Turn your phone into a Windows microphone

Your phone probably has the best microphone you own: better than many USB mics, and far better than the one in your laptop. The only problem: Windows can't use your phone as a microphone on its own.

Micstream fixes this. The Windows client installs a small audio driver that adds a microphone called "Micstream", and the phone app sends your phone's audio to it. To Windows, it looks like a real microphone is plugged in, so every app can use it without extra setup. The audio arrives as 32-bit float at 48 kHz.

You need three things:

• A PC running Windows 10 or 11
• An Android phone or an iPhone
• Both devices on the same Wi-Fi network, or a USB cable (Android only)

Setup

1. 1

   Install the Windows client

   Download the installer and run it. It installs the desktop client and the audio driver, which creates the "Micstream" microphone. Your other audio devices stay as they are.

2. 2

   Install the phone app

   Get it on Google Play or the App Store. You don't need an account. The audio goes straight from your phone to your PC over your local network. It never passes through a server.

3. 3

   Connect the phone

   Open the app. On Wi-Fi, it finds your PC by itself if both are on the same network. On Android, you can also use a USB cable. The first time you connect, allow microphone access. On iPhone, also allow local network access, so the app can find your PC.

4. 4

   Pick Micstream as the input

   Open the microphone settings of the app you're using and select Micstream. That's it: Zoom, OBS and every other app treat it like any other microphone.

Discord and OBS ignore the Windows default and use their own setting, so select Micstream there. There are short guides for Discord and OBS.

Set it as the default mic

To make every app use your phone by default:

• Windows 11: open Settings→System→Sound and select Micstream under Input.
• Windows 10: open the same page and pick Micstream under "Choose your input device".

The old sound settings also work on both: press Win + R, type mmsys.cpl, open the Recording tab, select Micstream and click Set Default.

USB or Wi-Fi?

USB works with Android phones. It has the lowest delay, often under 10 ms on high-end phones, and it charges the phone. Use it for recording, streaming, or when you listen to yourself.

Wi-Fi lets you put the phone anywhere, like the middle of a meeting table. Its delay depends on your network, so if the audio drops out, switch to USB.

Noise cancellation

The Windows client comes with DeepFilterNet, an AI noise-cancellation model. It is on by default and filters out keyboard clicks, fans, and room noise before the audio reaches your apps.

To change it, open Micstream on your PC and go to Settings: switch Noise Reduction off, or pick a preset from Quality (removes the least) to Maximum (removes the most). While streaming, you can also switch it on or off from the phone app.

Processing runs on the computer, not on the phone, so it does not affect the phone's battery.

Troubleshooting

Common questions

Is it free?

Yes, with ads: watching a short ad gives you streaming time. A Pro subscription removes the ads and the time limit.

Does it work with an iPhone?

Yes. The iPhone app is on the App Store and needs iOS 18 or newer. It connects over Wi-Fi; USB works with Android phones only. See the iPhone setup guide.

macOS or Linux?

Linux works: see the Linux setup guide. A macOS client is in development.

What's the actual audio quality?

Windows receives the audio as 32-bit float at 48 kHz, in stereo on phones that support it. It is never downsampled.

Can I use the phone while it's streaming?

Yes. The app runs in the background.

Both downloads are free: