During this time of remote instruction, many instructors are requesting students participate in synchronous class sessions or proctored exams. Unfortunately, webcams have become increasingly difficult to acquire. In the event that you do not have a webcam or cannot acquire access to one, then you may want to explore some of the alternate methods below. These methods allow you to use your mobile phone as a connected webcam on your desktop or laptop. 

Mobile Apps for Zoom and Webcourses

Zoom meetings and Webcourses@UCF conferences can be accessed directly from a smartphone or tablet as an alternative to using a webcam on a computer. 

Download Zoom and Canvas Student mobile apps: https://ucfmobile.ucf.edu/apps/

Turn Your Smartphone into a Webcam

Below is a list of mobile apps that can connect to a computer and allow a smartphone camera to act as a webcam. These apps are useful when a native mobile app isn’t available to complete a class assignment or activity. 

Each app requires a mobile app AND software installed on either a Windows or Mac computer. The apps below are only suggestions, so pick one that best meets the requirements of your smartphone and desktop operating system. 

You will need a connection cable from your phone to your computer (i.e., lightning to USB-C/A or USB-C to USB-C/A). You will also need to install a mobile app on your phone and the corresponding desktop/laptop software on your computer.

Windows and Mac

Iriun Webcam – Free to download and supports Android and iOS.

EpocCam – Free and ad-supported with limited camera quality. An ad-free version with premium features is available for $7.99. EpocCam supports Android and iOS. 

Windows ONLY

iVCam – iVCam is free and ad-supported with limited camera quality. An ad-free version with premium features is available for $9.99. iVCam supports Android and iOS. 

DroidCam Wireless Webcam – DroidCam Wireless Webcam is free to download and supports Android and iOS. DroidCam is more technical than other apps in this list but does support Linux in addition to Windows. 

Change Default Camera in Chrome

When using a mobile webcam app, sometimes the default camera needs to be changed to the mobile device camera. The following instructions show how to change the default webcam when using Chrome. Review https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/2693767#9246736 for instructions.