An APK teardown of Microsoft’s Link to Windows app for Android (also known as Phone Link and Your Phone) shows that the company is working to bring a handy feature to handsets — webcam functionality.
Code shows that Microsoft appears to be working on a feature to rival Apple’s Continuity Camera, the feature that makes it possible to use an iPhone as a webcam in conjunction with a Mac. Now it seems that Android users are going to get a similar option under Windows.
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As noted by Android Authority, the code for the Link app includes numerous references to camera controls. Among the various strings in the code is one labelled “camera_activity_launch_notification_content” that bears the description: “Tap this notification to allow your PC to stream your camera video”.
There is no specific use of the word “webcam” in the code, but it is hard to imagine what else it could be referring to. And with Apple, Google and Microsoft all having a history of borrowing ideas from each other, it would be unsurprising if Windows users were given the phone-as-a-webcam option already enjoyed by iPhone/Mac users.
Microsoft is yet to make any announcement about this, so it’s hard to say quite how far down the road of development the company has got. When — or if — the feature does arrive, though, it is likely to be something that is warmly welcomed by Android fans.
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