A new feature for Microsoft's Windows 11 is here to bring Android smartphones to act as the webcams of your PCs, centering on the feature called "Phone Link." This is similar to Apple's renowned "Continuity Camera," which allows Mac computers to connect to iPhones using the eligible macOS versions and use its webcam for clearer and better-quality videos.
Through this feature, Windows users may opt to use their Android devices' rear cameras to get the best possible video conferencing quality instead of buying a third-party webcam.
Microsoft Windows 11 Copies Apple's Continuity Camera for Android
Microsoft announced its latest update for Windows 11, and apart from its massive focus on Copilot's better integration, the company highlighted improved connections between the PC OS and Android smartphones. In this integration, Microsoft claimed that the feature to use Android smartphones' rear cameras for Windows 11 PCs is now available.
Through the Phone Link platform for both Windows 11 and Android smartphones, users may now set up the rear cameras of their eligible mobile devices as their webcams, offering better-quality pictures.
Moreover, this is available across all video conferencing apps, said Microsoft, detailing a new "productivity partner" for Windows PCs.
Windows 11 Android Phone Link: Use it as a Webcam
Like Apple's Continuity Camera, where users can use it as their Mac's webcam, Windows 11 brings this feature to all eligible Android smartphones with the Phone Link app. Users may set this video input feature on their preferred video conferencing apps and set it as default.
Alongside this, Microsoft also introduced a way to easily access recent photos from the Android smartphone through this Phone Link experience.
Apple's Continuity Camera and Windows 11 Phone Link
Apple was the first to bring the iPhones to work as external webcams for Mac computers in 2022, with the Continuity Camera integrated into the iOS 16 and the macOS 13 Ventura for users.
Here, users would only need to bring both devices together and ensure that they are using the same Apple account, with a pop-up message appearing on the iPhone to use it as the webcam whenever launching video conferencing apps on the Mac.
On the other hand, Microsoft's take on a smartphone-to-PC sync and experiencing the seamless connection between both devices arrived with Windows 11, with the Redmond giant calling it 'Phone Link.' Through this feature, users may get notifications, messages, and other types of features available on their Windows 11-compatible computers and expand more phone-to-computer experiences via Microsoft's OS.
Later on, the webcam for Android feature was introduced by Google for the latest Pixel smartphones on Android 14, but it was initially exclusive to the company's smartphones.
This latest feature centers on Microsoft's take on the entire Android ecosystem, featuring eligible devices to connect easily with Windows 11 PCs, acting as their dedicated webcams for better-quality videos.
