Let’s get connected.

Install WayCam on your Android phone and your computer, then connect them over Wi-Fi or USB tethering.

Install on Android

Get the Android app from Downloads. Open the downloaded APK and allow your browser to install apps when Android asks. WayCam supports Android 8 and later. Install direct-download updates manually from this website.

Updating WayCam

The signed 1.5.0 and later releases, and the signed 1.1.3 release published on 16 October 2026, can install the latest APK over the existing app and keep their settings. Earlier releases use a different signing key: uninstall those first, then install the new APK. Uninstalling removes saved app settings.

WayCam Dev is a separate app and can remain installed alongside WayCam. Close its connection before pairing with the code shown in WayCam. Each app keeps its own settings.

Permissions and device controls

Allow camera access when using the webcam. Open the connection on the phone, then pair from the desktop app. Turn Camera or Speaker on from WayCam on Windows. Phone speaker playback does not need microphone permission.

The phone shows its connection address and pairing code. Your computer controls the lens, picture quality and frame rate. Camera preview appears on the computer.

Install on Windows

Download the Windows installer from Downloads and follow the setup window. The virtual webcam requires Windows 11 x64. WayCam installs for your Windows account and includes the camera setup files and offline runtime.

Open WayCam from Start and complete Set up virtual webcam, approving the Windows administrator prompt when asked. Close meeting and camera apps first: setup may briefly interrupt other cameras while refreshing the Windows camera service.

Exit WayCam from its system tray menu before updating. Run the installer again to repair or remove the app, or use Windows Installed apps. If WayCam asks you to restart Windows to finish setup, restart the computer before reopening your meeting app.

If Windows blocks the installer

Check that the download came from this website. Keep Windows security enabled. If installation is still blocked, contact support with the exact message and your Windows version.

See Microsoft’s Smart App Control guidance for more information.

Install on Mac

The Mac app is being prepared for download. Downloads shows its current availability. It supports macOS 12.3 and later on Apple silicon and Intel Macs.

When the Mac download is available, move WayCam into Applications and open it. Choose Install / repair camera and follow the macOS approval prompts. Use Wi-Fi unless your Mac recognizes the phone’s USB-tethering connection.

Connect with Wi-Fi

Join the same trusted network on both devices. Open WayCam on your phone, choose Wi-Fi and open the connection. On Windows, use Find to fill in the address, then enter the pairing code. You can also enter the IP address, port and code shown on the phone manually.

Connect with a USB cable

Connect your phone to the computer with a data-capable USB cable, then enable USB tethering in Android Settings. USB becomes available in WayCam when it detects that connection. This creates a local network link over the cable; USB debugging is not needed.

If USB is disabled, check the cable and USB-tethering setting first. If the setting is missing or unavailable, your phone or carrier may not support USB tethering. Use Wi-Fi instead. On a Mac, USB also depends on whether macOS recognizes the phone as a network adapter.

Use WayCam in a meeting

Finish virtual webcam setup in the desktop app, then select WayCam in your meeting or recording app’s camera settings. Choose the lens, picture quality and frame rate in WayCam on your computer.

Play computer sound on your phone

Connect the phone, then turn on Speaker in WayCam on Windows. It mirrors sound from your current Windows output to the phone without an audio driver. The computer continues playing sound too. Adjust phone playback volume under Settings → Devices.

Camera and Speaker work independently. Speaker playback is off until you enable it. The virtual microphone is unavailable in this release.

Set a virtual background

In WayCam on Windows, open Settings → Background, choose an image and enable Replace my background. Choose Computer to process it on your computer, or Phone (prototype) to process it on Android before sending the video. The background appears in both the preview and virtual camera. Mirror below the preview also flips both.

Computer processing offers Balanced or High background quality and an experimental Keep my chair option. High may need more processing time; camera resolution stays as selected. High quality and Automatic processing are the defaults for new preferences. Existing saved preferences are retained.

The Processor selector offers Automatic, GPU when available, and CPU. Automatic compares the selected quality on the CPU and available GPUs during the session; first preparation can take several seconds. GPU uses graphics acceleration where supported, with CPU fallback.

Computer processing also offers an experimental Processing buffer: 0 ms (the default), 25 ms or 50 ms. A buffer adds a small video delay to give background processing more time; it cannot repair long gaps or incorrect masks. Freeze holds the last published view.

Start Phone processing at 720p and 30 fps. It uses additional phone power and needs a compatible GPU; performance and heat vary by device. If WayCam reports unsupported processing or keeps catching up, turn replacement off or try the other processing option. Background replacement can miss edges and is not a privacy guarantee.

If the computer cannot connect

Check that the address, port and pairing code match the phone. Guest Wi-Fi networks can prevent devices from communicating. Try your own network or USB tethering. Keep the phone app open for the initial connection and allow camera access.

If you leave Wi-Fi and return, WayCam retries its listener and discovery registration while the connection remains open. Waiting for Wi-Fi means the phone has no usable local link; Reopening connection means it is retrying. Once it shows Ready, use the current address or Find on your computer.

To reset the phone’s connection, tap Close connection, wait for the setup screen, then Open connection. This creates a fresh listener using the current network address. Disconnecting only on the computer resets its connections and leaves the phone available.

If Ready still cannot connect, open http://PHONE-IP:PORT/health in a browser on the phone, replacing PHONE-IP and PORT with the values shown in WayCam. A small JSON response identifying WayCam confirms the listener answers on the phone; it does not prove the computer can reach it. If it loads only on the phone, check network isolation and VPN settings, or try USB tethering. If it cannot load on the phone either, close and reopen the connection and contact support with the result and build number.

If your meeting app shows a still image

First check whether WayCam’s own preview moves. If it does, fully quit and reopen the meeting app, including its system tray process, then select WayCam again.

If the image remains frozen, close camera apps and use the virtual webcam setup or Repair option in WayCam. Approve the administrator prompt and restart Windows if requested. If the problem persists, contact support with your operating system, meeting app and WayCam versions, and whether WayCam’s preview moves.

Record processing diagnostics

For processing problems, open Settings → Diagnostics on Windows and choose Start 2-minute debug capture, then reproduce the problem. It stops automatically after two minutes, or you can choose Stop earlier. Use Open log folder to review the saved JSONL file. The local log contains statistics and technical metadata only, with no images, video, audio, network addresses or pairing codes. It is not uploaded automatically. You can choose to share it with support and delete saved JSONL files manually when no longer needed.

Stop sharing

Use Close connection in the phone app or Stop in its streaming notification. Locking the phone or minimizing the app does not end an active session. You can also turn individual devices off from WayCam on your computer.

Contact

WayCam is provided by Waybound. For support and privacy requests: hi@waybound.ai

Include your phone model, Android version, computer operating system, WayCam version and whether you use Wi-Fi or USB. Do not send pairing codes or private camera footage.