Use the powerful camera system of your iPhone to do things never before possible with a webcam, including Center Stage, Portrait mode, Studio Light, and Desk View.
Mount your iPhone
Choose your iPhone camera or mic
Use video effects and mic modes
Pause, disconnect, or turn off
If you need help
System requirements
Mount your iPhone
Continuity Camera mounts and other iPhone-compatible mounts and stands are available from many manufacturers.When mounted, make sure that your iPhone is:
- Near your Mac
- Locked
- Stable
- Positioned with its rear cameras facing you and unobstructed
- In landscape orientation to allow apps to choose youriPhone automatically, or in portrait orientation
Continuity Camera works wired or wirelessly. To keep your iPhone charged while in use, plug it into your Mac or a USB charger. Your Mac will notify you if iPhone battery level gets low.
Choose your iPhone as your camera or microphone
When your iPhone is properly mounted, its camera and mic are available to apps that can use them.
Choose your iPhone camera
Open FaceTime or another app to use with your iPhone camera. If the app doesn't automatically begin using it, choose your iPhone camera from the app's video menu, camera menu, or other setting.For example, in FaceTime your iPhone camera is available from the Video menu.
Choose your iPhone microphone
Your iPhone mic is available separately to apps that offer a mic setting. Or you can choose Apple menu> System Settings, click Sound in the sidebar, then select your iPhone mic in the Input tab.
You don't need to choose your iPhone mic, unless your Mac has no built-in or external mic. Your app might then choose your iPhone mic automatically.
Privacy.While the camera or mic is in use, aprivacy indicatorappears in the iPhone status bar and next to Control Center
in the Mac menu bar. When used wirelessly, iPhone plays a brief sound when an app begins using its camera or mic.
Use video effects and mic modes
After choosing your iPhone camera, you canuse Control Center to turn on Center Stage, Studio Light, Portrait mode, and Desk View. Or choose a mic mode for your iPhone mic.
Center Stage
Requires iPhone 11 or later, excluding iPhone SE
Using the Ultra Wide camera, Center Stage keeps you centered in the camera frame as you move around.
- Click Control Center
in the menu bar. - Click Video Effects.
- Click Center Stage.
Portrait mode
Requires iPhone XR or later
Portrait mode blurs the background to keep the focus on you.
- Click Control Centerin the menu bar.
- Click Video Effects.
- Click Portrait.
Studio Light
Requires iPhone 12 or later
Studio light dims the background and illuminates your face, without relying on external lighting. Studio Light is great for difficult lighting situations, like backlit scenes in front of a window.
- Click Control Centerin the menu bar.
- Click Video Effects.
- Click Studio Light.
Desk View
Requires iPhone 11 or later, excluding iPhone SE
Using the Ultra Wide camera, Desk View shows your desk and your face at the same time. It's great for creating DIY videos, showing sketches over FaceTime, and more.
- Open the Desk View app as follows:
- If using FaceTime, start your video call, then click the Desk View button in the upper-right corner of the video window.
- If using a different app, click Control Centerin the menu bar, click Video Effects, then click Desk View.
- To zoom out or zoom in on your desktop, drag the onscreen control in the Desk View setup window. If you can't get a good view of both face and desktop, try again with your iPhone in portrait orientation.
You can also make these adjustments after you start Desk View.To skip this setup step in the future, use the View menu in the Desk View menu bar to turn off Always Show Setup. - Click Start Desk View, then share the Desk View window:
- If using FaceTime, the Desk View window should already be shared.If others on the call can't see your desktop, clickthe Desk View button in the FaceTime window again, then click the Share Desk View button in the Desk View window.
- If using a different app,use its screen-sharing feature to select the Desk View window for sharing.
- To stop Desk View, close the Desk View window. Or click the screen sharing button(if available) in the Desk View window, then choose Stop Sharing Window or Close Window.
(if available) in the Desk View window, then choose Stop Sharing Window or Close Window.
Mic modes
Click Control Center
in the menu bar, then click Mic Mode.
- Voice Isolationgives priority to your voice and minimizes the sounds of traffic, dogs barking, and other background noise around you.
- Wide Spectrumcaptures your voice as well as the sound around you, such as the sound of music or nature.
gives priority to your voice and minimizes the sounds of traffic, dogs barking, and other background noise around you.
captures your voice as well as the sound around you, such as the sound of music or nature.Pause, disconnect, or turn off
If you receive a call while using your iPhone camera or mic, your Mac shows a notification that you have an incoming call.
- If you answer the call on your iPhone, video and audio pauses until you end the call and lock and mount your iPhone.
- If you answer the call on your Mac, thecurrent video and audio session pauses. When you end the call, you might need to choose your iPhone again in your app.
Other ways to pause or disconnect:
- Use your app's controls to stop video, mute audio, or end the call. Or quit the app.
- Unlock your iPhone. To resume, lock and mount your iPhone. You might need to stop and restart video or audio in your app as well.
- Tap the Pause button on your iPhone screen. To resume, tap Resume and mount your iPhone.
- Tap the Disconnect button on your iPhone screen, or move it out of Bluetooth range of your Mac. The current video and audio session pauses or switches to another camera or microphone, if available, and your iPhone is removed from camera and microphone lists on your Mac. To add it back, plug your iPhone into your Mac and mount your iPhone.
To prevent your Mac from recognizing your iPhone as a camera or microphone, even when your iPhone is plugged in and mounted, you can turn off Continuity Camera:
- On your iPhone, go toSettings > General > AirPlay & Handoff.
- Turn off Continuity Camera.
If you need help
If Continuity Camera isn't working as expected or your iPhone disconnects from Wi-Fi to optimize Continuity Camera, try these solutions.
If Continuity Camera isn't working as expected
- Make sure that your iPhone and Mac meet thesystem requirements.
- Make sure that your iPhone is properly mounted.
- Install the latest macOS updates,iOS updates, andupdates for your video app.
- If you haven't unlocked your iPhone since it last restarted, unlock it, then lock it again.
- Plug your iPhone into your Mac.
- Restart your iPhone or Mac.
If you get a notification that iPhone Wi-Fi disconnected
While using Continuity Camera wirelessly, you might be notified that your iPhone has disconnected from Wi-Fi to optimize Continuity Camera. Your iPhone then uses its cellular data connection for background networking tasks like email and messages. To stop or prevent this rare occurrence while using Continuity Camera, plug your iPhone into your Mac orturn off cellular data on your iPhone.
System requirements
This Continuity Camera feature works with the following devices and operating systems, using one iPhone and one Mac at a time. TheContinuity Camera feature for scanning documents or taking a picturehas different requirements.
iOS 16 or later
- iPhone XR or later
(AlliPhone modelsintroduced in 2018 or later) - iPhone 11 or later for Center Stage
- iPhone 11 or later (excluding iPhone SE) for Desk View
- iPhone 12 or later for Studio Light
macOS Ventura or later
- AnyMac compatible with macOS Venturaor later
Additional requirements
- Your iPhone and Mac must besigned in with the same Apple IDusingtwo-factor authentication. Continuity Camera does not supportManaged Apple IDs.
- Your iPhone must have Continuity Camera turned on in Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff. It's turned on by default.
- Your iPhone and Mac must be near each other and have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on.
- Your iPhone must not besharing its cellular connectionand your Mac must not besharing its internet connection.
- To use Continuity Camera wirelessly, your Mac must not be using AirPlay or Sidecar.
- To use Continuity Camera over USB, youriPhone must be set to trust your Mac.
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