Andrew Cunningham
The Camera Continuity feature was a highlight of the macOS Ventura update: Any Mac can now use any compatible iPhone as a webcam via a Lightning cable or wireless connection. And the Which The iPhone camera is a significant upgrade over the 720p and 1080p webcams that shipped with the iMac and most 1080p desktop webcams from the likes of Logitech, Microsoft, and Razer (for Mac mini and Pro owners without a built-in webcam).
The problem is finding a place to put your iPhone while trying to use it as a camera. Belkin made a MagSafe stand that can quickly clip an iPhone to the top edge of a MacBook, but the retention clip is too narrow to use with most desktop monitors. A new version of the stand, announced today, has been created with a wider base and a kind of kickstand to help it rest on top of most desktop monitors.
Belkin
As of this writing, the Belkin iPhone Mount (Magsafe compatible) for Mac desktop computers is listed on Apple’s site for $29.95, though a Belkin representative told us the correct price is $39.95. Images of the product show it sitting on a studio display, which includes a front-facing camera similar to the one Apple includes in its iPads, but image quality was a bit of a mixed bag.
As a MagSafe accessory, the Belkin mount will only work with a subset of iPhones that support the continuous camera feature. MagSafe is included on all iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 models (Pro, mini, Max, and more), while Continuity Camera works with phones as early as the 2018 iPhone XR. To support Continuity Camera, your Mac must be running macOS Ventura, and your phone must be running iOS 16.0 or later.
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