What you need to know
- Your Android device may soon function as a USB webcam.
- New code found in AOSP indicates that this functionality may be built into compatible Android handsets.
- It’s unclear when this feature will be available on Android.
During the pandemic, many people have found a way to use their smartphones as their default camera to attend meetings or answer countless Zoom calls. An iPhone user has a Continuity Camera feature that allows the user to use her device to do it on her Mac. For Android phones, this usually involves using third-party apps to make things work, but it looks like Google will address this soon with a new feature built into Android.
According to Mishaal Rahman, Android may soon support turning your phone into a USB webcam. He recently found a new service in his AOSP repository called “DeviceAsWebCam” that “turns an Android device into his webcam”.
Using Android phones as webcams was very popular during the pandemic, but usually required installing a third-party app. We are adding support for , so you may not need to do this in the future!February 2, 2023
According to Rahman, the only requirement here is that the Android device “supports the standard UVC (USB video class) gadget mode and can send video data that the host can read from the /dev/video* node.” That’s it.
Rahman indicates that there is a system property “ro.usb.uvc.enabled” that toggles UVC gadget functionality on Android devices. This is further readable by system apps, for example the Settings app.
UVC gadgets are new to Android devices, but Rahman said many third-party apps offer similar functionality. However, you’ll need an app or service to send video data from your camera to a hosted device such as a laptop, but it’s still nice that your phone has it enabled by default.
Note that you still need an app/service to send the video data from the camera to the /dev/video* nodes for the host device to read. I’m not sure how this feature will look in Android 14, but if this feature is implemented in Android 14 release, it’s definitely something I’ll keep an eye on!February 2, 2023
The kernel needs to be tweaked and compiled to enable this feature. However, to do so, the user needs root access and an app called USB Gadget Tool.
Most of us don’t want to go through all this hassle. Instead, you’ll have to wait until the feature is published. can As suggested by Rahman, it happens within Android 14. This new feature may also make Zoom and Google Meet calls look better than your standard webcam on your work laptop. This is a plus.
The new Galaxy S23 Ultra packs a 200MP camera to get great low-light images, enhanced zoom, and more detail in every photo. The built-in S Pen also helps you stay productive, and the new Snapdragon chip boosts performance.
