Using an iPhone as a webcam is a really good idea, since the camera on that device is better than a built-in webcam. A lot of companies know that, including Apple, which is why the Continuity Camera feature is a great addition to macOS Ventura. But how does this system work in practice?
During WWDC 2022, Apple announced a feature that probably no one saw coming: Continuity Camera. With that feature, you use your iPhone as a webcam, instantly upgrading the quality of your camera – regardless of your Mac(Book). And without costing much money, since you may already have an iPhone.
Using iPhone as a webcam
To use your iPhone as a webcam, you still need to buy a separate accessory. Of course you can invent something yourself with tape or plastic (or perhaps a 3D printer), but otherwise you are dependent on accessory makers. Belkin, for example, has designed a special holder for your smartphone.
This is a special MagSafe holder into which you place the iPhone. A number of YouTube channels already got hold of the handy product and show through various videos how the Continuity Camera of macOS Ventura exactly works. For the sake of completeness we have placed those videos in this post.
What else can you do with Continuity Camera?
The new camera feature of macOS Ventura also offers Desk View. With this, viewers not only get to see your face, they also see what’s on your desk. Perhaps not desirable for everyone, so it is a good thing that this is an optional feature. After all, not everyone has a neat desk.
The latest version of macOS, Ventura, will be released later this year. Usually Apple launches new variants of operating systems in the fall. That’s when you’ll get access to the Continuity Camera for the first time, provided you haven’t already signed up for the beta program. Either way, it’s useful to look at an accessory like this.
