Apple Details macOS Ventura and iOS 16 Continuity Camera Feature

[MacRumors]

Apple has detailed macOS Ventura's and iOS 16's new Continuity Camera feature in a recently published support document, offering details, instructions, and tips for the feature.

Continuity Camera is a new feature in macOS Ventura that allows users to use an iPhone as a webcam on their Mac. Continuity Camera works wirelessly or wired in FaceTime, Zoom, and other apps. With Continuity Camera, users will get video directly from their iPhone camera, which has significantly better quality than the built-in camera on Macs.

Continuity Camera also allows users to use different effects from their iPhones. For the first time on Mac, for example, users can use the Wide Camera on the iPhone to enable Center Stage. Studio Light, Portrait mode, and Desk View, which simultaneously shows a user's desk and face, are also available.

To attach an iPhone to a MacBook, users can purchase a new Belkin iPhone mount that attaches an iPhone to the top bezel of a MacBook. The mount retails for $29.95 and is available on Apple's online store.

According to the support document, users will need an iPhone running iOS 16 or later and a Mac with macOS Ventura to use Continuity Camera. Additionally, users must be signed into the same Apple ID on both devices with two-factor authentication enabled, and Bluetooth or Wi-Fi must also be enabled.

Article Link: Apple Details macOS Ventura and iOS 16 Continuity Camera Feature

 

[icanhazmac]

I cannot think of a single thing that would make me hang my phone off the back of my laptop.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Is it weird that I don't plan on using this feature at all?

 

[Nicole1980]

All this because they were too cheap to put decent built-in cameras in their laptops or iMacs

 

[loby]

I am curious at the distance you can have the iPhone away from Mac. Might be something to have a camera at another angle etc. for FaceTime or Zoom calls or to capture a larger area
.

 

[syklee26]

This concept is stupid. Apple doesn't have resources to engineer better camera integration?

 

[vegetassj4]

They should let the cameras in the iPhone vibrate again and call it Autotwerk, or maybe iTwerk mode.

 

[Two Appleseeds]

The feature of being able to use your phone camera in a hopefully well integrated way for your laptop is great. While there've been apps for this, having it baked into the OS is nice. The idea of balancing a heavy Iphone Pro Max on the top razor thin edge of your expensive laptop is crazy though. Using a tripod would be fine

 

[MallardDuck]

It's nice, but missing one big feature...you can't zoom or frame the video. So if you use a green screen, and it's not wide enough to cover the whole view (e.g. a green wall), then this just doesn't work as well as a brio or other dedicated webcam. Disappointing actually. It has plenty of excess resolution to allow framing.

 

[JustAnExpat]

All this because they were too cheap to put decent built-in cameras in their laptops or iMacs

What Windows based laptops have cameras that are better than 1080?

This has a 720p camera:

Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 (13.5-inch) review: a few steps forward and one big step back

Microsoft’s flagship stays the course — mostly.

www.theverge.com

This one has a 720p camera:

https://shop.asus.com/us/90nb0wv7-m000u0-zenbook-14x-oled-space-edition-ux5401-12th-gen-intel.html (and it's 2,000 USD too!)

And another one with a 720p camera:

XPS 13 Laptop - Dell XPS 13-inch Laptop Computers

Shop the thinnest & lightest 13-inch XPS laptop featuring a vibrant display & everyday performance, or view all XPS laptops at Dell.com.

www.dell.com

Why should Apple include a fancy camera in their laptops?

 

[petrucci666]

can this work with iPhone 11 Pro?

 

[mthomas184]

Why should Apple include a fancy camera in their laptops?

People just like to complain about Apple at every chance they get.

 

[vbctv]

Belkin is suppose to have a mount coming out for desktop & monitors also in the future according to their press release. You can Google a search and there are some images from WWDC that quickly showed it.

 

[evertjr]

This feature works impressively well, there's zero wireless latency, but I'd rather mount the phone on my big monitor than over my MacBook lid.

 

[T!m]

This feature works very well. My iPhone 12 is a little heavy for the lid on my MBA M1. it would have worked great during covid.

 

[vjpulp]

I would argue that this feature is being marketed completely wrongly.
It should not be used for laptops or iMacs (which already have a webcam), but mainly targeted for owners of Mac Minis, Mac Studios, Mac Pros, etc. who use a third party screen and have no or an old webcam. These are the real beneficiaries of this feature.
I for one have an LG 5K Screen hanging on my Mac Studio and will definitely use it.

 

[rookie_macuser!]

On a tripod with MagSafe this seems like a really good idea if you have a lot of meetings and want good quality video.

 

[idji73]

They should make this work on Apple TV with a Facetime app.

Too bad that it also needs another camera plugged in my Mac mini to work. I don't do video calls that often and like to keep my setup clean, without a camera sitting on top on my monitor.

 

[btrach144]

Can it be used on Intel macs?

 

[jbrons]

I like my setup: Reincubate Camo + iPhone 8, held in place with a tripod mount, adhered to the front bezel of a Thunderbolt display with a 3M mounting strip.

Plus, the triple-back-tap accessibility gesture launches Camo so I just unlock the phone with my finger and tap to launch the camera app.

 

[dbwie]

It's worth noting that you don't have to mount it behind the screen of a laptop to use it. I have one of those iPhone tripod mounts with magnets at the tips, allows me to place the iPhone camera anywhere, can get a face close up if you want. More camera angles, and a mobile phone camera are nice if you want to pan around your living environment, for example.

 

[dbwie]

They should make this work on Apple TV with a Facetime app.

Too bad that it also needs another camera plugged in my Mac mini to work. I don't do video calls that often and like to keep my setup clean, without a camera sitting on top on my monitor.

It doesn't have to sit on top of your monitor, you can hold it in your hand, put it on a tripod mount, etc

 

[DotCom2]

It's worth noting that you don't have to mount it behind the screen of a laptop to use it. I have one of those iPhone tripod mounts with magnets at the tips, allows me to place the iPhone camera anywhere, can get a face close up if you want. More camera angles, and a mobile phone camera are nice if you want to pan around your living environment, for example.

Ahh, thank you for posting this. I was wondering why that wouldn't work. Can you tell us the model and brand of the tripod you use please?

 

[Thisismattwade]

Can you use this feature even if the MacBook is in clamshell mode?

 

[kiranmk2]

Is there a minimum iPhone requirement other than iOS16? I guess iPhone 11 for the deskview / centre stage feature by way of the ultrawide lens, but will iPhone 8, X, XS, XR, SE (2md/3rd gen) work as a basic webcam?