Android Webcam support to arrive with Android 14
The rudiments of Android 14 are gradually surfacing as we await the launch of the software. According to sources, the Android 14 will be coming in soon after the stable Android 13 QPR update in March. Well, it has been reported that Android Webcam support will be arriving with Android 14.
Android Webcam support
When the pandemic struck and millions of people were forced to work from home, video conferencing applications became one of the primary means by which we maintained in touch with colleagues, friends, and family. With the dramatic increase in webcam usage, new solutions were soon developed to provide higher video quality without the need to invest in a specialized USB camera.
The Camo software is the clearest illustration of this since it lets you effortlessly utilize an iOS or Android smartphone as a camera on a Windows or Mac computer. Since then, firms such as Apple have attempted to incorporate similar features into their products.
Google is working on its solution to the Camo app and Apple’s “Continuity Camera,” according to recent code modifications discovered by Mishaal Rahman.
The “DeviceAsWebcam” project, most probably the Android webcam support, which is still in development, appears to do exactly what it says on the box, allowing you to plug in an Android smartphone and use it as a camera. Importantly, there don’t appear to be any restrictions on how you choose to use your Android phone as a webcam at this time, since Google has chosen the “USB Video Class” or “UVC” standard, which should operate across a wide range of devices.
This contrasts sharply with Apple’s Continuity Camera, which only works between iOS and Mac devices. Notably, the publicly apparent effort in Android thus far is essentially a “service” for transferring video data through USB. There should also be an app on your device that directs the video data from your camera to the appropriate location for transmission. Specifically, unlike Camo, this must be a system app, which implies that if Google does not produce generic Android-ready software, OEMs must offer their own.
As a result, it’s unclear which phones will support being used as a webcam at this time. Similarly, while it’s reasonable to believe that this additional camera feature will be ready in time for Android 14, we won’t know much more until the software preview process begins.
