Looking for a cost-effective way to use your old iPhone as a webcam? With just a few easy steps, you can transform your phone into an impressive webcam compatible with web conferencing platforms like Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Read on to learn how you can turn your iPhone into a high-quality video and audio streaming device.

iPhones have had great cameras for years, and you probably already have one. They’re also easy to carry around and set up anywhere. Even iPhones from 9 years ago are still better than most webcams today. Here’s how to use an old iPhone as a webcam to improve your video calls.

Your best webcam might be in your pocket

I keep looking for easy ways to improve the video experience on Zoom and Teams. Recently, I opened my desk drawer and saw three old iPhones sitting there. So I wondered, can these old phones be put to use as a webcam?

You can use iPhone as a webcam by using a free app called True Visage to get a clean HDMI video signal from your camera with no overlays, a lightning-to-HDMI adapter, and an HDMI-to-USB capture card. Connect the three together to a USB port on your computer, and the iPhone will appear as a webcam in Zoom or MS Teams.

If you’re interested in using an old iPhone as a webcam, you may want to know about the best mics for Zoom, and lighting for video, too. So go check those links when you’re done here.

The Problem with Video Calls

Terrible video quality on Zoom calls is everywhere. A lot could be fixed if people knew the basics of how to look good on Zoom, like camera positioning, framing, and lighting. There’s only so much you can do with the typical built-in webcams of most laptops, though. After you implement the best practices, it’s time to upgrade your hardware.

What Happens if You Don’t? 

Looking and sounding bad on Zoom is like showing up to work in dirty clothes while mumbling and slurring your words. Not a great look. Not how you want to be remembered by your clients. Is it? 

Imagine having a coworker who will only talk to you while huddling in the back of a dark closet. Would you look forward to talking to them? Would it be difficult? Would you have trouble understanding them? How persuasive do you think they’d be? If this was your clients’ experience when talking to you, do you think they’d take your calls? Would you? Let’s make some improvements.

Can an Old iPhone be Used as a Webcam?

The only thing more common right now than bad video on conference calls (apart from bad audio) is the prevalence of old iPhones in drawers with dead batteries, no SIM cards, and collecting dust.

Yes it Can, Here’s How

Pull that thing out from under the tangle of old cords. Charge it up, and let’s get started!

Download a Suitable App

Before you begin using your iPhone as a webcam, you first need to download the necessary app. No SIM card? No problem. Just connect to WiFi, go to the app store, and download “True Visage.” This free app will give you a clean video signal with no annoying overlays.

Now that you have it, it’s time to set it up for optimal performance. Check out the settings in the app to make sure your camera’s resolution is set to 1080p HD and the video frame rate is set to 30fps. You can also customize options like self-view mirroring and auto white balance for improved image quality during broadcasts.

Once you’ve got it set up on your iPhone, you’ll need a couple more things to make the connection to your computer.

Connect it to Your Computer

Once the app is set up you need to connect your iPhone to your computer or laptop. This isn’t like connecting via a normal USB cable. You need to use an HDMI adapter to connect your iPhone to an HDMI to USB capture card that you connect to your computer.

Pick up a Lightning-to-HDMI adapter and HDMI-to-USB capture card from your favorite big online sales behemoth. Plug the adapter into your phone. To the adapter, connect a charging cable and an HDMI cable. Connect the other end of the HDMI cable to an HDMI-to-USB capture card, like this one. Plug the capture card into a USB (preferably USB 3.0) port on your computer.

Once everything is plugged in and connected properly, your iPhone will appear in your web conference video settings as a USB webcam and you can begin streaming live video directly from your iPhone!

Don’t forget to connect a separate cable to the HDMI adapter for power so that your battery doesn’t die mid-call.

Disable Distractions

The easiest way to ensure you don’t get interrupted is to put your phone in airplane mode or at least “do not disturb” before you start your call. Otherwise, you risk a phone call, text, or other notification interrupting your stream. Since you’re sharing your actual phone screen as the webcam feed, any notification that pops up could be visible to everyone on your Zoom call.

Position Your iPhone for Optimal Viewing.

Mount the iPhone so it’s at eye level and pointed at you. Turn it on and fire up the True Visage app. Flip to the front-facing camera if you want to see yourself on the screen. It’s only 720p on an iPhone 5, but that’s plenty. The free version of Zoom only allows 720p video anyway.

In Zoom or MS Teams, select the camera source called “USB Video” in the drop-down list. 

Et voilà! 

You should now be showing up on Zoom in all the glory that is the Apple iPhone camera. Even the 9-year-old iPhone 5 simply blows away most current webcams in video quality, color, dynamic range, and exposure control.

Test Video and Audio Quality Before Going Live.

Once you’ve set up your iPhone as a webcam, it’s important to do a test run. Launch your app and check the camera settings to ensure everything looks good. Then join an online chat room or video conference platform and have an audio-only conversation with someone to make sure the sound quality is good. This will give you an idea of what your viewers will experience when they watch live streams from this device.

And there you go. You’re using your iPhone with its superior camera as a webcam for your computer or laptop. Now your colleagues get the better quality video feed from your phone, and you get to see the meeting on the bigger screen of your computer. Win-Win!

Old iPhones as Webcams, What will Work?

I have personally used an iPhone 5, an iPhone 6, and an iPhone 8 plus this way. Any iPhone with a Lightning connector works. I even tried an older iPhone 4 with the 30-pin connectors, but couldn’t get it to work.

Here are some select iPhone camera specs:

Model	Main Camera	Facetime Camera
iPhone 12	4k60fps	4k60fps
iPhone 11	4k60fps	4k60fps
iPhone X	4k60fps	1080p30fps
iPhone 8 plus	4k60fps	1080p30fps
iPhone 8	4k60fps	1080p30fps
iPhone 7	4k30fps	1080p30fps
iPhone 6	1080p60fps	720p30fps
iPhone 5	1080p30fps	720p30fps
iPhone 4	720p30fps	480p30fps

As you can see, for Zoom use, even the front-facing camera on the iPhone 5 is sufficient because the free version of Zoom caps video quality at 720p. With the paid version allowing up to 1080p video, any phone since the iPhone 5 is sufficient to maximize the resolution.

Conclusion

For about $30, you can repurpose an old, unused iPhone as a really good webcam. With this setup, you can also capture whatever is on your iPhone screen and record it directly to your computer or use the tethered iPhone to record videos or live-stream (in OBS, for example).

Better video, lower price, more versatile, and more sustainable than buying a webcam. What’s not to love? Now go learn about best practices for virtual meetings, OK?