Wristcam Bringing Video Calling Feature to Apple Watch

The camera-equipped Wristcam accessory for the Apple Watch is being updated with FaceTime-like video calling, the company announced today.


For those unfamiliar with Wristcam, it is an Apple Watch band that adds an 8-megapixel camera and a two-megapixel selfie camera to your wrist, with the camera able to hold up to 2000 photos or an hour of video. The device connects to the Apple Watch over WiFi or Bluetooth, and it enables hands-free recording.

With the new video calling feature, Wristcam owners will be able to make calls to friends and family right from their wrists. On its own, the Apple Watch supports voice calls and audio FaceTime calls, but as it has no built-in camera, there is no native video calling functionality.

Using the Wristcam app, Wristcam offers watch-to-watch calling with other Wristcam users, or Watch-to-iPhone calling. Note that this is not ‌FaceTime‌ or another native video calling feature -- both parties must have the Wristcam app.

wristcam video
Video calling is available as of today, but Wristcam's website says that users must request "early access" to use the feature. Wristcam is also gaining a new WristcamOS SDK, which will open up the device's camera capabilities to App Store developers.

We went hands-on with Wristcam last year, and found that it's quite bulky for an Apple Watch band, but it can come in handy if you need a hands-free camera option. Wristcam can be purchased from the Wristcam website for $299.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Monday June 30, 2025 1:08 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max in September this year. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an...
A18 Pro Chip

New MacBook With A18 Pro Chip Spotted in Apple Code

Monday June 30, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
Apple is developing a MacBook with the A18 Pro chip, according to findings in backend code uncovered by MacRumors. Earlier today, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo reported that Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip. The machine is expected to feature a 13-inch display, the A18 Pro chip, and color options that include silver, blue, pink, and yellow. MacRumors...
Apple Watch Ultra Night Mode Screen

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Launching Later This Year With Two Key Upgrades

Wednesday July 2, 2025 1:13 pm PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 appears to be nearly over, and it is rumored to feature both satellite connectivity and 5G support. Apple Watch Ultra's existing Night Mode In his latest Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that the Apple Watch Ultra 3 is on track to launch this year with "significant" new features, including satellite connectivity, which would let you...
iPhone 17 Pro Lower Logo Magsafe

iPhone 17 Pro's New MagSafe Design Revealed in Leaked Photo

Wednesday July 2, 2025 8:37 am PDT by
The upcoming iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are rumored to have a slightly different MagSafe magnet layout compared to existing iPhone models, and a leaked photo has offered a closer look at the supposed new design. The leaker Majin Bu today shared a photo of alleged MagSafe magnet arrays for third-party iPhone 17 Pro cases. On existing iPhone models with MagSafe, the magnets form a...
macbook air spacegray purple

Apple Planning to Launch Low-Cost MacBook Powered By iPhone Chip

Monday June 30, 2025 3:20 am PDT by
Apple is planning to launch a low-cost MacBook powered by an iPhone chip, according to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In an article published on X, Kuo explained that the device will feature a 13-inch display and the A18 Pro chip, making it the first Mac powered by an iPhone chip. The A18 Pro chip debuted in the iPhone 16 Pro last year. To date, all Apple silicon Macs have contained M-series...
iOS 18

Apple Releases Second iOS 18.6 Public Beta

Tuesday July 1, 2025 10:19 am PDT by
Apple today seeded the second betas of upcoming iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 updates to public beta testers, with the betas coming just a day after Apple provided the betas to developers. Apple has also released a second beta of macOS Sequoia 15.6. Testers who have signed up for beta updates through Apple's beta site can download iOS 18.6 and iPadOS 18.6 from the Settings app on a compatible...
Wi Fi WiFi General Feature

iOS 26 Adds a Useful New Wi-Fi Feature to Your iPhone

Wednesday July 2, 2025 6:36 am PDT by
iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 add a smaller yet useful Wi-Fi feature to iPhones and iPads. As spotted by Creative Strategies analyst Max Weinbach, sign-in details for captive Wi-Fi networks are now synced across iPhones and iPads running iOS 26 and iPadOS 26. For example, while Weinbach was staying at a Hilton hotel, his iPhone prompted him to fill in Wi-Fi details from his iPad that was already...
maxresdefault

Five Features Coming to AirPods Pro 3

Friday June 27, 2025 10:52 am PDT by
Apple hasn't updated the AirPods Pro since 2022, and the earbuds are due for a refresh. We're counting on a new model this year, and we've seen several hints of new AirPods tucked away in Apple's code. Rumors suggest that Apple has some exciting new features planned that will make it worthwhile to upgrade to the latest model. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Heal...
replay all time playlist apple music

Apple Music Debuts All-New Personalized Playlist

Monday June 30, 2025 7:16 am PDT by
As part of its 10-year celebrations of Apple Music, Apple today released an all-new personalized playlist that collates your entire listening history. The playlist, called "Replay All Time," expands on Apple Music's existing Replay features. Previously, users could only see their top songs for each individual calendar year that they've been subscribed to Apple Music, but now, Replay All...

Top Rated Comments

kirbyrun Avatar
42 months ago
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DinkThifferent Avatar
42 months ago
Why… why would you want to make a video call from your wrist?
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CaptMarvel Avatar
42 months ago

That's the childhood dream isn't it? ?



Honestly though I'm not a fan of video calls, text me first, call me if it's an emergency, video call me never (alright, only after we have agreed on a video call). I can't really think of a scenario where a video call over my Apple Watch would be necessary or even "nice to have".

P.S. the band is ugly and looks like it would be uncomfortable especially when you wear long sleeves
Came here looking for one Inspector Gadget reference. Nostalgia memory in tact!
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
3224932 Avatar
42 months ago
Holding your wrist up to make a video call feels awkward, and it makes your arm tired. I don’t even like using the watch for calls, because I have to hold it close to my ear to hear it well - especially in loud environments.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
No5tromo Avatar
42 months ago
That's the childhood dream isn't it? ?



Honestly though I'm not a fan of video calls, text me first, call me if it's an emergency, video call me never (alright, only after we have agreed on a video call). I can't really think of a scenario where a video call over my Apple Watch would be necessary or even "nice to have".

P.S. the band is ugly and looks like it would be uncomfortable especially when you wear long sleeves
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Michael Scrip Avatar
42 months ago

Holding your wrist up to make a video call feels awkward, and it makes your arm tired. I don’t even like using the watch for calls, because I have to hold it close to my ear to hear it well - especially in loud environments.
Exactly.

At least with a phone you can set it down and prop it up on something.

Oh... and both parties have to use the WristCam app. Yikes.

Is anyone taking bets on how long this product (or company) will be around?

?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)