How to Use Spancam
A step-by-step guide to setting up Spancam and using your Android phone as a webcam on your Mac.
Install Spancam on your Mac
Download Spancam from the Mac App Store (or the direct DMG) and open it. It lives in your menu bar — click the Spancam icon any time to see status and settings.
Approve the camera extension
On first launch, Spancam asks to install its camera extension — this is what makes "Spancam" show up as a selectable camera in your other apps. Approve it in System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Camera Extensions (macOS may also show a one-time Privacy & Security prompt). You only do this once.
Install Spancam on your phone
Get Spancam from Google Play on your Android phone. Open it and grant Camera access (and Notifications, so you get the streaming indicator) when asked.
Connect over USB or Wi-Fi
USB: plug your phone into the Mac with a cable and tap OK on the phone's connection prompt — no developer mode or ADB needed. Wi-Fi: put both devices on the same network and the Mac discovers your phone automatically; pick it from the list. Spancam prefers the cable when both are available and switches smoothly if one drops.
Pick Spancam in your video app
In FaceTime, Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, OBS, or your browser, open the camera menu and choose "Spancam". Your phone's camera appears as the video source. That's the whole setup.
Tune it (optional)
In the Mac menu-bar app you can toggle eye-contact correction and background blur/replacement — all processed on your Mac. On the phone you can switch between the front and rear camera and adjust pro controls like zoom, exposure, focus, and white balance.
No-install webcam (optional)
Need to share quickly without the desktop app? On the phone, Spancam can serve your camera as a stream on your local Wi-Fi, reachable in a browser through a private one-time link — handy for a quick view on another device.