where it will continue streaming.
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