How to use an iPhone as a webcam for a Mac
2 min read · 5 steps · Updated 2 October 2026
Sign in to the same Apple Account on both devices, switch on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and mount the locked iPhone near the Mac with its rear cameras facing you. In FaceTime, Zoom or another app on the Mac, choose the iPhone in the camera menu.
The rear camera of an iPhone is far better than the camera built into a Mac. Apple calls the feature Continuity Camera. It needs no cable and no extra app.
Step by step
Check what you have
You need an iPhone XR or later with iOS 16 or later, and a Mac with macOS Ventura 13 or later. Both must use the same Apple Account with two-factor authentication.
Switch on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on both
Both must be on for the Mac to find the iPhone.
Mount the iPhone
It should be locked, held steady, and placed with the rear cameras facing you and nothing in front of them. A small clip for the top of the Mac screen works well.
Choose the iPhone as the camera
Open FaceTime or your meeting app on the Mac. If the picture does not switch by itself, open the app's Video or camera menu and select your iPhone.
Use the extras
Click the video icon in the Mac's menu bar for Centre Stage, which keeps you in the frame, Portrait, which blurs the background, Studio Light and Desk View, which shows the desk in front of you.
Good to know
Plug the iPhone into power for long calls. It also works over a USB cable.
To pause, unlock the iPhone or use the app's own stop-video button.
The iPhone's microphone can be chosen separately under System Settings, Sound, Input on the Mac.
To switch the feature off, open Settings, General, AirPlay & Continuity on the iPhone and turn off Continuity Camera.
In short: Same Apple Account, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth on, mount the iPhone, pick it in the camera menu.
- Apple Support: Continuity Camera: Use iPhone as a webcam for Mac
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