How to connect a phone camera to OBS with DroidCam

The short answer

You install a DroidCam app on your phone and a matching component on your computer, then add the phone as a source in OBS Studio. There are two common ways to do this, and they are easy to confuse. The first uses the DroidCam OBS phone app with the DroidCam OBS plugin, which adds a dedicated DroidCam source inside OBS. The second uses the regular DroidCam phone app with the DroidCam desktop client, which makes the phone appear as a webcam that OBS adds as an ordinary Video Capture Device. Both get your phone's camera into OBS. The plugin route works only inside OBS. The client route makes the phone usable as a webcam in other apps as well.

Two other points cause confusion. DroidCam and DroidCam OBS have been distributed as separate phone apps, so check that the phone app matches the computer component you installed. OBS Virtual Camera works in the opposite direction from DroidCam. It does not bring the phone into OBS. It sends OBS's finished output, with your phone feed, overlays and effects, to a video-call app as if it were a webcam.

Before you start

• OBS Studio installed on your computer and opening normally.
• The DroidCam phone app that matches your chosen route, installed from your phone's official app store.
• The matching computer component: the DroidCam OBS plugin for the plugin route, or the DroidCam desktop client for the webcam route.
• A connection between phone and computer: both on the same Wi-Fi network, or a USB cable if your phone and setup support USB mode.
• A way to keep the phone powered and steady, because video streaming drains the battery and a handheld phone produces shaky video.

USB connections can need extra setup that depends on the phone. Android phones commonly need USB debugging turned on in Developer options. iPhones connected to a Windows PC may need Apple's device support software installed. These requirements vary by version, so if USB mode doesn't connect, check the current DroidCam documentation for your phone.

Route 1: Use the DroidCam OBS plugin

• 1. Close OBS completely before installing the plugin, because OBS loads plugins only when it starts.
• 2. Install the DroidCam OBS plugin on your computer, then reopen OBS.
• 3. Open the DroidCam OBS app on your phone and allow camera and, if you want phone audio, microphone access when it asks. The app should then show connection details, such as a Wi-Fi address.
• 4. In OBS, click the plus button under Sources and choose the DroidCam OBS source. If you don't see it in the list, the plugin didn't load. Reinstall it with OBS closed.
• 5. In the source's properties, choose how to connect (Wi-Fi or USB), select your phone or enter the details the phone app shows, and activate or refresh the connection.
• 6. Confirm the source, then resize and position it in your scene.

Route 2: Use the DroidCam client as a webcam

• 1. Install the DroidCam desktop client on your computer, including the webcam driver if the installer offers it.
• 2. Open the DroidCam app on your phone and allow camera access. Note the connection details it displays.
• 3. Open the desktop client, choose Wi-Fi or USB, enter the phone's details if asked, and start the connection.
• 4. In OBS, add a Video Capture Device source and pick the DroidCam device from the Device list.
• 5. If the preview stays black, check whether another app, such as a call app, is already using the DroidCam device. Many webcam devices serve only one app at a time.

How to tell it worked

Check the result in three stages, because each one proves something different.

• Connection and camera access: the phone app reports that it is connected, or its preview indicates streaming, and OBS lists the DroidCam source or device without an error. This confirms that OBS can reach the camera. It doesn't prove that video is arriving.
• Video capture: the OBS preview shows a live image, and when you wave your hand in front of the phone, the motion appears with no frozen frame. This confirms the feed is flowing into OBS.
• Usable quality: leave the feed running for a few minutes and watch for stutter, dropped frames, blur or disconnections. OBS's Stats window can show dropped or skipped frames. A brief preview check doesn't prove the feed will hold up for a full call or stream.

If you want the phone's microphone too

DroidCam can carry audio from the phone along with the video. Depending on the route, the audio appears as part of the DroidCam source or as a separate audio device that you add in OBS. Check it in two steps. First, the audio meter for that source in OBS's Audio Mixer should move when you speak. That confirms the microphone is detected and producing a signal. Second, record a short clip or monitor it with headphones and listen. That is the only way to confirm the speech is clear, free of echo, and in sync with the video.

Gap: no verified input-level targets or decibel thresholds were available for this setup, so this guide doesn't recommend specific meter values. As a general principle, speech should register clearly on the meter without regularly hitting the top of it. Many OBS users keep a separate computer microphone and use the phone only for video.

Send the phone camera from OBS to a video call

• 1. Build your scene in OBS with the DroidCam source and any overlays or effects.
• 2. Click Start Virtual Camera in OBS's Controls panel.
• 3. In your call app, open its camera settings and select OBS Virtual Camera.
• 4. Confirm that the call app's own preview shows your OBS scene. If it doesn't, restart the call app after starting the virtual camera. Some apps detect cameras only when they launch.

When you use OBS Virtual Camera, the call app sends only video. Your microphone is still chosen separately in the call app's audio settings. Any background you add in OBS, such as a chroma-key effect or an image layer, is a virtual effect in the video feed. It is different from your physical background and different from a background you edit into a photo afterward.

Common problems and what to check

• DroidCam source missing in OBS: the plugin didn't load. Close OBS fully, reinstall the plugin, and reopen OBS.
• Wi-Fi connection fails: confirm both devices are on the same network, not a guest network that isolates devices. Check that your computer's firewall isn't blocking DroidCam.
• USB connection fails: check the phone-specific requirements mentioned above, and try a different cable or port.
• Black or frozen preview: another app may be holding the camera, or the phone's screen or app may have gone to sleep. Bring the phone app back to the foreground and reconnect.
• Choppy or blurry video: a weak Wi-Fi signal is a common cause, so try USB or move closer to the router. Good lighting on your face also helps any camera.

What this guide doesn't cover

No confirmed details were available about current DroidCam versions, which features or resolutions are free versus paid, supported phone or operating-system versions, or exact menu names, so none of those are stated here. Labels in the apps may differ slightly from the ones above. If a step doesn't match what you see, follow the current instructions in the DroidCam app and OBS, and use the checks above to confirm each stage.