After the DroidCam OBS plugin is installed, re-start OBS Studio.
Add a DroidCam source to your scene.
In the source properties, select 'Use WiFi' and enter the WiFi IP displayed in the phone app.
Your phone and computer must be connected to the same network/router.
Hit [Activate], and the source will try to connect with the app on the phone.
If you dont see the Activate button, scroll down a bit in the source properties.
To stop or modify any options, [Deactivate] the source.
Click [Refresh Device List] to auto-discover devices.
For WiFi discovery, make sure the phone app is open and multicast is allowed in your router settings.
- Do not enable audio, if you don't need it. This uses extra CPU.
- It is recommended to keep the phone at 100% battery and connected to power, to avoid any battery usage and extra heat.
- To use multiple phones, just add another DroidCam source to your scene.
- To use the same phone in multiple scenes, add the same DroidCam source to all of them.
- If you wish to apply different filters to the same DroidCam source, use the Source Clone plugin to make copies of it.
- Use the 'Deactivate when not showing' option if you need different DroidCam sources connecting to the same phone.
DroidCam is free to use at standard definition. You can try HD video, but will need to purchase the pro upgrade to remove watermarks.
USB Setup
Use [Refresh Device List] to detect connected devices.Ensure the USB cable is in good condition and the physical USB ports are not loose for a stable connection.
Android USB Setup
1. Unlock Developer Options and enable USB Debugging on your phone:
Open your phones main Settings and search for "Build Number" (usually under the About section).
Tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer mode.
Once unlocked, go back to the main Settings and search for USB Debugging (found under Developer Options) and turn this On.
2. With USB Debugging turned on, connect the phone via USB to the computer. Your computer is ready to detect to the phone.
Windows PCs
Windows PCs will usually search for and install the appropriate drivers automatically at this time.
Macs
No extra drivers are required.
Linux PCs (click to expand)
Debian/Ubuntu:
sudo apt install adb
ARCH Linux:
sudo pacman -S android-tools
Fedora/SUSE:
sudo yum install android-tools
3. In OBS Studio, open the DroidCam source Properties and click [Refresh Device List].
You'll likely get a dialog on the phone to Allow USB Debugging. Tap OK to allow the connection.
Check the Device drop-down and select the phone (instead of "Use WiFi"), then click Activate to connect the app.
My device is not found
1. On the phone, pull down the notification area and open "USB Options". If the mode is MTP (Media Transfer or File Transfer), change it to 'Charging' or PTP (Picture Transfer) instead. Try again to Refresh the Device List on the computer.
2. If you have a Windows PC – drivers for the phone may need to be installed manually:
For Google Pixel, Nexus, and OnePlus devices get the Google USB drivers here:
https://developer.android.com/studio/run/win-usb
Samsung USB drivers:
https://developer.samsung.com/mobile/android-usb-driver.html
LG Mobile Drivers:
https://www.lg.com/us/support/software-firmware-drivers
(scroll to Popular Software, and find the LG Mobile Drivers section)
For other brands, this page provides links to most manufacturers websites:
http://developer.android.com/tools/extras/oem-usb.html#Drivers
You can also do a web search, ADB Drivers for ____.
Example: ADB Drivers for HTC.
For further help, contact android-support@dev47apps.com. Please include your system details and which steps you are having trouble with.
iOS USB Setup
Windows PCs
USB connections require the Apple USB drivers. Windows will automatically install drivers in most cases.
To verify: hit the Windows key, search for Installed Apps, Open and check for Apple Mobile Device Support in the list of apps. You can also look for Apple Mobile Device Support in Control Panel, under Programs and Features.
If Apple Mobile Device Support is not listed, you can download and install AMDS manually from here: Apple Mobile Device Support (64-bit).
Linux PCs (click to expand)
usbmuxd
, droidcam will communicate with the usbmuxd service to detect and work with iPhones.
No extra drivers are required.
If you have the Flatpak version of OBS, you can make usbmuxd available with the following flag:
flatpak run --filesystem=/run/usbmuxd:ro com.obsproject.Studio
Macs (click to expand)
2. Make sure to Trust the computer on the phone, if prompted:
3. In OBS Studio, open the DroidCam source Properties and click [Refresh Device List].
Available iOS devices will be added to the Device drop-down. Select your phone (instead of "Use WiFi"), then click Activate to connect the app.
My device is not found
On your iDevice, check if the Personal Hotspot feature is enabled, and turn this Off.
Go to Settings > Cellular > Personal Hotspot, or Settings > Personal Hotspot.
Windows PCs
Try getting iTunes in addition to the AMDS drivers from above: Install the desktop version of iTunes by following the Windows link under other versions here (do not use the Microsoft Store option), or consult this help article by Apple on how to update the AMDS drivers.
Linux PCs
Try restarting the usbmuxd service:
sudo usbmuxd
, or reboot the PC.
Macs
Select 'Use WiFi' in the Device drop-down, and enter the USB address displayed in the app into the WiFi IP field. Click Activate to connect the app.
For further help, contact ios-support@dev47apps.com. Please include your system details and which steps you are having trouble with.
Frequently Asked Questions
The plugin does not activate / Video does not start
Check if the WiFi IP in your DroidCam OBS source is correct and matches the phone app.
Make sure the computer and the phone are on the same network. Both wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) connections are fine.
If you have both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz WiFi networks active, all devices need to be on the same network. Check your router options.
Try restarting your WiFi router: unplug from power, wait a few seconds, plug back in and let it start up.
If your computer has multiple network interfaces, make sure OBS Studio is using the correct one ("Bind IP" option under Advanced section in OBS Settings).
If your computer has VPN software installed, try connecting DroidCam before enabling VPN, or connect the app over USB to bypass the VPN.
If you have extra Firewalls enabled on your computer / your phone / your router – these might block the connection. Firewalls are usually present on corporate or school networks, and connecting via USB (or a WiFi hotspot) is the recommended workaround.
If you need further help, you may send in your OBS logs with the DroidCam connection not working. See "Report a problem" in the General Q&A.
Video is not stable and keeps disconnecting
If you are using WiFi, the connection may not be strong enough to handle the data.
Try restarting your WiFi router: unplug from power, wait a few seconds, plug back in and let it start up.
In the phone app, open the Settings and under the Video section, (1) make sure "Advanced Options" are OFF, (2) Target Quality is 'Normal'.
In OBS studio, select 1280x720 (720p) for the DroidCam OBS source. If this works without issue you can try increasing
the target quality or switching to 1080p.
USB connections will be more stable in general, but ensure the cable is good quality and the USB ports are not loose.
Android only: Your phone may be restricting DroidCam as part of system optimizations.
Some Android manufacturers have introduced restrictions preventing apps from keeping wake locks, or working in the background.
You can work around these restrictions by connecting the phone to power, or disabling certain battery optimizations.
Please consult dontkillmyapp.com, which has listed various solutions for different Android brands.
Read Error: timeout / Anti-Virus software error
Some Antivirus software block the connection from OBS to the phone. At this time it's unclear what the reason is.
Try adding obs64.exe (from the obs installation folder) as an exclusion / trusted / allowed program.
With Avast disable the Web Shields option.
With AVG disable the Web Protection option.
With Windows Defender, check the Real-Time Protection options.
MJPG or AVC
AVC is the recommended format. MJPG is little heavier on the CPU and the network,
use it if you are getting too much delay with AVC.
Rotation, Flipping, Portrait Mode
You can rotate and mirror any video source in OBS Studio. Right click and use the 'Transform' menu to apply changes.
Ultrawide, Telephoto lenses
On Android, open the DroidCam OBS app settings and enable "Camera2 API".
The app should now detect and offer more options in the main camera selection menu.
On some newer devices, running Android 11+, extra lenses are accessible by zooming in/out while video is active.
Note: Some phones limit camera features to their own apps or for local video recording only –
in which case DroidCam will not be able to access all lenses.
See "Android Device Support" below for details.
On iOS, open DroidCam's settings and select your preferred lens before starting video.
60FPS
Ensure OBS Studio is set to at least 60FPS in the video options, in the Settings.
On Android, update "Target FPS" under the camera settings in the DroidCam OBS app.
The app will display the actual selected FPS range when video starts, look for "AE FPS" message.
Note: Some phones limit camera features to their own apps or for local video recording only –
in which case DroidCam will not be able to deliver higher resolutions / fps.
See "Android Device Support" below for details.
On iOS, open DroidCam's settings and select your preferred FPS before starting video.
Android Device Support
Some Android phones limit camera features to their own apps or for local video recording only – in which case DroidCam will not be able to take full advantage of avaialble hardware.
For example, Samsung Galaxy Ultra devices restrict the telephoto lens and only expose 30FPS capture to non-native apps.
You can download a camera inspector to see which features your phone supports for apps:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.airbeat.device.inspector
Google Pixel (Nexus) devices usually have the best support for all available hardware, and are the recommended option for DroidCam.
Video pixelation from movement
Open the DroidCam OBS app settings, and set the video Target Quality to 'High' to reduce the pixelation.
If you have fast WiFi or a good USB connection, you can also enable Advanced Options here
and select a custom bitrate instead of using the preset target quality options.
Consult the table below for 'Target Quality' to bitrate mappings when Advanced Options are OFF.
What are the 'Target Quality' presets for video?
Target Quality | AVC 640x480 | AVC 960x720 | AVC 1280x720 | AVC 1920x1080 | I-Frames | JPG |
Low Normal High Very High |
0.6 Mbps 1 Mbps 1.2 Mbps 1.4 Mbps |
2 Mbps 3 Mbps 4 Mbps 6 Mbps |
3 Mbps 4 Mbps 6 Mbps 8 Mbps |
5 Mbps 7 Mbps 8 Mbps 12 Mbps |
3s 2s 1s 1s |
60% 75% 85% 90% |
Battery Optimizations
Streaming video will use a lot of resources on your phone.
DroidCam is designed to be minimalistic and save resources where possible.
* Do not enable audio, if you don't need it. This uses extra CPU.
* Keep the phone at 100% battery and connected to power, to avoid any battery usage and extra heat.
* Allow the phone screen to dim to reduce resource usage more.
* Reduce the target FPS to 30, or use 1280x720 instead of 1920x1080.
* Do not max out the video options. Keep "Advanced Options" off and use the "High" or "Very High" video quality preset in the app settings.
* Place the phone in a way that will let it dissipate heat.
* If you have a strong WiFi signal, try using WiFi instead of USB.
Remote Controls
The app includes remote controls as part of the Pro upgrade, which you can open on your computer.- The remote control does not show video, use it to control the camera (zoom, exposure, ..).
- The app can be connected over USB, while the remote is used over WiFi.
- The remote can be added as a Custom Browser Dock directly inside OBS Studio (Docks > Custom Browser Docks).