Teachers Can Use their iPhone or iPad as an Overhead Camera on Zoom via this New App

For teachers, there is now a free iOS app that can turn their iPhones or iPads into an overhead document camera viewer on Zoom or other video conferencing apps.

Called 'Overviewer,' the app takes advantage of Zoom's built-in screen sharing feature that works with the iPhone.

Developer Charlie Chapman has developed a free app, Overviewer which helps teachers to use their iPhone or iPad as an overhead camera on Zoom to conduct online classes.

By using the Zoom's screen sharing feature that works with the iPhone/iPad when the latter is connected to a computer, Overviewer will show exactly what the iPhone/iPad's camera sees. There is also support for landscape mode, turning on the flashlight, and changing the type of camera lens used.

Charlie was inspired to develop this app because of his wife, who works as a kindergarten teacher. His wife had to figure out how to teach a group of kids to draw letters over Zoom. Her initial workaround was using the iPhone and its default camera app to share via Zoom, but the interface was cluttered due to the layout of buttons and chrome around the camera view. In addition, she could only present in portrait mode which makes the presentation hard to see with the huge black bars on the side of the Zoom call.

If you’re a teacher, or are thinking of some other use for the app, it’s available for free on the App Store. It’s worth noting that if you’re using a Mac, Zoom will ask for permission to record your screen and have to be restarted in order to share your phone’s screen (this is because Zoom is just displaying your phone’s screen on your computer, and then capturing that window).