Arducam 8MP USB camera not detected on Android but works on Windows

USB UVC Webcams
1

Hi everyone. I’ve got an Arducam 8MP 1080P USB Camera Module - the 1/4" CMOS IMX219 Mini UVC USB2.0 Webcam Board with the 1.64ft/0.5m cable. It works great on my Windows laptop, shows up as a webcam right away. But when I plug it into my Android phone, nothing comes up. No preview, no notification, nothing. I’m connecting it with a USB-C OTG cable.

2

Thanks for the details. Just to narrow it down: what Android device and Android version are you on? Also, have you installed any USB camera app on the phone, or were you expecting the stock camera app to pick it up?

3

It’s a fairly recent Android phone running Android 13, connected through a USB-C OTG adapter. I haven’t installed any camera apps - I just assumed it would work like on Windows. Do I need a different driver for Android? I checked the quick start guide and it only references Windows, but the product page (https://www.arducam.com/product/b0196arducam-8mp-1080p-usb-camera-module-1-4-cmos-imx219-mini-uvc-usb2-0-webcam-board-with-1-64ft-0-5m-usb-cable-for-windows-linux-android-and-mac-os/) says the camera is supported on Android.

4

That’s the key part. This board is UVC-compliant, and Android does have UVC support built in, so no separate driver is needed on the phone. The catch is that Android won’t automatically display the camera feed the way Windows does - the stock camera app typically doesn’t switch to an external UVC camera on its own. You need a USB camera app installed to access and display the UVC stream.

5

Ah, that explains it - I was waiting for the normal camera app to detect it. So I just install any USB camera app? Is there anything specific I need to enable or check?

6

Yes - install a USB camera app from the Play Store; most of them support UVC devices. Once you open the app it should detect the camera and show the preview. If it still shows nothing, check that the phone shows the USB permission prompt when you connect the OTG cable, and make sure the cable connection is solid. To summarize: no separate Android driver is required. The requirement is a USB camera app on the smartphone to open/display the UVC camera stream - the camera won’t just appear by itself.