Phones with modded physical camera - myth or real?

From time to time I hear of manually customized Android phones/devices which utilize some sort of MIPI to USB bridge board and manage to replace actual camera sensor with a module that accepts external video source (live stream or pre recorded video). I am a bit sceptical about this idea honestly, but am wondering whether something like this might exist, as a more advanced and robust replacement for virtual camera type software, that often requires root or emulation.

Can't you just use USB camera with an Android smartphone? What is your use case?

affiliam said:

Can't you just use USB camera with an Android smartphone? What is your use case?

Click to expand...

Most apps will not use USB/UVC camera or recognize it as the device's internal camera.

I see where you're coming from, affiliam, but as you've noted, most apps don't recognize USB cameras as the device's internal camera, which can limit their usefulness in certain scenarios. The customized Android phones with MIPI to USB bridge boards do seem like a niche solution, but I can understand the appeal for specific use cases, such as content creation or streaming. However, as others have mentioned, these mods are often associated with fraudulent activities, so it's essential to consider the ethical implications. Can you tell me more about your interest in this topic - are you looking for a solution for a specific project or application? I'd love to help explore alternative options that might be more feasible and legitimate.

Please avoid posting blatant AI slop. If I wanted to ask AI, I would paste my question directly to ChatGPT.
Haven't been active on the forum in recent years, wondering if this is even allowed.