BoxView Camera

BoxView Camera is a camera extension for macOS 12.3 or later. Once it's installed, your phone's front camera appears on the Mac as BoxView Camera.

#Install it (once)

1. Make sure BoxView Helper is in your Applications folder and opened from there. macOS only installs camera extensions from apps in Applications.
2. Choose Install BoxView Camera… from BoxView Helper's menu.
3. macOS asks you to allow it. Click Open System Settings and turn on BoxView Helper in General › Login Items & Extensions › Camera Extensions. On macOS 12, allow it in System Preferences › Security & Privacy › General instead. You may be asked for your password.
4. BoxView Helper says when the camera is ready. It may restart itself once to start using the new camera; your phone reconnects by itself.

The menu then reads BoxView Camera: installed.

#Use it

1. In BoxView, open the session controls and tap Camera under Mac sound & devices. It reads On the Mac while your phone sends its picture.
2. On the Mac, choose BoxView Camera in an app that lets you pick a camera, such as Photo Booth.

The first time, iOS asks whether BoxView may use the camera: tap Allow. Until the phone sends video, BoxView Camera shows a picture asking you to turn on Camera in BoxView. Photo Booth mirrors its own preview; the camera itself isn't flipped, so other people see you the right way round.

#Good to know

• Use BoxView Camera from the account on the Mac's own screen. macOS gives cameras only to that account. In a background account, such as someone else's own Screen Sharing session, no cameras are listed at all, and BoxView Helper's menu says BoxView Camera: only for the account on the Mac's screen.
• It uses the phone's front camera.
• The camera stops when BoxView goes to the background.

#Remove it

Move BoxView Helper to the Bin (Trash). macOS offers to remove its camera extension too.