Hovercraft adds a virtual‑camera layer for macOS video calls

What the update does

Hovercraft is a small macOS app that registers a virtual camera with the system. When you select Hovercraft as your video source in Zoom, Teams, Meet or any other client, the app streams a composite feed: your webcam feed stays in the main picture‑in‑picture slot, while a second window – the content you want to share – hovers on top as an independent layer. The result is a more personal presentation because the presenter never disappears from view.

The utility works on macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) and later, and requires a Mac with Apple Silicon or an Intel processor that supports the AVFoundation virtual‑camera API introduced in macOS 13. The app itself is built with Swift 5.9 and uses the ScreenCaptureKit framework to capture the selected window without taking over the entire display.

How it affects developers

• Cross‑platform video‑call SDKs – Hovercraft does not replace the SDKs used by the calling apps; it simply provides an alternate video source. If you are embedding a WebRTC client in a macOS app, you can point the RTCCameraVideoCapturer at the virtual‑camera device name Hovercraft. This works with the latest WebRTC iOS/macOS SDK 124.0.
• Dependency management – The app bundles its own copy of ScreenCaptureKit and does not require additional system extensions, so there is no extra entitlement to add to your own project.
• Performance considerations – Because the virtual camera encodes two video streams (webcam + floating window) into a single output, CPU usage rises by roughly 8‑12 % on a M2 MacBook Air. For high‑resolution streams (1080p at 30 fps) you may want to cap the floating window to 720p to keep thermal throttling at bay.
• Accessibility – Hovercraft exposes its controls through the standard macOS accessibility APIs, allowing VoiceOver users to switch the floating window on and off via the menu bar.

Migration and adoption steps

1. Install Hovercraft – Download the latest DMG from the official site. The free trial runs for 14 days; a single‑license purchase is $19.
2. Grant screen‑capture permission – macOS will prompt you to allow Hovercraft to record the screen. This is required for ScreenCaptureKit to capture the selected window.
3. Select the virtual camera – In your video‑calling client, open the video source menu and choose Hovercraft. The app’s preferences pane lets you pick the window you want to share (PDF, browser tab, Keynote slide, etc.).
4. Configure shortcuts – Hovercraft ships with default shortcuts (⌘⇧⌥←/→ to flip PDF pages, ⌘⇧⌥←/→ to move the floating window). You can customize them in the app’s Settings → Keyboard tab.
5. Test in a sandbox – If you are developing a custom video‑call UI, create a test call using the WebRTC SDK and set the video source to AVCaptureDevice.devices(withMediaType: .video).first { $0.localizedName == "Hovercraft" }. Verify that the composite feed appears correctly on the remote side.
6. Optional annotation – Hovercraft now supports on‑screen drawing. Enable it in Preferences → Annotation, then use the ⌘⌥A shortcut to toggle the pen. The annotation data travels as part of the video stream, so no extra network payload is needed.

Why it matters for cross‑platform teams

Teams that maintain both iOS/macOS and Android clients often struggle with a consistent presentation experience. On Android, apps like Snap Camera provide similar virtual‑camera functionality, but they rely on a separate driver layer that is not available on macOS. Hovercraft fills that gap, giving Mac users a native, Apple‑approved solution that works with any WebRTC‑based client.

For developers who already ship a macOS version of a collaboration tool, adding support for Hovercraft is as simple as exposing the virtual‑camera name to the client UI. No code changes are required on the server side because the video payload is unchanged – it is still a standard H.264 or VP9 stream.

Bottom line

Hovercraft turns a common annoyance – the loss of the presenter’s face when sharing a screen – into a smooth, gesture‑driven workflow. By leveraging macOS 14’s virtual‑camera APIs and ScreenCaptureKit, it stays lightweight (under 30 MB) and integrates cleanly with any video‑calling service. If your team builds or uses cross‑platform video tools, giving your Mac users the option to run Hovercraft can improve engagement without adding complexity to the backend.

Try the free trial and see whether the floating window feels more natural than the traditional full‑screen share.