How to turn your iPhone into a web cam for Zoom, Skype, Hangouts, and more

Epoccam in use on iPhone and Mac (Image credit: Luke Filipowicz/iMore)

Now that a lot of people are working from home, more people need to use their webcams during meetings, conferences, or even just to chat with friends and family. While programs like Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, and others are great for connecting, the built-in webcam on your laptop might be lacking a good picture.

You could always get a dedicated external webcam. Still, if you don't want to shell out any money or use up a precious port on your computer, with the help of EpocCam Webcam for Mac and PC and a little know-how, you can use your iPhone as a webcam.

EpocCam Webcam for Mac and PC

Make your iPhone camera into a webcam for all your video conferences via Skype, Google Meet, Zoom, and much more!

How to turn your iPhone into a webcam using EpocCam Webcam for Mac and PC

There are a few different steps you'll need to go through on both your iPhone and your Mac before you'll be ready to load up your favorite video conferencing software. Plus, you need to ensure your iPhone and your Mac or both on the same Wi-Fi network before you get started.

How to download EpocCam on your iPhone and Mac

Download EpocCam Webcam for Mac and PC on your iPhone.
On your Mac, go to the Kinoni website
Click on Download macOS drivers. You'll need to scroll down the page to see it.
Click onAllow.

Setting up EpocCam on your Mac: download the macOS drivers and then click allow. (Image credit: iMore)

Click on Downloads. It's the little arrow near the top right corner. You can also open your Downloads folder in Finder.
Double-click on EpocCam Installer_2_0.pkg. This will start the install process.

Opening the PKG file for EpocCam: Click on downloads and then double click EpocCam. (Image credit: iMore)

Click on Continue.
Click on Install.

Using EpocCam installer on Mac: Click on continue and then click on install. (Image credit: iMore)

Once the program is done installing on your Mac and you've downloaded the app to your iPhone, you'll be able to start using your iPhone as your webcam!

How to use EpocCam as a webcam

Now that you have the software installed on both your iPhone and your Mac, you're ready to turn your iPhone into a webcam.

Launch EpocCam from the Home screen on your iPhone.
Tap OK to allow EpocCam access to your camera.

EpocCam app on iOS: Launch EpocCam from your home screen and then tap OK (Image credit: iMore)

On your Mac, launch your video conferencing software. I'll be using Google Meet through Google Chrome for this example.
Open the video settings in whichever program you're using.

Using EpocCam on Google Meet: Launch the video software you want to use and go to the video settings. (Image credit: iMore)

Click on the Camera.
Click on the EpocCam.

Changing camera settings in Google Meet: Click on the camera and the click on the EpocCam. (Image credit: iMore)

The video settings for each program are in slightly different places, but the main take away is that the EpocCam will show up as a camera option in the camera settings. I've tried it with Zoom, Google Meet, and Skype, and it functions great!

Upgrade the app for additional features

While you can use the free version of EpocCam (as I did above), it does have its limitations. The free version has ads, only shoots in 720p, and only uses video from your iPhone.

If you want to dish out $7.99 for the upgraded version of EpocCam, you'll be able to replace the background, remove the ads, shoot in full HD (1080p), and use the audio from your iPhone as well.

EpocCam Webcamera for Computer

With audio support, full 1080p HD video, and the ability to replace your background, the paid version of EpocCam is worth it if you intend to use it a lot.

Any questions?

Let us know in the comments down below!

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way.

Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.