Your phone may already have a better camera than your webcam. In SplitCam for Windows you have two options: the SplitCam phone app (the SplitCam app for iPhone or Android, not SplitCam Remote), which sends video over your local network, up to 4K on phones that support it; or a QR code, which lets the phone send video through its browser, with nothing to install on the phone.
This is not a trick to save money on hardware. A phone from the last few years usually has a better sensor and better optics than a mid-range USB webcam.
Phone cameras are built to a photography standard because that is what phones are sold on. A typical USB webcam is built to a price. In the same room and the same light, the difference is visible without measuring anything.
The place most webcams fail is a dim room at the end of the day. Phone cameras spend their whole design budget on exactly that problem.
A webcam lives on the monitor. A phone on a small tripod can be beside you, above the desk, pointed at your hands, or across the room as a second angle.
With either option, the phone's audio comes in with its picture when available, so a phone placed close to you can also serve as your microphone.
The SplitCam phone app is the SplitCam app for iPhone or Android — not SplitCam Remote, which is a different app. This option needs SplitCam 11.0.15 or later on your Windows computer. Video travels over your local network, up to 4K on phones that support it. In SplitCam you can control the phone's focus, exposure and white balance, and use background blur and removal, person blur and skin smoothing. Both the iPhone app and the Android app are labeled Beta on our download page: the iPhone app needs iOS 16.6 or later, the Android app needs Android 10 or later.
Install the SplitCam phone app. On an iPhone, open it and enter Remote Camera mode. On an Android phone, open SplitCam and tap the PhoneCam icon at the top; the screen is titled PhoneCam 4K. Allow camera, microphone and local network access when requested, and keep that mode open. Put the phone and the computer on the same local network.
In SplitCam on your Windows computer, add the source Remote Camera → Phone Camera App. SplitCam looks for phones on your local network through Bonjour for Windows.
In the "Connect your phone" window, select your phone, choose a camera and a video format, then click the Add button. Phone audio is included when available; control its volume or mute it in SplitCam.
In Zoom, Teams, Meet, Discord or OBS, choose SplitCam as the camera. They show the finished scene with the phone's picture in it.
This option is for Windows. In SplitCam 11.0.15 and later, Remote Camera → Phone Cam Browser is the former Phone Camera source. The phone does not have to be on your network: phones in other countries can be added too.
In SplitCam on your Windows computer, add the source Remote Camera → Phone Cam Browser. SplitCam shows a QR code.
Point the phone's camera at the code. It opens a web address in the phone's browser — there is no app to find or install.
If the phone's browser asks for camera and microphone access, allow it; the picture and the sound then appear in SplitCam.
In Zoom, Teams, Meet, Discord or OBS, choose SplitCam as the camera. They show the finished scene with the phone's picture in it.
If the only thing you want is your phone acting as a plain webcam, a single-purpose tool like DroidCam, Iriun or Camo is the more direct answer, and you should use one. They install a camera driver on the computer, so the phone appears in Zoom as a camera by itself, with nothing in between. SplitCam goes through a scene and its own virtual camera — that is one more moving part, and if you never intend to add a screen share, a second angle, an overlay or a recording, it is a moving part you are not using. Those apps also tend to offer a wired USB mode, which matters on a congested network or where the phone and computer are not allowed to reach each other. Check each one's current features and pricing yourself — several are free up to a resolution and charge above it, and those tiers change.
What each approach is actually for. Where a row depends on a product's current version or tier, it says so rather than quoting something we cannot stand behind.
| Feature | SplitCam | a webcam app |
|---|---|---|
| Install something on the phone | Your choice: install nothing (QR code, Windows) or install the SplitCam phone app | Usually an app on both ends |
| Cost | Free on Windows and macOS, no watermark | Often free to a limit — check current tiers |
| Phone appears directly as a camera | Through SplitCam's virtual camera | Yes, that is the whole design |
| Wired USB mode | Network only | Commonly offered |
| Phone alongside screen, slides, second camera | Yes — it is a scene layer | Camera only |
| Audio from the phone | Yes, with both options (audio is included when available) | Varies by product |
| Effects, background removal, overlays | Built in | Varies by product |
| Also multistreams and records | 84+ platforms, local recording | Not its purpose |
On Windows, no. Add Remote Camera → Phone Cam Browser (SplitCam 11.0.15 or later; the former Phone Camera source), scan the QR code with the phone, and the phone joins through its own browser, with nothing to install on the phone; an iPhone or an Android phone works. If you prefer the SplitCam phone app, add Remote Camera → Phone Camera App instead (also SplitCam 11.0.15 or later). On a Mac, an iPhone can send its camera through Remote Camera mode in the SplitCam iPhone app.
The SplitCam phone app sends video over your local network, up to 4K on phones that support it, and in SplitCam you can control the phone's focus, exposure and white balance, and use background blur and removal, person blur and skin smoothing. On Windows, the QR code needs nothing on the phone: it opens a web address in the phone's browser. Use the QR code when you cannot install anything on the phone. The app works only on your local network; the QR option also works with phones in other countries.
They see SplitCam as the camera, and SplitCam sends them the scene your phone is in. In your video app, choose SplitCam as the camera. If you want the phone to appear in Zoom by itself with nothing in between, a single-purpose webcam app is the better fit.
Check that the phone and the computer are on the same local network, and that the phone's camera mode is still open (Remote Camera mode on an iPhone, the PhoneCam 4K screen on an Android phone). SplitCam finds phones through Bonjour for Windows: if SplitCam reports that Bonjour is missing or unavailable, install Bonjour for Windows or start its service. Allow SplitCam through the firewall on your private network, and use the Reconnect button if the connection is lost. Not every phone can send its camera; on Android the app tells you when a phone cannot.
No. With the QR code, only setting up the connection between the phone and the computer goes through our servers; the video then flows between your phone and your computer. With the SplitCam phone app, SplitCam on your computer finds the phone on your local network and connects to it over that network.
Yes, on macOS 13 or later, with an iPhone: open Remote Camera mode in the SplitCam iPhone app, let the Mac connect on the same Wi-Fi, and add the iPhone to a scene as a layer. The menu names on this page are those of SplitCam for Windows.
Yes, that is what it is for. The phone is a layer in a scene, so it can sit beside your webcam, your screen or a slide, and you can switch between arrangements while you are live.
Yes, with both options: the phone's audio comes in with its video when available, and in SplitCam you can set its volume or mute it.
Free download for Windows and macOS. Install the SplitCam app on your phone for up to 4K on phones that support it. On Windows, you can instead scan a QR code and install nothing on the phone.
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