Camera linkBeta
Your phone, as a camera for your Mac.
A direct link between two devices you already own. The video goes phone to Mac, which is why it costs no credits and keeps working on the free plan. It is in beta, and the page below says what that means.
Device to device
The video path runs straight from the phone to the Mac. It is not relayed through our servers, so there is nothing to meter and nothing to spend.
Paired by account, revocable per device
Sign in on both and they find each other. Every paired device is listed on your account page, and revoking one there ends its access.
Free, and it stays free
The camera link is part of the local-only feature set. It works on the free plan and it keeps working if a subscription lapses.
How the link works
Sign into the same account on the Mac app and the phone app. The phone shows up as a camera source for the Mac, and the video travels between them over your own network. Your account is used to establish trust between the two devices, not to carry the picture.
- One account signed in on both devices, no code to retype each session
- The video path stays on your network, phone to Mac
- No credits are consumed, on any plan
What beta means here
It works and people use it, but it is not finished. The honest limits are worth knowing before you build a workflow on it: the picture is only as good as the link between the two devices, and behaviour can still change between builds.
- Quality follows your local network — a busy or distant access point shows immediately
- Expect the occasional reconnect rather than a guaranteed session
- Details can change between builds while it is in beta
It links your devices; it is not a broadcast tool
This connects a phone you own to a Mac you own. There is no audience side, no stream key and no viewer link, and we would rather be clear about that than let you find out mid-call. Once the phone is a camera source on the Mac, whatever you use it in is up to you.
- Both ends have to be signed into the same account
- No public link, no invitees, no viewer count
- Revoke a lost phone from the account page without changing your password
How it differs from a cloud video service
Different job. A cloud service connects you to other people; this connects two of your own devices with nothing in between.
| Tincograph | Cloud video service | |
|---|---|---|
| Where the video goes | Directly between your two devices | Up to a server and back down |
| Who it connects | Your own devices only | Anyone you invite |
| Cost | No credits, on every plan | Metered by minute or by seat |
| Without a subscription | Keeps working, because it is local-only | Usually stops |
| Quality ceiling | Whatever your local network allows | Whatever the service transcodes to |
| Revoking a device | Listed on your account page, revoked in one click | Usually a session, not a device |
Frequently asked questions
Does it use my credits?
No. The video path is device to device, so there is nothing on our side to meter. It is in the local-only feature set, which means it works on the free plan and keeps working if a paid plan lapses.
What do I need to set it up?
The Mac app and the phone app, both signed into the same Tincograph account, both on the same network. There is no separate pairing code to type in each time.
Can I use it to stream to other people?
No. It is a link between your own devices, not a broadcast tool: there is no viewer link and no stream key. If you want an audience, point your usual streaming app at the camera the Mac now has.
The picture is stuttering. What should I check first?
The network between the two devices, before anything else. Both on the same access point, the phone off a congested 2.4 GHz band if you can manage it, and no large upload running in the background. Quality tracks the link, and while it is in beta a reconnect is the expected recovery.
Start with the free plan
Local-only features are free forever, and the free plan includes a monthly credit allowance. No card to try it.