The Pro version costs a few bucks, and didn't work for every scenario, but it was a reasonable solution when using a compatible app like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. I designed this iPhone MacBook mount for 3D printing.īefore Camera Continuity, I'd use EpocCam software from Elgato, which ran on my phone and allowed me to use it as a wireless camera for my MacBook. There are commercial mounts you can buy, like this one from Belkin, or you can try 3D printing this custom version I designed.

If you're using your iPhone as a wireless MacBook webcam, you'll probably want to mount it.

Even better, it works on (some) older Intel Macs, and you can see the exact list of compatible systems here. It's a feature that took far too many years to get, but it solves a ton of problems. Take an iPhone with iOS 16 and a MacBook with Ventura, and you can easily link them, using the phone's superior camera as your webcam. The latest MacOS version, called Ventura, adds a powerful new feature called Camera Continuity. For TV appearances from my work-from-home office, I sometimes use my phone mounted from an eye-level tripod clip. Either the front or back cameras will be better than any laptop you have. One option is to use your phone's camera.

Especially for a smaller, low-slung laptop like the Air, your camera isn't going to be at an optimal angle if it's sitting on your desk or kitchen table and aimed up at you. There's at least a reasonable chance you're beaming into an online Zoom meeting (or other video meeting) from a pre-2022 MacBook Air or something similar. And that means your Zoom or other video meetings are not going to look great, both because of the camera and because many people don't have their laptops set up to capture a decent-looking image. The side effect of MacBooks being in wide circulation and tending to last for many years is that there's a lot of older hardware out there. However, many Windows laptops were even ahead of Apple in adding better 1080p webcams over the past few years.

Many MacBook owners are still using either older Intel versions or the 13-inch M1 MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, and all of those systems are held back by one unfortunate quirk: a flat-looking 720p-resolution webcam with lots of noise and a lack of depth-sensing technology.Ī lot of Windows laptops are barely better, many with similar outdated webcams, but at least some have better light sensitivity, color accuracy or depth sensing for facial-recognition logins. Almost every new MacBook sold today has an upgraded high-resolution webcam, but that only helps if you've bought one in the last year or so.

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