Last year, Samsung’s One UI 6.1 introduced the Camera Sharing feature, enabling Galaxy phones to function as tablet webcams. One UI 7.0 rebrands the feature to Camera Share and extends support to Galaxy Book laptops. However, there appears to be an issue. In our recent tests, the feature didn’t work for laptops when connected to phones running on One UI 7.0, yet ironically, it functions with phones still on One UI 6.1.
One UI 7.0’s Camera Share only works on One UI 6.1
Samsung has been steadily enhancing its device ecosystem, focusing on seamless cross-device functionality to offer users a more connected experience. The Camera Share app is a notable example. It transforms Galaxy phones into webcams for tablets and laptops, allowing users to get better picture quality when using video calling apps on bigger screens. However, in its current state, the feature seems to be half-baked.
We recently downloaded version 1.24305.34.0 of the Camera Share app on a Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360 with One UI 7.0 Book and set it up with a Galaxy S24 Ultra running the second One UI 7.0 beta build. While the devices connected successfully, we couldn’t get the feature to work. No app on the Book 5 allowed us to use the S24 Ultra as a webcam. We tried disabling Windows Phone Link (Link to Windows) but it didn’t help.
Then we noticed something unexpected. The Camera Share app on the Book 5 showed the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition (SE) among the available devices. The foldable is running One UI 6.1.1, but the feature is supposed to only work with devices running One UI 7.0. Out of curiosity, we tried connecting with the Fold SE, and boom! It not only connected but worked seamlessly.
The Camera Sharing option on the Fold SE still says it only works with tablets but we could use it as a webcam for the Galaxy Book 5 Pro 360. We aren’t sure why the feature didn’t work on the Galaxy S24 Ultra running One UI 7.0 Beta 2. Perhaps Samsung is still working on the new protocol, and the Fold SE bypassed it using the old protocol meant for tablets. Nonetheless, if you want to try, here’s how to set up this function.
How to set up Camera Share on your Galaxy Book?
Camera Share is a standalone app you can download on your Galaxy Book laptop via the Microsoft Store. You can click here to download it or manually navigate to Settings > Connected devices > Camera Share on your laptop. Once downloaded, launch the app and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process.
To use the feature, your Galaxy phone and laptop must be signed in with the same Samsung account and have an active internet (Wi-Fi) connection. You also need to enable Bluetooth on both devices and have Camera Share turned on. The Camera Share menu on the laptop lets you turn the feature on and off and provides a list of available devices and an option to log in to your Samsung account.
Once connected successfully, you can use your Galaxy phone’s camera as a webcam for the Galaxy Book. The function works on any app on your laptop. As said earlier, it appears to be a work in progress. Hopefully, Samsung will soon address the bugs and bridge the gap between its devices for improved productivity and convenience.
