How to Use Your iPhone as a Webcam for Your Mac

Continuity Camera is an Apple feature that uses your iPhone's camera as a webcam for your Mac — automatically and wirelessly. Your iPhone has a much better camera than any built-in Mac webcam, so video calls look noticeably sharper and more professional.

This feature was introduced with macOS Ventura and iOS 16 in 2022. If your Mac and iPhone both have those software versions or later, you already have it — no setup is required beyond a few seconds of configuration.

How it works: your iPhone detects when your Mac needs a camera and makes itself available automatically. You can use it wired (USB cable) or wirelessly over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. In apps like Zoom, Google Meet, FaceTime, and Messages, you just select "iPhone Camera" as your camera source.

The iPhone camera quality is genuinely impressive for video calls. The main camera has better low-light performance and autofocus than most laptop webcams.

There is also a feature called "Desk View" — when your iPhone is mounted above your desk pointing down, your Mac can simultaneously show your face (using the front camera) and a top-down view of your desk — great for showing documents or handwriting during a call.

Requirements: iPhone XR or later, Mac with Apple Silicon (M1/M2) or Intel Mac from 2017 or later, iOS 16 and macOS Ventura or later, both devices signed into the same Apple ID.