In iOS 16 and macOS 13 it is possible to use the continuity chamber of Manzana to transform our iPhone in a webcam of very good quality. It is something relatively simple to achieve that we will see a little further down.
Requirements to use iPhone as a webcam with Continuity Camera
Even with the best built-in webcam, the image quality will always be less than what an iPhone can provide. Optics, resolution, and low-light performance are all better in an iPhone that’s designed for this kind of situation.
Luckily, Continuity Camera or Continuity Camera gives us the possibility to use the rear camera of the device as a webcam. In order to use this feature, you will need to have an iPhone XR or later, it can also be iPhone SE 2020 and 2022. The device must be running iOS 16.
Obviously, the newer the device, the more features it will have available. For example, we can use Center Stage, a feature that follows us around the room using software, a feature available on iPhone 11 or higher.
As for the continuity camera, it is integrated into macOS 13 Ventura. Which means that any Mac that is capable of running macOS13 will be able to use the Continuity Camera. It works in both wireless and wired modes, there is no need to connect the iPhone to the Mac to use it.
How to use iPhone as a webcam
In most applications that use a webcam, you should be able to use the continuity camera without issue. We’ll probably need to explicitly select our iPhone as an entry in the app’s settings, which will be different for every app we use.
Some apps will default to using the iPhone’s camera whenever you’re nearby. On occasion, iPhone took a while to display the disclaimer screen to indicate that it is in continuity camera mode. But as we mentioned, it is something occasional.
Use Center Stage, Portrait, Studio Lighting, and Desk Mode when connecting iPhone as a webcam
When we are using our iPhone as a webcam, we can click on Control Center in the menu bar at the top right of the screen and then proceed to click on Video Effects. From this section we will be able to enable different effects that can affect the visual of the camera, regardless of where we use it.
One of the most useful features is Center Stage. When enabled, it is possible to freely walk around the nearby area. Our iPhone will follow us (although we can’t go too far either). We must consider that the quality can be reduced while we walk, the image will be sharper in the center of the frame.
As for the portrait mode, we are talking about the same portrait mode that we find in the camera. We find an artificial depth of field effect that is ideal for blurring the background of the shot. Studio Light is a nice feature that greatly improves lighting.
We also find Desk View which is quite interesting. When enabling it for the first time, it will ask us to configure the shot by defining the desktop area. In a FaceTime call, the view is shared automatically. As for the rest of the apps, we should use the screen sharing function in the app so that we can choose Desktop View.
