iPhone as a webcam: the best camera you already own

The camera in your iPhone is several classes better than the webcam built into your Mac — and thanks to Continuity Camera you can use it as a webcam without installing a single thing. The Mac finds the phone by itself, wirelessly, and offers it as a regular camera in FaceTime, Zoom, Teams, Meet, and everywhere else. The result is an image you won't be embarrassed by, even when filming video for clients.

How to do it

1. You need an iPhone with iOS 16 or later and a Mac with macOS Ventura or later, both signed into the same Apple ID, with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
2. Place the iPhone near the Mac with its back camera facing you — ideally clipped to the top edge of the monitor with a mount, though a stand or a phone just propped up works too.
3. In your video-calling app, open the camera picker (in FaceTime's Video menu, or the camera settings in Zoom or Teams) and choose your iPhone.
4. The phone automatically switches into camera mode — you don't need to launch anything on it, and its screen can stay off.
5. In the Mac's Control Center, under Video Effects, you'll find bonus features: background blur, Studio Light for brightening your face, and Desk View, which shows the desk surface in front of you from above — great for showing off documents or products.
6. The iPhone's microphone can be used the same way: pick it under audio input in the app or in Control Center.
7. If the iPhone doesn't show up in the camera list, check that it's near the Mac, isn't fully drained, and has Continuity Camera Webcam turned on under Settings → General → AirPlay & Handoff. It's also worth unlocking the phone the first time so the devices can "recognize" each other.
8. You can control the call from the phone too: the white button on the iPhone's screen pauses video, so you can briefly turn off the camera without touching anything in the Mac app.

A typical scenario

A consultant has an important presentation for a new client over Teams. Her MacBook's built-in camera turns into a gray mush against the backlight, so before the call she clips her iPhone into a mount on the monitor and switches the camera to the phone in Teams. The client sees a sharp, detailed image with a nicely blurred background. When it's time to show a signed document, she switches on Desk View and displays the paper lying on the desk — no holding it up and waving it in front of the camera.

What you get out of it

A more professional impression on every video call, with no investment in an external webcam — you already carry the best camera in your pocket. On a desktop Mac with no built-in camera, this solves the webcam question entirely. And because it's a system feature, a habit set up once works the same way in every app. The same connection, by the way, can also turn your phone into a scanner — see the tip iPhone as a scanner.