Android 14 feature may allow smartphones double as webcams
Google may be working on a feature as a part of the next Android version that would allow smartphones to be used as webcams. Similar to how the iPhone works with MacBooks, smartphones with Android 14 would also work with a laptop or a desktop. While there are already several such apps that allow you to do that, Android 14 will bring native support for smartphones.
According to Android enthusiast Mishaal Rahman, Google has packed something called DeviceAsWebcam in Android 14, which is an in-progress project that will let you plug in an Android device and use it as a webcam. Android has offered plug-and-play USB support for external webcams for quite some time, but native support for webcams is new.
At this stage, there seem to be no limitations on how the Android 14 phone will be used as a webcam since Google may have equipped what is called the UVC standard that would work across different devices. This means Android 14 devices could work as webcams, no matter what operating system they are used with. Rahman said that there is no clarity whether this feature will be enabled in Android 14 after release and if it will, what this feature would look like.
This is different from how the Continuity Camera feature on iOS and Mac devices works. Apple allows the Continuity Camera feature to work only within the Apple ecosystem, leaving out devices with other operating systems, such as a PC.
Ever since the pandemic forced people to stay indoors and work or study from home, apps that offer video conferencing became popular. So did the use of webcams on devices. While you will barely find a laptop without a webcam, the video quality from the webcam is spotty and undesirable. For situations like this, using a phone as a webcam helps. While the iPhone has the Continuity Camera feature, Android offers a suite of apps such as Camo.
The post Android 14 feature may allow smartphones double as webcams appeared first on Techlusive.
Google may be working on a feature as a part of the next Android version that would allow smartphones to be used as webcams. Similar to how the iPhone works with MacBooks, smartphones with Android 14 would also work with a laptop or a desktop. While there are already several such apps that allow you to do that, Android 14 will bring native support for smartphones.
According to Android enthusiast Mishaal Rahman, Google has packed something called DeviceAsWebcam in Android 14, which is an in-progress project that will let you plug in an Android device and use it as a webcam. Android has offered plug-and-play USB support for external webcams for quite some time, but native support for webcams is new.
At this stage, there seem to be no limitations on how the Android 14 phone will be used as a webcam since Google may have equipped what is called the UVC standard that would work across different devices. This means Android 14 devices could work as webcams, no matter what operating system they are used with. Rahman said that there is no clarity whether this feature will be enabled in Android 14 after release and if it will, what this feature would look like.
This is different from how the Continuity Camera feature on iOS and Mac devices works. Apple allows the Continuity Camera feature to work only within the Apple ecosystem, leaving out devices with other operating systems, such as a PC.
Ever since the pandemic forced people to stay indoors and work or study from home, apps that offer video conferencing became popular. So did the use of webcams on devices. While you will barely find a laptop without a webcam, the video quality from the webcam is spotty and undesirable. For situations like this, using a phone as a webcam helps. While the iPhone has the Continuity Camera feature, Android offers a suite of apps such as Camo.
The post Android 14 feature may allow smartphones double as webcams appeared first on Techlusive.
