Set up Camlane on Android

Before you start

• A phone or tablet with Android 8.0 or newer. A newer phone gives 1080p60 or 4K30; older ones still make good room cameras.
• A computer on the same Wi-Fi (or a hotspot from either device) with the Camlane desktop app: Windows, macOS or Linux.
• Google Play is in closed testing. Until the public listing opens, install the APK from camlane.live/download/android.

Check the file (optional)

Every release publishes SHA256SUMS.txt next to the APK. On a computer, run sha256sum camlane-android.apk and compare the result with the line for camlane-android.apk on the builds page. If Play Protect warns about an unknown developer, choose Install anyway.

Updating: download the new APK and install it over the old one. Pairing and settings are kept.

Permissions

Permission	Why
Camera	To capture what you stream
Microphone	For audio. Deny it and Camlane streams video only
Notifications (Android 13+)	The notification that keeps streaming alive, with Stop and stats
Nearby devices (Android 13+)	Finding computers on Wi-Fi
Location (Android 8–12 only)	Older Android requires it for Wi-Fi discovery. Camlane never reads your location

Camlane doesn’t need “Allow all the time” for the camera. The foreground service with its visible notification is what keeps the camera running with the screen off.

Keep streaming with the screen off

Camlane streams with the screen off through a foreground service. Several phone makers stop such services anyway unless you exempt the app. If the stream drops a few minutes after the screen turns off, change these settings for your brand, then restart the phone once.

Brand	Settings
Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO	Settings → Apps → Manage apps → Camlane → Battery saver: No restrictions, and Autostart: on. In Recents, pull the Camlane card down to lock it
Samsung	Settings → Apps → Camlane → Battery → Unrestricted. Settings → Battery → Background usage limits: add Camlane to Never sleeping apps
OnePlus, OPPO, realme	Settings → Apps → Camlane → Battery usage → allow background and foreground activity; set battery optimisation for Camlane to Don’t optimise. Lock it in Recents
Huawei, Honor	Settings → Battery → App launch → Camlane → Manage manually, with all three switches on
Pixel and stock Android	Usually nothing. If needed: Settings → Apps → Camlane → Battery → Unrestricted

Camlane also asks to be excluded from battery optimisation the first time it streams. Accept it. For long sessions, plug the phone in: 1080p60 with effects uses 3–6 W, and hot phones slow their encoder.

No shared Wi-Fi?

Camlane never needs the internet, only a local network:

• Phone hotspot: turn it on and connect the computer to it. Mobile data can stay off.
• Computer hotspot: Windows Mobile hotspot, macOS Internet Sharing, or on Linux nmcli dev wifi hotspot ssid camlane password <password>.
• Guest and hotel Wi-Fi usually blocks devices from seeing each other. Use a hotspot instead.

If the phone can’t find the computer, scan the QR code or type the computer’s address; the troubleshooting guide goes through the causes.

Settings for low delay

Setting	Recommendation
Resolution and fps	1080p30 for calls, 1080p60 for streaming on clean 5 GHz Wi-Fi, 720p60 on 2.4 GHz
Bitrate	6–8 Mbit/s at 1080p30, 10–14 at 1080p60, 20–30 at 4K30
Audio	PCM on 5 GHz (no codec delay); Opus on weak networks, at about a twentieth of the bandwidth
Stabilisation	Off for the lowest delay; electronic stabilisation adds a frame or two on some phones

Forget a computer

Long-press it in the list. To forget every phone from the computer’s side, use Pairing → Revoke all in the desktop app.