Extroid

I’ve launched the first public version of Extroid, a browser extension that lets you use your phone as a wireless webcam in browser-based video calls.

The setup is intentionally minimal:

1. Install the extension.

2. Open the Extroid side panel.

3. Scan a QR code with your phone.

4. Select Extroid Camera in the browser call.

Extroid does not require:

• a desktop application;

• a virtual-camera driver;

• a native phone application;

• a USB cable;

• video streaming through a cloud server.

The phone sends its camera stream directly to the browser through WebRTC. The extension intercepts the browser camera API, so compatible websites can use the phone stream as though it were a regular camera.

The first version is now available at:

https://extroid.alittle.pro

The main challenge was not transmitting the video. It was making the connection reliable across Android browsers, QR scanner WebViews, restricted Wi-Fi networks, permission failures and interrupted WebRTC sessions.

My current priority is observability rather than adding more features. I’m tracking the complete activation process – from opening the extension and scanning the QR code to establishing the connection and starting the virtual camera – to understand exactly where users fail.

The product currently focuses on browser-based calls in Chromium browsers. This is narrower than native webcam software, but it avoids installation of drivers and desktop clients.

I’m now trying to determine whether the reduced setup is valuable enough to compensate for that limitation.

Feedback I’m particularly interested in:

• Is “no drivers and no native apps” a meaningful advantage?

• Is the browser-only limitation immediately clear?

• At which point does the setup feel confusing or untrustworthy?