CataclysmicGentleman
Active Member
on Droidcam's website there are instructions, however I do not know how to follow along. I got up to where it says Video, but after that i dont really understand what its saying.
this app works great and i have used it before, its just harder to install on Linux compared to windows.
I could use some help as these instructions have me lost.
here is the website and document from website: https://www.dev47apps.com/droidcam/linux/
The GNU/Linux client is a combination of an executable app that connects to the phone, and Video4Linux and ALSA loopback drivers.
It’s assumed you are familiar with the system and how to use the Terminal. Please keep in mind other posts on the website are Windows oriented.
Install
Note: Only standard 64-bit binaries are provided. You’ll need to compile the client from source if you are running a 32-bit or ARM based system.
If droidcam is already installed, make sure it’s not open.
Download and install latest client:
cd /tmp/
wget -O droidcam_latest.zip https://files.dev47apps.net/linux/droidcam_2.0.0.zip
# sha1sum: 7b213dcf0bb4ac20d17007f52192c7914b10ed3f
unzip droidcam_latest.zip -d droidcam
cd droidcam && sudo ./install-client
Note: Latest versions of Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora have removed libappindicator, which is needed for the system tray icon.
On Ubuntu 21, use sudo apt install libappindicator3-1.
On Fedora 33, use sudo dnf install libappindicator-gtk3
For Debian Bullseye, get:
Video
You can use the standard v4l2loopback module, or the DroidCam version v4l2loopback-dc.
The main difference is that you’ll see “DroidCam” in the list of webcams, it works with Skype+Chrome without needing exclusive_caps=1, and the install scripts will make sure the module stays loaded after reboot.
For v4l2loopback-dc,
1. Install these packages: linux-headers-
For example: sudo apt install linux-headers-
2. Run sudo ./install-video
The install-video script will try to auto-sign the drivers if you have secure boot enabled. If the signing fails, you will be prompted to manually take care of signing the driver by following ‘Secure Boot Module Signing’ instructions for your distro (more info on Google).
If all goes well, you can ensure the video device is loaded via lsmod | grep v4l2loopback_dc (you should see v4l2loopback_dc in the output).
Skype, Zoom, OBS Studio, etc. should now list DroidCam as a video device (or you may see it listed as a raw /dev/video device).
Sound (optional)
DroidCam can use the Linux ALSA Loopback sound card for audio. However, there are many differences with the audio layers on different Linux systems. It’s recommended you use a regular microphone and keep droidcam for video only.
Run sudo ./install-sound to load the Loopback sound card. See Extra Notes below for additional audio related information.
If the main client does not open, please check the libappindicator notes under the Install section above.
You can achieve portrait video by inverting the webcam. See the HD Mode section below.
Android USB connections:
For USB connections, you need to: a. enable USB Debugging on the phone, b. install adb on the computer.
(a) Turn on “USB Debugging” on your phone. Its located in the system Settings, under Developer Options.
On most phones the Developer Options screen is hidden by default. To unlock it, open the phones Settings, go to About Phone and search for Build number. Tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer options. Once unlocked, search for USB Debugging and turn it On.
(b) Ensure adb is installed. The client app will try to invoke adb automatically to setup the DroidCam connection.
Debian-based Linux users can do: sudo apt-get install adb
Fedora/SUSE-based Linux users can do: sudo yum install android-tools
If you have multiple devices, you can specify which one to connect to using ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable. Use adb devices to list available devices and serials, then env ANDROID_SERIAL=XYZ droidcam-cli adb 4747.
iOS USB Connections:
The client will try to communicate with usbmuxd to detect and connect to your iOS device. Make sure usbmuxd is installed and running.
Sound support:
To use the mic in PulseAudio you can either run
pacmd load-module module-alsa-source source_properties=device.description=DroidCam device=hw:Loopback,1,0 (you may need to adjust the last number; on some systems you need to do this after launching the droidcam client. ), or by editing /etc/pulse/default.pa as described here.
If the Loopback card takes over your line out, you can set the default PulseAudio sink as shown here.
With Pipewire, open pavucontrol, Configuration tab. There are probably multiple devices called “Built-in Audio”, one of them is droidcam. Choose the profile Pro Audio, go to the Input Devices tab and check which meter reacts to the phone’s audio input (eg. Built-in Audio Pro 1), this is the desired audio input device.
Inside pavucontrol you can now set this device as default input or choose it as the input device for individual apps etc.
this app works great and i have used it before, its just harder to install on Linux compared to windows.
I could use some help as these instructions have me lost.
here is the website and document from website: https://www.dev47apps.com/droidcam/linux/
The GNU/Linux client is a combination of an executable app that connects to the phone, and Video4Linux and ALSA loopback drivers.
It’s assumed you are familiar with the system and how to use the Terminal. Please keep in mind other posts on the website are Windows oriented.
Install
Note: Only standard 64-bit binaries are provided. You’ll need to compile the client from source if you are running a 32-bit or ARM based system.
If droidcam is already installed, make sure it’s not open.
Download and install latest client:
cd /tmp/
wget -O droidcam_latest.zip https://files.dev47apps.net/linux/droidcam_2.0.0.zip
# sha1sum: 7b213dcf0bb4ac20d17007f52192c7914b10ed3f
unzip droidcam_latest.zip -d droidcam
cd droidcam && sudo ./install-client
Note: Latest versions of Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora have removed libappindicator, which is needed for the system tray icon.
On Ubuntu 21, use sudo apt install libappindicator3-1.
On Fedora 33, use sudo dnf install libappindicator-gtk3
For Debian Bullseye, get:
Video
You can use the standard v4l2loopback module, or the DroidCam version v4l2loopback-dc.
The main difference is that you’ll see “DroidCam” in the list of webcams, it works with Skype+Chrome without needing exclusive_caps=1, and the install scripts will make sure the module stays loaded after reboot.
For v4l2loopback-dc,
1. Install these packages: linux-headers-
uname -r gcc make.For example: sudo apt install linux-headers-
uname -r gcc make2. Run sudo ./install-video
The install-video script will try to auto-sign the drivers if you have secure boot enabled. If the signing fails, you will be prompted to manually take care of signing the driver by following ‘Secure Boot Module Signing’ instructions for your distro (more info on Google).
If all goes well, you can ensure the video device is loaded via lsmod | grep v4l2loopback_dc (you should see v4l2loopback_dc in the output).
Skype, Zoom, OBS Studio, etc. should now list DroidCam as a video device (or you may see it listed as a raw /dev/video device).
Sound (optional)
DroidCam can use the Linux ALSA Loopback sound card for audio. However, there are many differences with the audio layers on different Linux systems. It’s recommended you use a regular microphone and keep droidcam for video only.
Run sudo ./install-sound to load the Loopback sound card. See Extra Notes below for additional audio related information.
Run
Start droidcam client from the Gnome launcher menu or via the Terminal. There is also a cli client, droidcam-cli, that you can use.If the main client does not open, please check the libappindicator notes under the Install section above.
Extra Notes
Video rotation:You can achieve portrait video by inverting the webcam. See the HD Mode section below.
Android USB connections:
For USB connections, you need to: a. enable USB Debugging on the phone, b. install adb on the computer.
(a) Turn on “USB Debugging” on your phone. Its located in the system Settings, under Developer Options.
On most phones the Developer Options screen is hidden by default. To unlock it, open the phones Settings, go to About Phone and search for Build number. Tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer options. Once unlocked, search for USB Debugging and turn it On.
(b) Ensure adb is installed. The client app will try to invoke adb automatically to setup the DroidCam connection.
Debian-based Linux users can do: sudo apt-get install adb
Fedora/SUSE-based Linux users can do: sudo yum install android-tools
If you have multiple devices, you can specify which one to connect to using ANDROID_SERIAL environment variable. Use adb devices to list available devices and serials, then env ANDROID_SERIAL=XYZ droidcam-cli adb 4747.
iOS USB Connections:
The client will try to communicate with usbmuxd to detect and connect to your iOS device. Make sure usbmuxd is installed and running.
Sound support:
To use the mic in PulseAudio you can either run
pacmd load-module module-alsa-source source_properties=device.description=DroidCam device=hw:Loopback,1,0 (you may need to adjust the last number; on some systems you need to do this after launching the droidcam client. ), or by editing /etc/pulse/default.pa as described here.
If the Loopback card takes over your line out, you can set the default PulseAudio sink as shown here.
With Pipewire, open pavucontrol, Configuration tab. There are probably multiple devices called “Built-in Audio”, one of them is droidcam. Choose the profile Pro Audio, go to the Input Devices tab and check which meter reacts to the phone’s audio input (eg. Built-in Audio Pro 1), this is the desired audio input device.
Inside pavucontrol you can now set this device as default input or choose it as the input device for individual apps etc.
