Guides
How to Use a Real Phone Camera in Virtual Android Phones (and Share One Camera Across a Group)
Why is the camera black or showing a generated scene in a virtual Android phone?
A virtual Android phone has no lens, so any camera it offers is software. Google's documentation for virtual devices says the Emulated and VirtualScene camera options produce a software-generated image, while the Webcam option uses your computer's webcam. Camera options only exist when the device's hardware profile supports a camera.
That explains the usual symptoms:
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| A generated scene or pattern | The device is using its simulated camera |
| A black screen | No picture is arriving, or the app has no camera permission |
| "Camera not available" or another error | The device has no camera, or the camera can't be opened |
| A sideways or upside-down picture | The rotation doesn't match the camera the app asked for, front or back |
How can you give a virtual Android phone a real camera picture?
| Option | What it does | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| The emulator's webcam setting | In Android Studio's emulator, the Webcam option uses your computer's webcam | Developing and testing one app | Needs a device profile that supports a camera |
| A PC webcam or a virtual camera | A webcam, or software that presents a picture as a camera | One machine at a time | Awkward to share between several virtual phones |
| A real phone's camera over a link | Your phone sends its camera to the virtual phone | A better image than a laptop webcam, no cable | Both devices need internet, and the phone must stay awake |
| A network stream or a looped file | An IP camera stream, or a video or image played on repeat | Demos and repeatable tests | Not live from you |
Pick by the job:
| Your goal | Usually a good fit |
|---|---|
| Test one app's camera feature on one virtual device | The emulator's own webcam setting |
| Take photos or scan QR codes in several Android profiles with one good camera | One real phone shared by a group |
| Video calls or demos from accounts you manage | A phone camera or a webcam |
| A repeatable demo scene | A looped video or a network stream |
How do you use your phone's camera in an ADSSPEED Android phone profile?
You need:
- An Android phone profile. These need virtualization enabled in the BIOS.
- ADSSPEED 2.9.220 or later.
- A real phone with a camera and a browser, and internet on both the phone and the PC.
For one machine:
- Start the Android phone profile.
- Right-click the machine and choose the phone camera option. A QR code and a link appear.
- On your phone, scan the QR code or open the link, tap Bật camera (turn the camera on), then allow camera access when the phone asks.
- Keep the page open and the screen awake. The machine receives the picture by itself, with nothing more to press on the PC.
The phone page is currently in Vietnamese. Bật camera turns the camera on, Đổi trước/sau switches between the front and back cameras, and Dừng stops it.
How do you share one camera across several virtual phones?
Phones are few and machines are many, so ADSSPEED lets one phone serve a whole group:
- Click the 📷 shared camera button in the toolbar of the Android machines list.
- Pick a group, or add one, then tick the machines that should share a phone and assign them to the group. A machine can be in only one group, and the assignments are remembered when you reopen the app.
- Scan the group's QR code, or copy its link, with the phone that will serve that group.
- On the phone page, turn the camera on and allow access. Every machine in the group now receives the picture.
- For another group, pick the next group and use another phone.
When you close the phone page, the group returns to the simulated camera after about a minute.
Keep the link private. Anyone who has a group's link can send pictures to that group. If you shared it by mistake, create a new link: the old one stops working.
What can you adjust on the picture?
The phone page has a frame settings panel. It starts at 15 fps, 720p and 3:4.
| Setting | Label on the phone page | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Camera on and off | Bật camera, Dừng | Start and stop sending |
| Front or back camera | Đổi trước/sau | Switch while running |
| Frame rate | Khung hình / giây | 10, 15, 24, 30 or 60 fps; the feed to the machines is limited to 30 fps |
| Resolution | Độ phân giải | 720p, 1080p or 1440p |
| Aspect ratio | Tỉ lệ khung | 3:4, 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9 |
| Compression | Chất lượng nén | A slider: lower quality means lighter pictures |
| Extra controls | Nâng cao (theo điện thoại) | Zoom, exposure, ISO, brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, focus distance, colour temperature, flash, and focus, exposure and white-balance modes, only where your phone offers them |
What if the camera doesn't work?
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| The machine still shows the simulated camera | Check that the phone page is open with the camera on. If the page was closed or lost its connection, the group goes back to the simulated camera after about a minute, so open the link again |
| The picture stops | Locking the phone's screen or switching to another app stops it. Keep the page in front and the screen awake |
| The page can't open the camera | Tap Allow when asked. Browsers offer the camera only on secure (HTTPS) pages and always ask permission, and a denied permission shows up as a NotAllowedError. In Chrome on Android, open More, Settings, Site settings, Camera, and allow the site. You can also open the link in Chrome or Safari |
| The picture stutters | Lower the resolution or the frame rate on the phone page, and check the phone's Wi-Fi or 4G signal |
| The picture is dark | Add light, or use the exposure and ISO controls if your phone offers them |
| The wrong machines get the picture | Check the group assignments. A machine belongs to at most one group |
| You shared the link by mistake | Create a new link. The old one stops working |
What should you know before relying on it?
- It applies to Android phone profiles, not browser profiles.
- You need ADSSPEED 2.9.220 or later for shared camera groups.
- Both devices need internet. The picture travels through ADSSPEED's server, which is why no shared Wi-Fi or IP setup is needed.
- The feed to the machines is limited to 30 frames per second.
- The phone page runs in a browser, so modes that only the phone's own camera app offers, such as night mode or RAW, are not available.
- The phone must stay awake with the page open.
- Quality depends on your phone's camera, your connection and the settings above.
Use it responsibly
Use a camera feature for apps and accounts you own or are authorised to manage. Identity and liveness checks are designed to be done live by the account holder with their own face, so never use a photo, a recording or another person's image to pass one. Follow each platform's rules.
Where ADSSPEED fits
ADSSPEED's Android phone profiles can take a real phone's camera through a QR code. One phone can serve a whole group of machines, the link works on Wi-Fi or 4G with no IP setup, and the phone page offers frame rate, resolution, aspect ratio, compression and front or back switching, plus zoom, flash and focus controls where the phone supports them.
From the PC you can instead choose, per machine, a webcam (including virtual cameras such as OBS, DroidCam, Iriun or EpocCam), the PC screen, a video or image file played on a loop, or a network stream (RTSP, HTTP or HLS). ADSSPEED passes the picture on live and does not record it. For the wider picture, see what is an antidetect phone? and how to run Android apps on a PC.
Use ADSSPEED only for accounts you own or are authorised to manage, and follow each platform's rules.
Frequently asked questions
Why is the camera black or showing a pattern in my Android emulator?
The virtual device is using a simulated camera, or no picture is reaching it. Google's documentation says the Emulated and VirtualScene options produce a software-generated image. Give the device a real source, such as a webcam, and make sure the app has camera permission.
Can I use my PC webcam in an Android emulator?
In Android Studio's emulator, yes. Google's documentation says the Webcam camera setting uses your computer's webcam. Camera options only appear when the device's hardware profile supports a camera.
Can I use my phone's camera in a virtual Android phone?
In ADSSPEED, yes. Open the QR code from the app, scan it with your phone, allow the camera, and the machine receives the picture. It works over Wi-Fi or 4G and needs ADSSPEED 2.9.220 or later.
Can several virtual phones share one camera?
Yes. In ADSSPEED you put machines into groups and each group uses one phone's camera. For example, machines 1 to 5 can use phone A and machines 6 to 9 phone B. A machine belongs to at most one group.
Do the phone and the PC need to be on the same Wi-Fi?
No. The link works on Wi-Fi or 4G and needs no IP setup, but the phone and the PC both need an internet connection.
Is my camera picture recorded?
ADSSPEED passes the picture on live and does not record or save it. While you stream, only the most recent frame is held in memory.
Can I use it to pass an identity or selfie check?
Identity checks are meant to be done live by the account holder, with their own face. Don't use any camera source to impersonate someone, or to pass a check with a photo or a recording. Platforms and laws prohibit it.
Sources
Related guides
Run Android devices and browser profiles on your own PC
ADSSPEED manages many browser profiles and Android phone profiles from one app, each with its own device configuration, proxy and automation.