Can I use my iPhone’s camera, but my MacBook’s screen, for FaceTime?

April 6, 2020 9:11 PM

My parents and I are planning a FaceTime call with my grandmother. She’ll have an iPad provided by staff at her nursing home, while we have an iPhone 12 and MacBook Pro. The iPhone camera is significantly better than the MacBook’s, so I’d like to use that to give my grandmother the best possible video of us. But we’d like to see my grandmother on the MacBook's larger screen (and better speakers). Is this possible without using any third-party software? If a third-party app is necessary, which one would be the least sketchy?
posted by theory to Computers & Internet (13 answers total)

You can certainly do this in Zoom or Webex. Not sure what's sketchier, really, although Zoom has been less than forthright about end-to-end encryption. But it's not like Facetime is completely secure. Unless you're talking bank accounts and wills I probably wouldn't worry about the security so much.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:27 PM on April 6, 2020

Response by poster: I should clarify that it needs to be a FaceTime call, since that's what they're set up for at the nursing home.

When it comes to third-party software, I mean something which will enable a FaceTime call that's made from a MacBook to use the camera from an iPhone instead of the MacBook's camera.
posted by theory at 9:28 PM on April 6, 2020

I don't have an iPhone but I think you could use both by making it a 3 person call.
posted by AugustWest at 10:05 PM on April 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

Just mirror your iPhone screen to the macbook. The laptop display will then show what's on your iPhone.
posted by tillsbury at 10:17 PM on April 6, 2020 [1 favorite]

To expand a bit on tillsbury's answer, the Apple keyword you're looking for is Airplay, and I think you should be able to sub your computer in for the Apple TV in the instructions in this article.
posted by implied_otter at 5:49 AM on April 7, 2020

Here’s more detailed information on screen sharing. It is also focused on Apple TV but I’ve done it to my iMac in the past.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 6:50 AM on April 7, 2020

Screen mirroring is definitely the simpler approach, but in case it helps anyone out, I ran across EpocCam just yesterday: lets you use your smartphone's camera as a desktop's webcam.
posted by adamrice at 6:52 AM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: When I tap screen mirroring in my phone's control center, my Mac doesn't show up as a possible display.

Screen mirroring from my phone to my Mac only works when the two are physically tethered. However, this doesn't work for me when running FaceTime. The technique I'm using is to open QuickTime on the Mac and open "New Movie Recording" in the File menu, then select my phone in the little pull-down menu next to the red record button. But when FaceTime is running it stubbornly wants to keep using the MacBook's camera.

The iPhone 12 and the MacBook Pro are both running up-to-date OS's. The MacBook Pro is a 2018 model, so all the hardware involved is pretty recent.
posted by theory at 10:18 AM on April 7, 2020

Best answer: It looks like you may need a third party app to get your Mac to be an Airplay receiver. You can get a trial version of AirServer, which looks like it would do that pretty seamlessly, here.
posted by implied_otter at 11:01 AM on April 7, 2020

Best answer: I would just use another apple account and have the three device group facetime on three separate accounts- just know that you will likely want to mute one devices on your end. Grandma can be coached to double tap the camera she wants to focus on.
posted by zenon at 11:26 AM on April 7, 2020

Best answer: I just spent the morning solving this exact dilemma. The Quicktime workaround doesn't work with FaceTime or most other video applications.

Yes, to cast from your iphone to your Mac you need a third party app. I just downloaded Reflector today and it works a treat. It's not free but there's a free one-week trial. You download Reflector to your laptop and then it will show up in your AirPlay menu as long as both devices are logged into the same WiFi.
posted by assenav at 11:34 AM on April 7, 2020 [1 favorite]

Yes, to cast from your iphone to your Mac you need a third party app. I just downloaded Reflector today and it works a treat. It's not free but there's a free one-week trial. You download Reflector to your laptop and then it will show up in your AirPlay menu as long as both devices are logged into the same WiFi.

This has jogged my memory. I too used Reflector and it worked well.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 11:44 AM on April 7, 2020

Response by poster: Thanks all - got this to work on a dry run with both the three-device method and the third-party app method. In most circumstances the three-device method would work fine by having the other party choose the correct camera to view, but we want to place the smallest possible burden on grandma and the nursing home staff.

And of course I meant that I have an iPhone 11, not the 12 which would presumably come out later this year.
posted by theory at 11:23 PM on April 7, 2020