PairOnce

PHONE → COMPUTER · LIVE CAMERA

View your phone camera live on a PC, Mac or laptop, without an app

Open paironce.com on the phone and the computer, pair them once with the QR code, then tap + next to the message box on the phone and choose Live picture.

Click Accept on the computer and the phone’s camera appears there live, at up to 720p, with buttons for a full-resolution photo, a screenshot and a recording.

It runs in the browser on both devices, on a direct connection such as the same Wi-Fi; to list the phone as a webcam inside video apps, Windows 11, macOS and Pixel phones have their own tools, described below.

Step by step

  1. Connect the phone and the computer once. Open paironce.com on both. Scan the QR code with the phone (or choose Enter a code and type the six digits), check that both screens show the same safety code, and approve with Approve device. A page opened from a QR code or link asks you to confirm first: tap Connect.
  2. Start the live picture on the phone. Tap + next to the message box and choose Live picture. Allow the browser to use the camera when it asks.
  3. Accept on the computer. The computer shows that the phone wants to show a live picture. Click Accept within a minute; the picture starts only after that.
  4. Point the camera. The phone starts with its back camera. Tap Switch camera for the front one, and Flash for the light on phones that offer it. Keep the phone’s screen on and stay on the page: the picture pauses if the phone locks or you switch apps.
  5. Capture what you need on the computer. Take a full photo has the phone take a photo at the camera’s full resolution and send it as a file. Screenshot keeps the frame you see, and Record makes a video of up to 5 minutes. Each one appears with the received files on the page; choose Save to keep it.
  6. Stop when you are done. Click Stop watching on the computer, or tap Stop sharing on the phone.

What you get on the computer

Tap Live picture on the phone, click Accept on the computer, and the phone’s camera is live there. Click Screenshot or Take a full photo whenever you need one, and Stop sharing when you are done. Over a relay, Live picture comes with PairOnce Pro.

The picture is live video without sound, at up to 720p and 30 frames a second. Full screen fills the display, and Picture in picture, in browsers that offer it, keeps the picture on top while you work in another window.

A screenshot is saved as a PNG, a full photo as a JPEG from the phone’s camera, and a recording as WebM in Chrome and Firefox or MP4 in Safari. With PairOnce Pro on either device, the picture goes up to 1080p and a recording up to 60 minutes.

Use the phone as a document camera or in a meeting

Stand the phone over a sheet of paper, a whiteboard or an object and the computer shows it live in a browser tab. In a video meeting, share that tab or window with the meeting app’s own screen sharing, and everyone sees what the phone sees.

For a sharp copy of a page, use Take a full photo, or scan it to a PDF from the same + menu.

The picture stays between your two devices

The video travels on the same encrypted connection as your files; on a direct connection it goes straight from the phone to the computer. Before any picture is sent, the two devices check that they are talking to each other, and the computer shows a badge that says the picture is live, direct and from your phone.

While the camera is shared, the phone’s whole screen is the viewfinder, with a line at the top that names the device that is watching. The picture is not saved unless you take a screenshot, record or ask for a photo.

Which connection it uses

Live picture runs when the two devices are connected directly, as they are on the same Wi-Fi. With PairOnce Pro on either device it also runs through the encrypted relay, for a phone and a computer on different networks.

On a computer the + menu also has Share screen, which shows the computer’s screen on the other device in the same way.

Limits, and when this is not the right tool

  • A file can be up to 2 GB over a direct connection when the receiving browser saves straight to disk (Chrome or Edge on a computer or Android, Firefox on a computer, Safari on iOS 26 or later). Other browsers take up to 50 MB per file and hold 100 MB of received files at a time.
  • Files over 2 GB need PairOnce Pro on one of the two devices. Then a file can be up to 10 GB, received the same way, and the relay carries 5 GB a month.
  • When the two devices cannot reach each other directly, an encrypted relay carries the data. Each device can send and receive 200 MB a month that way, counted together; a direct connection has no monthly limit.
  • Both pages must stay open until everything has arrived: keep the phone’s screen on and the browser in front.
  • PairOnce moves things between two devices that are open at the same time. It is not cloud storage: nothing waits on a server for later.

Other ways to do it

  • Windows 11 with an Android phone. Windows can use the phone as a connected camera that video apps list. Microsoft asks for Windows 11, Android 10 or later and the Link to Windows app, version 1.24022.0 or later. Open Settings › Bluetooth & devices › Mobile devices, select the phone and turn on Use as connected camera.
  • A Mac with an iPhone. Continuity Camera makes the iPhone a webcam for the Mac, wired or wirelessly. Apple lists an iPhone XR or later with iOS 16 or later, macOS Ventura 13 or later, the same Apple Account on both, and Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turned on. Then choose the iPhone from the app’s video or camera menu.
  • A Pixel phone over USB. Connect the phone with a USB cable that carries data, tap the Charging this device through USB notification and select Webcam under Use USB for. Google says it works on any device that supports USB Video Class, such as laptops.

Common questions

Does the phone show up as a webcam in video apps?

PairOnce shows the camera in a browser tab on the computer. In a call, share that tab with the call’s screen sharing. To have the phone listed as a camera inside the app, use Windows’ connected camera, Continuity Camera on a Mac or the Pixel’s USB webcam mode.

Does it work with an iPhone and a Windows PC?

PairOnce runs in the browser on both devices, so you open paironce.com on the iPhone and on the Windows PC and connect them with the QR code. The Live picture entry appears in the + menu on a browser that can open the camera.

Is there sound?

No. Live picture sends the picture only, and the microphone stays off. Recordings made on the computer are video without sound.

How long can I record?

A recording stops at 5 minutes and is kept with the received files; start another to keep going. With PairOnce Pro a recording runs up to 60 minutes.

Why is Live picture greyed out in the + menu?

The menu says what it needs. Needs the same Wi-Fi, or Pro means the two devices are connected through the relay: put both on one Wi-Fi and connect again. If PairOnce could not open the camera, allow camera access for the site in the browser’s settings and try again.

Can someone watch my camera without my knowing?

No. The camera is shared only when you choose Live picture on the phone yourself and the paired device accepts. The phone shows who is watching the whole time, and Stop sharing ends it at once.