Camo uses your iPhone or iPad as a pro webcam for your Mac

Posted:
in Mac Software edited July 2020
Camo is a new app for iPhone and iPad that allows you to repurpose your mobile device's camera as a pro-quality webcam for your Mac that works with all your favorite applications.

Mounted iPhone using Camo with Mac
Mounted iPhone to use Camo for Mac


Camo is very easy to set up and with several nice touches along the way. When launching the app on our iPhone or iPad, it tells us to connect to Camo for Mac, and includes a quick link to AirDrop the app's download URL to a Mac in one quick step.

Users can choose which lens to use on their iPhone, adjust video zoom, and control individual settings like saturation, exposure, temperature, and contrast. The iPhone's flash can be controlled to adjust lighting, and users can even jump between multiple iOS devices during a call.

Camo features
Camo features


Out of the box there is a massive list of applications that Camo supports. This includes Zoom, Meet, Microsoft Teams, Skype, Slack, Google Chrome, WebEx Teams, QuickTime, and many others. There are more than 40 in total. At the moment FaceTime is left off the list, but is on the roadmap.

Not only does Camo make your webcam broadcasts much better than your Macs built-in camera, but the app gives you a constant preview image of yourself, even in apps that don't offer them, such as Google Meet.

We've been testing out Camo for the past few weeks during its beta process and his made a huge difference in the quality of our video calls. Some computers, such as the Mac Pro, don't have any webcam at all which makes the iPhone a much more affordable solution than buying a standalone camera.

Camo app for Mac
Camo app for Mac


Camo will be available as a free download which limits the video to 720p with the default lenses and a Camo watermark. For users that upgrade, they get all features of the app for a yearly fee of $39.99. Considering some users may be using Camo while working from home before heading back to the office, this may be a better solution than investing in a pricier high-end webcam.

Grab the app on the App Store for free.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    Surprised Apple hasn't already baked something like this in to Mac OS.

    I know I'm going to be the "hater" here but I have to question "makes the iPhone a much more affordable solution than buying a standalone camera". Thirty dollars buys you a decent camera. Eighty dollars buys you a really nice camera.

    I know Apple is trying to push subscription plans for software, but this is basically you leasing a camera. Use this software for 1 year and 1 month and the "value" of it is gone.
    superkloton
  • Reply 2 of 15
    boboliciousbobolicious Posts: 1,139member
    ...the flanking narrow bezel portrait displays also caught my eye and have me thinking Apple Thunderbolt 3 4K displays 'for the rest of us'...?

    Did AI vet the EULA in terms of privacy considerations...?  Would such add reader value as a matter of course for app reviews (esp 'free') in general going forward?

    edited July 2020
  • Reply 3 of 15
    jeromecjeromec Posts: 190member
    $40 a year is outrageous.
    superklotonsvanstromrazorpitjohnbear
  • Reply 4 of 15
    djames4242djames4242 Posts: 651member
    jeromec said:
    $40 a year is outrageous.
    It absolutely is outrageous. EpocCam isn’t as feature rich, but it lets me use my iPhone as a high definition webcam and it cost me $8 flat. I’d love some of the adjustments Camo offers, but $40/year is way too much.
    superklotonPylons
  • Reply 5 of 15
    JBSloughJBSlough Posts: 92member
    Had me until I read the subscription part. No way. Come on guys. Leasing camera software?  Don’t cry if you get Sherlocked. 
    superklotonsvanstromrazorpitwatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    I followed the development since quite a while and was very excited about it but when they revealed the subscription based model it immediately became uninteresting for me. I would've had no problems paying $40-50 once. But certainly not yearly. A real pity because it looks amazing.
    svanstromrazorpitwatto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 15
    PylonsPylons Posts: 32member
    Agreeing with the previous comments. $40/year???
    Also I didn’t know that EpocCam existed. Thanks @Djames4242! It sounds like a much better option. I will definitely check it out once I’m back to work from home after the summer holiday.
    If anyone has experience with EpocCam, or perhaps other options, please let us know!
    Or perhaps AI could review that as well?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    Sorry. 

    I was completely there and about to download this to give it a try. Then I see subscription and that price. Not interested. 

    Shame 
    superklotonwatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 15
    razorpitrazorpit Posts: 1,796member
    Whew, glad to see I'm not the only 'hater' on this one.  ;)
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    Echoing the sentiments above. I bought Epoc for 8 bucks and it's fine. Camo looks good and has some additional features, so I'd like to try it. For a $10-15 flat purchase I'd probably give it a whirl. Knowing that the full version is $40/year will keep me from even trying the free version.
    razorpitwatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    kimberlykimberly Posts: 427member
    $40 / year ... it's outrageous, egregious, preposterous.
    razorpit
  • Reply 12 of 15
    marc gmarc g Posts: 65member
    Agreed.  I was interested until I saw that. With very few exceptions, I don’t do software subscriptions. I’ve got no problem paying more than 10, 20, or as much as $50.00 once for an app that I own but not per year. 
    razorpit
  • Reply 13 of 15
    linkmanlinkman Posts: 1,035member

    Not only does Camo make your webcam broadcasts much better than your Macs built-in camera
    This part is bad. The resolution on Apple's built-in Mac cameras is sad. Spend $2400 on their best laptop and you get 720p. $200 on an iPod Touch and you get a better camera (on the back) compared to almost all Macs. Only once you go to the iMac Pro at $5000+ do you get a halfway decent one at 1080p.
  • Reply 14 of 15
    johnbearjohnbear Posts: 160member
    kimberly said:
    $40 / year ... it's outrageous, egregious, preposterous.
    You know what else is outrageous? 720p webcams that come with the 2020 MacBook pros!
  • Reply 15 of 15
    yoyo2222yoyo2222 Posts: 144member
    Why use any of these apps? Connect your iPhone via USB and open Quicktime Player. Choose "new movie recording" and then next to the record button click the disclosure arrow and choose the phone. Go to your chat app and the phone is now the selected camera. Some apps may not require the Quicktime thing but will just show a connected phone as a possible source.
    mtlion2020watto_cobrasuperkloton
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